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We Sydneysiders are an arrogant lot. The ‘yeah but we have the harbour’ attitude sees us claim to have the best city in the world.
As products of the cashed-up Premier State, we feel we are authorities on all things good, and the Sydney sports fan is no exception.
This distorted vanity informs our approach to the football codes in a way no other states dare to try. Whereas Melburnians will simply watch, footy must jostle for our affections and prove worthy of our time.
Sydney is the most competitive football market in the world. The codes cannot simply rely on the rusted-ons to sustain them in the dictates of the market. Traditionalists are loath to see their sport as a ‘product’, soulless as it sounds, but products they are, and they must offer something entertaining and meaningful to grow the business.
The respective codes recognise the haughtiness of Sydney fans, but it has been rugby which has been slow to act.
Rugby league has State of Origin, brutal and skilled. AFL has Buddy Franklin to wow the Harbour City, and by annoying Eddie McGuire the Swans reap our affection. Football has the ultimate in grass roots passion – the Wanderers.
The under-performing Waratahs though, have so often let down a city and a state demanding of success.
But it’s not just the losses, it’s the manner of play that has seen them lag. Let’s not kid ourselves, incessant kicking is ugly. For the running game, there was a growing sense that rugby was receding from its reputation. This structural deficit was rugby’s biggest concern and the fans stayed away accordingly.
Fans legitimise a game, any game. Fans equal money. For rugby union, the war chest was empty.
The game they play in heaven has always struggled to be relatable. Rugby is still stigmatised as the toff’s game. Born out of private school privilege, it is seen a self-contained code for those who defend its dour complexity.
The acquisition of Israel Folau, a kid from Sydney’s west stolen from under league’s nose helped fade that scar, but even then, it’s harder to market Izzy if he’s not scoring tries.
Enter Michael Cheika.
In politics, they say you must win the middle ground, and through the coach the Waratahs have done exactly that. A winning play within the last minute in front of 60,000 fans makes people take notice, especially given the back story between the two finalists. And the other codes were watching.
What Cheika has achieved for NSW is to bring accessibility back to a game that is so often mired in its own rules. He is the antithesis of the leather patch brigade; a face like a mungo and a forthright nature that belligerent Aussies find so endearing. We see in him what we’d like to be in the sporting arena. He embodies that most loved ethic of ‘having a go’.
He backs his players, tells them to play on instinct. Endorsed by no less than David Campese and Simon Poidevin, he fuses their very best traits. The former Galloping Green brought running rugby back, but above all he effected a cultural change within the organisation, and for future generations that achievement is decisive.
A vibrant Waratahs side erases complacency from the broader Sydney footballing landscape. Success breeds success, and with what Cheika has been able to achieve with NSW, all codes stand to benefit.
For that, the fans are the biggest winners.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.