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On a frosty Canberra Saturday that ended up in brilliant if cool sunshine, I and 10,000 other Canberrans saw the Kangaroos run out comfortable winners over Greater Western Sydney, following a blow-out second half.
There has been some negative commentary about the Giants in recent Roar articles, decrying the club as a failed experiment.
The comments have suggested that because the crowds have been small and because of the lack of on-field success the AFL has simply poured money down the drain.
These articles have failed to understand what the Giants project is all about.
The Giants are never going to dominate western Sydney. The NRL will always be the prime sports habit of western Sydneysiders – a look at the massive Panthers group is testimony to that fact. The AFL recognises this and the targeted and niche space occupied by the Giants will prove a winner in the long term, as it meets the AFL’s long term plans of a solid place in Australia’s major sports markets.
As a Collingwood tragic, a crowd of 10,000 is paltry. As a Canberran however, it is heartening. And if I was on the board at GWS I would be thrilled.
Canberra has been largely rugby territory for many years, with the Raiders and Brumbies dominating the winter sports landscape. The Giants intruding was a risk that was always worth taking. Saturday’s crowd is just what the Giants board was hoping for.
Since joining the AFL the Giants have maintained an average of 15,000-plus crowds at their home-and-away games (according to Footywire.com).
This is just behind the Gold Coast Suns, and way behind the behemoths of Collingwood and Hawthorn, but comparisons with these established clubs are pointless.
However compare the Giants to the Canberra Raiders and the Penrith Panthers – their two main home game competitors. Penrith has averaged just over 9,000 to their home-and-away games, and the Raiders just 11,000 (according to stats.rleague.com).
To take it further, the crowd average for the Giants exceeds all but a few NRL clubs (Broncos, Wests Tigers, Titans and Cowboys).
On home games alone the Giants are averaging just 9,000. This is comparable to the Panthers and the Cronulla Sharks. Manly attract just over 12,000 fans at an average home game.
At the next level down the Giants dominate the NEAFL competition and are atop the NEAFL ladder with 14 and 2, just ahead of the NT Thunder on percentages. This gives great hope to those boys in western Sydney who do not have the body shape to make it in the rugby codes but are not interested in playing soccer.
The Giants provide a way ahead. I know that it is not an exact science, but at face value the Giants are not a failed experiment, they are a worthy addition to Australian sport.
I will always be a Pies fan, but I am also interested in the overall health of the AFL. With a franchise such as the Giants providing an additional outlet to the Swans in Sydney, the AFL will grow in this important sports market.
Imagine the impact they may have when the Giants start winning.
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