Judging by the poor crowds and empty stadiums it seems NRL fans have taken the privilege of having a team to support for granted.
The embarrassing Campbelltown crowd from last weekend is a prime example of taking a team for granted. The Wests Tigers are in West Sydney ‘heartland’ and have been quite successful this season, yet the fans are a no show.
One of the excuses is the opposition. It’s no secret that the Cowboys are the lowest drawing team in the competition no matter where they go. However, it has Queensland representatives such as Johnathan Thurston, Brent Tate and Matt Scott on the team. The opportunity to see high-calibre talent on display in an area which gets very few games should see the supporters jumping at the very opportunity to be there.
There are also other excuses as to why fans do not turn up to games but it has been covered ad nauseam. It just shows that rugby league fans need perspective considering there are areas that don’t have a team at all to support.
These areas do contain rugby league communities that want a team to support, yet all they hear non-stop is the constant excuse-making that current NRL fans have of their team.
Think about West Australia, which is the third largest state playing rugby league in spite of having no team since 1998. I’m confident that if Western Australia was given a team it could be successful in the long run. The foundation is there and it has the potential.
There are other areas such as Central Queensland, the Central Coast, Wellington and Adelaide which would love to have what the current 16 NRL teams have at the moment. Even a second Brisbane team would create a Brisbane derby that would benefit the game greatly and create positive competition with the Broncos.
How would rugby league fans feel if they had their team kicked out of the competition like the Western Australia Reds, South Australian Rams, South Queensland Crushers or North Sydney Bears? Perhaps if they were kicked out of the competition it would put all their complaining in perspective, as they would no longer have a team to support.
For example, if the Cronulla Sharks were to be removed from the competition there would be a quick realisation that having a team to support is something to cherish as a sports fan.
So next time rugby league fans complain about the transport or the ticket prices, think about those who don’t even have a team to support in the first place. They don’t have the opportunity to see their team at home 12 times a year or get to watch them on TV when they’re away.
So could people complaining, please use a little bit of perspective for once.
Brainwashed
Guest
Rugby League needs to ditch A.N.Z. stadium as quick as possible because this I believe is a massive reason why crowds are down especially in Sydney.I went to Souths v Bulldogs and everyone heads for the hills after fulltime because there is nothing doing and don't say the Novotel is up to handling after game entertainment because that is one sad excuse of a venue..This would all change if the 2 stadium policy was shifted to a knocked down and rebuilt 70000 to 75 000 seat Allianz Stadium with a retractable roof being the No.1 Stadium and thus becoming the fulltime home to the Roosters,Souths and the Bulldogs,with the Dragons playing all 6 Sydney games there and Wests playing 6 at Campbelltown,3 at 2040 and the other 3 at the rebuilt Jewel in the Crown in the city.The No.2 stadium would be a 40 000 to 50 000 seat duplicate of Suncorp Stadium on the site of a knocked down Parramatta Stadium. This would give the 3 rectangular codes 2 improved venues in entertainment precints to add to before and after game entertainment options,something which Brisbane kills Sydney with at the moment.This would also see a dramatic increase in crowds and membership as the state of the current stadia is in my opinion stunting the potential growth of these numbers.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
It wont be mentioned Storm Boy publicly,but if it was the Storm, the knockers would come out of the woodwork. The not seeing the trees for the woods ,is indeed apt .
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
FHS AR Easter was earlier last year,and the Eels,Tigers and Dragons all performing poorly.The effect of them performing well this year for 24 rds has yet to be tested. The NRL ,relies on crowds for 24 weeks.Origin will happen mid year regardless. 15% does not include this Easter as comparsions made with 13 (when easter had already happened).Is your code increasing crowds? Your last line says it all,reinforcing my point:EARLY DAYS.And again judging by other codes' crowds,the NRL is not Robinson Crusoe.Yet others pay little heed to crowd drops.eg 15,773 for a Tahs game is horrendous for a 1 state team. XmanThat is the beauty of the NRL ,upsets week in week out.Not like a code where teams get continuously flogged week in week out. If you believe having a GWS and Melbourne situation like last year is the answer ,then what kind of comp not scheduling was that. The blockbuster happened last Friday Souths v Dogs 43,000 showed up,and probably another also on Monday.
Storm Boy
Guest
Melbourne Rebels blockbuster on Good Friday got 10,124.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Remember we were told Central Coast will become soccer territory. Ouch going for 5th GF appearance in A League and less than 10,000 for a finals game. Only 20,000 for the 2 biggest A League clubs in Melbourne. I think trolls have better take care of their own sport. 43,000 at ANZ Friday and here comes another big crowd on Monday between 2 Western Sydney NRL clubs :) Good weather next weekend means terrible weather is gone and more big crowds in Sydney, Brisbane & Melbourne are expected. Oh yes.
Bring Back the Bears
Guest
Channel 9 having favourite teams is what will kill the game. Single handedly they are giving the strongest teams in the competition a means to increase that strength and fiscal situation. It's a simple case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The NRL need to take control of their scheduling and be prepared for some 'lower rating' teams to play key time slots. Otherwise we will be hearing a lot more stories of clubs in financial strife or about to fold in the next few years and there will be a lot more doom and gloom articles.
djcooper
Roar Guru
I pay $520 a season membership and all of these discounted ticket prices are seriously making me question why I bother.
Will
Guest
Ignoring interstate fans doesn't help build the game as "national" Adelaide is set to miss the Friday night FTA games again - Lucky the A league, AFL and Super Rugby can all be watched.
eelfan
Guest
Eels offer $50 three game memberships. Also offered $30 family tickets for this Monday clash. It's a great step in the right direction for those (like myself with a newborn) who can't get to every game. Also keeping home games at Pirtek and not ANZ would do a world of good for crowd attendance. (Although there's always the argument that the club earns more from taking a game to ANZ than they would from tickets at Parra stadium)
eelfan
Guest
Right on Planko. Parra's 1st home game this season was the 6.30pm Sunday game. I went but trying to get home at 9pm by public transport and having to get up at 5.30pm in the morning it's just wrong. Very few families would make that trip. Compare that to the 5.30pm game on Saturday or the 3pm game on Sunday and it is so much easier to get to the games for families. Include the 2 matches previous, Ron Maseys and I think Holden Cup it is now and you've got a great day at the footy.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Marco, that was a Roosters promo for 500 tickets. Please, you have been made aware of this time again but for your trolling refuse to change your comments. The Lions had 8,000 free tickets for their first home game on a Sunday for kids, and how's GWS going freebie wise?
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Then why have Penrith doubled their membership? lets also see the crowd for Parra v West Tigers, or the TV ratings. Fox Sports TV ratings and FTA ratings for A league have stagnated at best. The West's only A League club in Sydney hardly get any where near capacity for such a small stadium to start with. So many assumptions, so little proof. Another day, another troll comment.
rob
Guest
except for the AFL.
Stevo
Guest
Duecer - you have missed my point. My point is not that people in the west of Sydney are going to watch the a league and will then go and watch the NRL when the a league season finishes. My point is that many people out west do not go to NRL and do not follow NRL at all and have no interest in it. These are the demographic that the NRL used to draw its fans from but they are now no longer interested. The myth of the huge heartland area of NRL fans in western Sydney is just that, a myth.
Xman
Guest
Yeah but what is a blockbuster in NRL - the form changes week to week, One week you get flogged and the next week you flog someone else - eg Roosters v Eeels in 5 weeks (what sort of draw is that??) NRL is a tough game so players don't fire up every week...
duecer
Guest
There is a noticeable increase in Soccer interest out west - if the RL attendances increase once the A league finishes, your theory may hold some weight.
marco
Guest
Great weather and easter holidays this weekend. Things will be much, much better.
mick
Guest
no flares and brawls in the crowd at NRL games. And you think NRL is full of bogans......
AR
Guest
I agree with some of that - wet weather, low crowds all round etc. The problem for the NRL, is that the competition particularly relies on big crowds early in the season, because there's always a dip around Origin time. The blockbuster games in Rounds 1-3 all drew disappointing crowds, so the season average is starting from a lower base. And regardless of how important you think it is, 15% is a fairly big drop from one year to the next, especially with the pre-season good news boosting from Smith, the 9s etc. But it's early days, maybe they'll pick up.
AR
Guest
Ah, really..?