Although primarily a rugby supporter, and former player, I take a keen interest in the two most popular Australian codes.
I was brought up in Sydney, but admire the athleticism and skill of AFL players, and the smartness of the people who run the AFL, while naturally having more understanding of the NRL, both the game itself and the officials.
In recent years the AFL has spent a fortune expanding its footprint in Australia, with great success.
It is played in all five of the major capitals, while the NRL is played in only three, and it doesn’t seem able to persuade Channel 9, its media ‘partner’, to show games in Melbourne at a time when viewers might actually want to watch.
And yet, for all the bumbling ineptitude of the NRL, it’s interesting to note that in this season’s play-offs the spread of communities that actually have a direct interest in the play-offs is much wider than the equivalent in the AFL.
If you look at major Australasian centers of population, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland, Townsville, Newcastle and Wollongong all have teams in the NRL play-offs.
The AFL has Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Geelong in the finals.
And in the first week of the play-offs, all four AFL games will be played in Melbourne, while the four NRL games will be played in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The difference between the two codes is that the Melbourne AFL clubs have risen to the top this season, while most of the Sydney NRL teams have dropped to the bottom.
Maybe next season it will be the other way round, but the AFL must be hoping for strong shows from Sydney and the West Coast.
Although the NRL is the king in only two states, those two states have more cities of a significant size than the AFL states, and generally bigger populations.
For this reason I suspect that the NRL finals are likely to be bigger draws in terms of TV audiences this year.
And, as a rugby man, the question is whether the World Cup across the ditch will be able to have any impact on the consciousness of AFL or NRL fans when the play-offs are in full swing.
I’m not convinced that scheduling the World Cup to start this Friday is the smartest thing the International Board has ever done, at least from an Australian point of view.
The Wallabies face a big challenge to be noticed over the next four weeks.
Let’s hope they can rise to it.
hutch
Guest
Yeah cause the swans get such great tv numbers in Sydney! That's if you call 60k great numbers!
seanoroo
Guest
also Boges coming to the NBL
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Seano, it was quite clear in the context that what was listed were those which were holding finals. The next paragraph listed those holding AFL finals. It was a list of "major Australasian centres of population" hosting finals in our two dominant competitions, and that was quite clear.
Seano
Guest
Um you said "If you look at major Australasian centers of population, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland, Townsville, Newcastle and Wollongong all have teams in the NRL play-offs." Isnt the gold coast, Adelaide and Perth bigger than a few of those places? No NRL finals there!!!!!!
Ken
Guest
I suspect you're on the money, ratings will probably be mediocre until the end of the of the domestic comps but there will be a big audience looking for their next sporting 'high' once the NRL/AFL GFs. If the Wallabies are doing well they should get a lot of coverage and support at the business end of the comp.
Ken
Guest
No argument that the Titans were beyond help this year - but how exactly did (or could) the NRL draw help them? I understand that the NRL asks all teams for any draw preferences (byes, planning big home games etc) and I'm sure they got a few things they wanted in that area - but they only got to play half of their games at home and received 2 byes like any other team. Not sure what advantages could really be bestowed that plenty of other teams wouldn't have also got?
Galaxy Hop
Guest
I was at the Eels/Bulldogs semi that was an ANZ sell-out.
Jeff
Guest
The only cross promo that we are seeing from Ch 9 is Storm v "Farmer wants a >>>>"... they are certainly promoting that CRAP. I sincerely hope this is amongst the final years of Ch 9 'OWNING' our sport. Last year we go none of the Rugby League Finals games before 11-30 at night.. that icluded on Foxtel, (Whom I pay $70+ a month to see Rugby league games LIVE). most of that fee is for absolute trash that no one would want to watch.. unless they couldn't remember the previous 2000 screenings of the shows ....
Insanity
Guest
10 righto then bucko. Sounds likes someone jealous to me.
Jim:)
Guest
And like most tsunamis, it will end up being a disaster.
Insanity
Guest
Show's how liitle you know, what's the third fastest growing sport in the states, whats the national sport in Georgia what's in the Olympics? UNION!
JVGO
Guest
'Go to any pub in Sydney when a big union game is on.....'. Not really SH I think there are select pubs where this happens and everyone knows where they are. I think if you go to the right pubs when a 'big' league game is on' I think you will find the same thing. just depends on which pubs...surprisingly.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
You're an ideas man, JVGO, I like it.
sledgeandhammer
Guest
If rugby doesn't rate domestically, how do you explain the ratings for the super rugby final? Rugby is growing in Australia, we have a foothold in Perth, are getting started in Victoria, and next year have the world series 7s on the Gold Coast. This year the QLD Reds have been huge, and next year the Waratahs have a bumper draw against the Crusaders, the Bulls, and the Australian franchises on Saturday afternoons. The product is great, the personalities are huge, and now with the World Cup the promotion is kicking in (thanks Channel 9). Rugby is on the rise in Australia, and as the great Scot Gavin Hastings once said, underestimate us at your own peril. Regarding the World Cup, the minnows will not get flogged. The so called minnows around the world are getting stronger every World Cup, and this year there will be some upsets. Keep an eye out for Samoa, Georgia and Japan to spring a few surprises, but who knows? There are really tough pools for perhaps the first in in RWC history there will be no free rides into the quarter finals. Even the Wallabies have to play Ireland and Italy, both tough games. Yes we should win, but it will not be a cake walk. The other fact is that rugby creates great events - go to any pub in Sydney or NSW when a big Union game is on and you see a big level of actual engagement - people watching the game, cheering the game, getting passionate. I just never see this with league outside of Origin.
JVGO
Guest
Actually an amphibious 50,000 seater would be handy. we could float it to Manly or Newcastle, Homebush, Wollongong even Cronulla. problem solved.
JVGO
Guest
I guess I'm saying neither of them are ideal. Maybe they should move the SFS to Brookvale for the night.
db swannie
Guest
Syd has had 30 yrs of Swans & the ratings are going downhill.. you think another team is going to suddenly find another 100K to watch .
Stu Wilsons Gloves
Guest
Not by Republican
M1tch
Guest
who?
Republican
Guest
I reckon 50% of Union support in this country is courtesy of Kiwi and PI ex pats. The Wallas are also coached by a Kiwi as well as relying significantly on a number of players of Kiwi heritage. Those attending the cup in NZ will come mostly from this Australian diaspora in my opinion. The only reason Union attracts any sort of interest from Australians in general is due to it's World Cup status. Unions domestic state of affairs doesn't rate in this country to be perfectly frank. Australians will support anything we rise to of international status, as experienced in so many international sports that have little relevance to the Australian cultural sporting fabric. When a niche code i.e Union is presented to we Ozzies in this format, i.e. the global extravaganza to be played out in NZ shortly, we tune in with much patriotic gusto juxtaposed often by a naive ignorance on our part of the given sport. Personally, I won't even give it a cursory glance despite the codes International tag, since this is very much inflated by the many minnows who attend this cup only to get flogged time and again. In reality there are probably only half a doz sides in the world who have parity in a competitive sense, so this as much about the pomp and circumstance of the code in my opinion and no grander in status than either the domestic AFL or NRL finals series.