For AFL newcomers Greater Western Sydney, the pre-season is of particular importance, as they settle their line-up and prepare for their debut regular season appearance.
With that debut little more than a month away, the pre-season competition got under way this weekend. For all teams involved, it’s an important hit-out, a chance to work on game plans. And for youngsters, fringe players and recent draftees, a chance to showcase their skills and make a claim for senior selection.
The first round of the pre-season competition is played through a set of triple-headers, with each side playing 20-minute halves against two other teams.
Drawn to play against Western Bulldogs and Collingwood at the GWS home training venue at Blacktown, Greater Western Sydney’s NAB Cup campaign also presents an opportunity for supporters to have a look at the AFL’s newest club.
Overcast and threatening afternoon skies may have scared some fans away, but the potential downpour didn’t come. And a crowd of 7,086 turned up to take in the action: not a great number, but the vast majority were in the charcoal and orange of the Giants.
Many experts had predicted the Giants would be easybeats, with bookmakers offering the relatively short odds of $11 that they would not score a goal in either game.
Early in the first match against the Bulldogs there were danger signs. Perhaps over-awed by the occasion, the Giants struggled to man up and defend as the Bulldogs started with two quick goals.
The Giants got on the board though, and those who had taken the bet on the Giants failing to goal would have to rip up their tickets as Curtly Hampton converted a free kick from 40 metres out.
It would be their only goal in the first half. But the Giants lifted after half time, and with the first goal of the second half got back to be only a goal down, while the crowd began to find their voice.
Then disaster struck for the home side, with a free kick sending the Bulldogs into attack for Daniel Cross to goal. And worse was to come, with an inexplicable free kick in the teeth of goal gifting Matthew Panos a goal and opening a match-winning lead.
The free to Panos evoked the wrath of the crowd; and anyone who thought there would no passion in the supporters of the new club would soon have that idea swept away as a tirade of angry abuse was sent over the fence to the men in green.
The Giants refused to concede, and co-captain Callan Ward, playing against his old club, landed a nine-pointer; with a late goal to Rhys Palmer getting them back to within a kick. But they were unable to conjure up a late winner, going down by just five points; only the controversial free to Panos denying them the upset win.
The Giants took a breather while the Bulldogs were joined in the middle by Collingwood. A scrappy and low-scoring contest saw only seven goals scored, and a seven-point win for the Magpies.
And then it was time for the final feature of the night, with the newcomers taking on grand finalists Collingwood.
Adam Tomlinson got an early goal for the Giants, and a spectacular individual effort by Rhys Cooyou sent the crowd into raptures as the Giants took a shock six-point lead to half time.
When ruckman Jonathan Giles goaled in the first minute of the final quarter, the chance of an upset was in the air.
It wasn’t to be, as the Magpies fought back, and an early nomination for goal of the year by Jackson Paine, threading the ball through from a near impossible angle from the boundary, saw them take the lead late.
The Giants had a chance to steal victory in the final seconds, with Tomlinson having a chance to mark within scoring range, but the Magpie defence held firm and the siren sounded to give the Magpies a narrow three-point win.
The Giants didn’t win either game. But they may have won something more than points. They may have won some respect from the football world.
Far from easybeats, they fought out both games. Far from being thrashed, they could have won.
Ruckman Jonathan Giles showed his value to the new franchise, among the Giants’ best in both games. Former Melbourne captain James McDonald had class against the Bulldogs, while Phil Davis was solid in defence in both matches.
Cooyou showed plenty of attacking flair and Stephen Conoglio plenty of potential. Most fit players got good of game time, which will be vital preparation for the season ahead.
And so the crowd filed out of the stadium. For the Collingwood fans, the satisfaction of two wins. Bulldog fans could celebrate one.
The vast majority, in the colours of the Giants, left with the knowledge that the newcomers were competitive, good enough to match it with their opponents.
They also left with a greater sense of optimism that their team will be good enough to take their place in the AFL.
stabpass
Guest
I understood that the 466 was the peak audience for the night, but at any rate JVGO got it wrong, very wrong !!. Those ratings must be fantastic, if foxtel can say 1,366,466 people watching precisely.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Uh, the 466 is listed as "Weekly" which, to my understanding, includes the replays during the week. 1,366 is STV, the total viewership as in that amount of people who had Foxtel on, on average, whilst the program was being broadcast. The 259k figure is the people who watched it live. Or when translated into Trollish, "had nothing better to do". :)
clipper
Guest
The Cattery - she's a Sydney girl - I thought it was only ex pats that followed AFL in Sydney!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
GWS has just announced Melissa Doyle as their number one ticket holder.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Steve what you say is true about pre-season form, nevertheless, in the case of GWS, you'd be be more worried if they got smacked in the half-games against teams full of first year players - we can take a bit of comfort at the fact that they stood up for 40 minute lots. Last year the Giants got done by 11 goals against the Swans, going in with a bunch of 17/18 year olds, so it is a bit of a relief that they were much more competitive.
Steve
Guest
Being competitive in a practice match mean absolutely nothing! Seriously, so they pushed the Pies and Dogs to the end. So what? In Round 1 when full sides are going at 100%, the Giants will get unceremoniously thumped. Let's not get carried away by an adequate performance in a match that meant nothing.
JVGO
Guest
So 259,000 is the people who have nothing better to do, 466,000 includes the people who flicked over to check the score or didn't really want to watch it and 1,366,000 are normal people? I should have known there aren't 1,366,466 normal people in the country. 466 too many.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Giants chasing Cloke for next season: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/giant-play-for-collingwoods-travis-cloke/story-e6frf9jf-1226277550091
stabpass
Guest
No it appears you are wrong, the last total is reach, have a look 259 ‐ 1366 466 Here they are http://www.astra.org.au/ArticleDocuments/116/ASTRAWeek7.pdf.aspx You cant seriously think that there is 1,366,466 total viewers, there are 1,366, 000 total viewers, the reach is 466,000, 259,000 is the average viewers.
clipper
Guest
What happened to the charity sheild pre game ratings - didn't they have it this year?
The Cattery
Roar Guru
JVGO I can only go by Fox's numbers, they are saying a 23% increase on last year. I think one problem we see witih league fans such as yourself, you readily pin your hopes on one big game, or a few big games, a few high peaks, but you don't understand that ratings are measured and totalled over a 7 month period - and it's that volume over that long period, over the many, many hours that are broadcast, the many, many, many hours, that matter above all else. That's where the money is coming from.
JVGO
Guest
So up against no competition you are celebrating and jumping up and down about not even beating yourselves last year?
Jaceman
Guest
I never said NRL was an easy target but from Webster in the Tele this morning "This is a city we have a long-term ownership of," marketing director Paul Kind said. "With the Sydney draw, with the way it's been laid out this year, with the strength of the Sydney versus Sydney games particularly over the first six rounds, it makes sense. Sydney is the place where this game has been front and centre for more than a hundred years. It makes sense for us to spend our dollars here." The battle for hearts and minds in Sydney will be under close scrutiny this year with new AFL franchise GWS on the precipice of their debut season. Accordingly, the game's powerbrokers agreed late last year to tailor the draw to strike back at the aggressive stance of their rival code. A series of blockbuster games will be held in Sydney in Round 4 to coincide with the Giants' first home game."" So the draw has been tailored.... How about the South African RU referee keeping Australia in the RWC 2003 Final when it was live nationally so a close game was imperative - went to extra time...a Harriganesque performance McGuire rushes out the Malthouse/Bucklety changeover announcement the night before the AFL announced the Hunt signing - Channel Nines Hutchison knew of the Hunt signing and the Nine's AFL footy show barely mentions the Hunt signing even though it was the biggest football story of the year... Anymore...
Jaceman
Guest
JVGO, I thought I read the Charity Shield was up 10% on last year which is a good result given saints following as Saints were premiers in 2010 and somehow managed that and a trip to the UK before the season..
The Cattery
Roar Guru
JVGO if you're interested, and I'm sure you are, you can get further info here: http://www.astra.org.au/ArticleDocuments/210/FOXFOOTYANINSTANTHITWITHVIEWERS.pdf.aspx?Embed=Y “LIVE NAB Cup broadcasts accounted for six of the top seven most watched programs on subscription television last week,topped by Saturday night’s clash between 2011 Grand Finalists Colllingwood and newcomers Greater Western Sydney which drew an average audience of 259,000 – the biggest audience for an opening round NAB Cup fixture in subscription TV history. After the first six LIVE matches on FOX FOOTY, average audiences rose 23% above the 2011 average for the opening round of NAB Cup broadcasts on FOX SPORTS”.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Wookie the second replay of a game the day after was still ranked 15th??!! Do you have a list of those shows from 11 to 20?
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
The bst part is one of the games that was replayed on friday was replayed again on saturday - where it was 15th and rated 53,000 lol
The Cattery
Roar Guru
JVGO I didn't put up the comparison, one of your comrade-in-arms did, and yes, last year there were two NRL shows in the top 10, and this year there is one - last year there were five AFL shows, and this year there are seven - I'm telling you precisely what's in the top 10 - are you able to see that? I can't make it any plainer than that. You are correct that the peak viewing figure from one year to the next has dropped for the AFL, and I am saying that countering that, the six NAB cup games this year got more than the six NAB cup games last year - are you able to discern that? Let me know if you need assistance in reading the numbers. Finally, with only six NAB cup games - how did the AFL get seven shows into the top 10? I'll tell you - this is the really interesting bit - one of the replays of the games has made it into the top 10, and another was just outside the top 10 - that's the really interesting part of the story - a replay of a game actually made it into the top 10. Maybe that sort of thing has happened before, I don't know, but considering it's only a pre-season game, I thought that was interesting.
stabpass
Guest
I thought the first was average, the second. the amount of viewers available and the third, the peak. 259 ‐ 1366 466
Redb
Roar Guru
So you looked up last years Nab Cup games to 'try' and find a negative. - L on your forehead. NRL lost.