- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Sunday’s game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Wests Tigers has reinforced the stupidity of rugby league’s governing body and their inability to allocate fixtures to benefit the fans and even themselves.
The match was played at ANZ Stadium with less than a quarter of the seating being taken up. This provided a dour atmosphere for the these two clubs’ first premiership match of the season.
The ridiculous part about the whole thing is that it was a Dragons home game – that’s right, even though the Dragons have two stadiums in Kogarah Oval and Win Stadium, the NRL still insisted on the game being played at the biggest stadium in New South Wales.
It just does not make sense! The NRL should have known this game wasn’t going to be a ‘blockbuster’ match-up, the two teams came second and third last in 2013 and the crowd of 19,860 was testament to that.
The thing is though, 20,000 fans would provide a cracking vibe at Kogarah or Win and if the game was played at one of those two venues, the extra two or three thousand would probably show up to pack out the place.
People keep saying how Channel Nine has a big say in where the matches are played. I don’t have a problem with that, because they put big bucks into the sport, but why would they want the game to be showed in a empty-looking stadium?
That doesn’t make what they are broadcasting look as appealing as a bumper crowd down at Kogarah Oval.
The Dragons have three more ‘home games’ in Sydney this year, including a game at the SCG against the Rabbitohs for the heritage round, a game against the Roosters at their home ground of Allianz Stadium on ANZAC Day and then a clash with the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, where the Dogs play most of their home games.
Effectively, the Dragons only get eight home games this season, which seems unfair on the team and the fans.
Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould commented on the poor crowd at the game and how “fans should follow their club wherever they play.”
Gus, you don’t get it, the Red V army do not get free tickets like you do.
When you take into account the soaring cost of going to the match, the extra three or four hours of travel makes it a struggle.
For a high profile rugby league figure to openly criticise a fan group is unnecessary and another example of how Phil Gould should think before he speaks.
NRL Head of Football, Todd Greenberg, was interviewed on ABC Grandstand and said the match scheduling is something the NRL strives to improve on all the time.
Well I must use a different dictionary to Todd because if his ‘improving’ means moving more games from history-rich local grounds to empty arenas in the heart of the city, then the NRL is punching itself in the face.
No one wants to see the NRL get to the point where everyone just watches it on the television, even the television broadcasters in Channel Nine and Fox Sports don’t want that, because it ruins their product.
Lift your game Todd, give code what it needs.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.