AFL has hit new lows in Queensland. This Saturday, the Brisbane Lions face off with the new kids on the Queensland block, the Gold Coast Suns, for what should have been a match for the AFL to crow about.
Instead, both teams enter the clash winless, and remain the only clubs in the competition yet to record a victory in 2015.
It is an indictment on both teams that one club will notch their first four points at the expense of the other.
And it is an indictment for the game in a non-traditional AFL state.
In Queensland, AFL fans float.
Take Brisbane, for instance: the team that, on the back of triple premiership success, went from having a membership of over 30,000 in 2004 to a mere 20,792 by 2011 when they were no longer a powerhouse.
While the Lions’ 2015 membership tally has surpassed that miserly 2011 figure – the Lions have 24,742 members at present – it remains to be seen whether this membership tally will translate to popular support.
And herein lies one of the AFL’s biggest problems for 2015 in Queensland: the success of Queensland’s NRL teams.
After eight rounds, the Brisbane Broncos are on top of the ladder, with the North Queensland Cowboys not far behind on fourth, and the Gold Coast Titans on seventh.
Supporting a team that’s winning is far more appealing than supporting one that’s losing, particularly when the winning team has a traditional fan-base.
Is it any surprise, then, that the Brisbane Broncos have over 500,000 followers on Facebook, whereas the Brisbane Lions fail to crack the 100,000 mark?
Does it raise any eyebrows to know that the combined Twitter followers of the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns are almost equivalent to the following of the Broncos on their own?
Some may question the relevance of including social media statistics in assessing the support base and relevance of NRL and AFL teams in Queensland.
But “bums on seats” is no longer the main indicator of a team’s ability to cultivate and retain a fan-base.
With AFL on free-to-air TV, Foxtel and online, many fans choose to watch from the comfort of the couch.
What’s more, it’s not possible for all fans to attend matches and social media provides another avenue of interaction between club and supporter.
But for those traditionalists who doubt social media stats, let’s have a look at the issue of crowds in Queensland, too.
Last year, the Brisbane Broncos averaged over 34,000 fans a game.
This is in stark contrast to the 21,379 achieved by the Brisbane Lions and the 20,841 recorded by the Gold Coast Suns.
Clearly, fans are doing the talking both with their bums and their use of social media.
However, what is important to note that, last year, the NRL’s Gold Coast Titans only managed to attract an average crowd of 13,194 to their games.
Is the Gold Coast simply a market too hard to penetrate? Should this sound even more warning bells to the AFL and the Gold Coast Suns?
While it may be too early to tell, it most certainly adds extra pressure to Rodney Eade’s plight and raises questions of whether a retention salary should be reintroduced in Queensland.
After the Brisbane Lions domination of the AFL from 2001-2004, Victorian clubs were quick to condemn the AFL’s decision to allow the Lions an extra $600,000 per year to recruit and retain talent.
It seemed that after three premierships in a row, the rest of the competition had had enough of the free hand being dealt to their Queensland counterparts.
But with the club having performed so poorly over the last ten years, perhaps the question of whether a retention salary should be reintroduced needs to be properly canvassed.
If not for the Lions themselves, for football in Queensland.
But, then again, the Lions recruited extremely well over the summer, adding two premiership players to their line up in Dane Beams and Allen Christensen.
This proves that, to an extent, they do have the power to recruit serious talent to a non-traditional AFL state.
The frustration at Brisbane surrounding the imminent departure of James Aish undermines the Lions’ ability to retain young talent, however.
So where does this leave the AFL in Queensland on the eve of Round 5?
Before the 2015 season started, expectations for both teams were high.
For the Gold Coast – with a new coach and a list that looked set to make a stand as men and not boys – finals were on the horizon.
And for Brisbane – a team that showed promise in 2014 and recruited big names in the off-season – the chance to shake up the competition and set the foundations for the club’s next premiership.
With these expectations, Queensland looked set for an exciting year of AFL.
But expectations don’t always match up to reality.
And unfortunately, for AFL in Queensland, expectations must not only be matched but hit out of the park to compete with the NRL.
m hughes
Guest
when the afl has a queensland cup which rivals rugby leagues extremely tough 14 team comp and the highly successful 2nd div comp in Brisbane which has 90 teams u can then say that footy in qld is in good health
m hughes
Guest
not if you are only drawing 7k to a game
Gyfox
Guest
I guess, Col Quinn, you could say that about Adelaide also?
Bakkies
Guest
Rugby's two main states are NSW and Queensland. Queensland Rugby suffered badly after the war as the union was shut down which meant no competitions were run in the state. NSW attitudes towards Qld didn't help them either. Jim Carmichael who I believe was recruited from the Lions has been the CEO during this period. Prior to that the Reds were on their death knell and a recruiting target for the other sides. The marketing improved and the team was playing a style that suited the fans and conditions (the Reds in the past have gone through periods playing forward oriented Rugby). Carmichael made a bad decision in signing Richard Graham from the Western Force to be Head Coach. Graham had a poor record and this gone on at the Reds. They had a young squad that won Super Rugby in 2011 and had the potential to kick on from there. The good work may unravel if he doesn't address his mistake and the fans are expressing their disgust.
Kirk
Guest
you haven't spent time in QLD around state of origin have you?
Organiser
Guest
Union is, for some reason, a very poular game in QLD. Rugby league and AFL seem to be treated more like either Horse racing (something to bet on) or going to the movies (weekend entertainment). It is not given the religion like staus AFL gets in Melbourne.
Lt. Colombo
Guest
These are the places that are the heartlands of the likes of Clive Palmer and Bob Katter. The IQ's of people get lower the further north you travel.
davo
Guest
Very true. I lived on the goldie for 5 years and couldnt understand why they didnt get into grand final day. Who cares if youl like afl or not,its a big day and a good reason to be drunk mid arvo. I dont follow horse racing but melbourne cup is always a good day! Get on it Qlanders
Scott
Guest
Being a Gold Coast local I am realistically only qualified to comment on them. When the Lions won I showed minor interest, now I don't care about them. I have been to some local games but their current coaching system does not appear to be achieving results and people support winners or those they grew up supporting - the Suns don't fit the second category. The interesting point in both AFL and NRL is how few teams can survive without support from the governing bodies meaning that the 2 teams in Queensland will be supported due to tv deals.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Although neither Qld team has made the finals since the suns joined, so it's fair to assume that both are capable of attracting bigger crowds than where they are at the moment.
Paul D
Roar Guru
"One of the main drivers for getting an extra NSW and QLD team is so there’d be a home game in those markets every week, as there is in Adelaide and Perth. The principle seems sound, but the benefit is hard to quantify." It is a bit, isn't it. We all know exactly why the AFL have done it, but you're right, it's hard to work out just how much impact it has had. So far you'd have to think it's been minimal in Brisbane and Sydney. Although none of the two new expansion clubs have really been in the contest for finals spots so far. Will be interested to see if GWS support picks up through the year if they keep their early season form going. Hypothetically I wonder how a Tasmanian team would have gone instead of the Suns. Certainly drumming up off field support wouldn't be an issue, although I'm not sure away teams would enjoy playing during a winter rainstorm in Hobart!
Lroy
Guest
To state the obvious, if you add the Suns crowds to the Lions crowds you pretty much get what the Lions were getting when they were winning games and pulling in people. Pretty much supports my argument that there arent enough AFL fans to support 2 teams in SE QLD.
Lroy
Guest
well played sir, yes the way the article is written you would almost think it is a bad thing LOL
Kirk
Guest
there are different levels of support. are you saying that people who are not even interested in league are "liking" the broncos on facebook, just for the hell of it? I agree that most of those 500k would be very casual followers, but they are still showing their support. QLD has 5 million people so its reasonable that 10% of them would have an interest in the Broncos.
Martin
Guest
I can't see what the problem is with both Queensland teams being at the bottom of the ladder. Both those teams are making a vital contribution to the overall competition by being the 17th and 18th ranked teams. Every competition needs teams that are prepared to occupy the lower rungs of the ladder. Be thankful to both Brisbane and the Gold Coast because their position allows the other teams to be higher up the ladder.
Peter Baudinette
Roar Guru
I don't buy in to the facebook follower stat. I'm a sports lover, I am a follower on facebook of Cricket Australia, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Swans and Geelong Cats, the V8 Supercars and Red Bull racing in general. But I am only a paid up member of the Swans. Liking a page on facebook is very different to actually supporting the club. It's more about having access to the updates for those particular people or organisations. If there are 500,000 people who support the Broncos, I'll eat my shoes. I'm not sure that the current (round 4) success of these teams is necessarily anything to go by. The Lions have suffered some major injury set backs and the Gold Coasts million dollar draw card isn't playing. One side gets to turn their form around this week......unless it is a nil all draw. Maybe this article is a bit premature?
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Kirk 1. the figures I gave are just to this point in 2015 2. didn't the Reds win the comp a few years back?
Kirk
Guest
apparently the Reds averaged more than the Broncos in 2012, so either: The broncos crowds have increased significantly in 3 years The reds crowds have dropped significantly in 3 years, or the reds were doing some serious crowd fudging in 2012.
Col Quinn
Guest
I wouldn't say weird. It is or was Australia only European city. Very different to the rest of Aus. I come from northern Vic and when i went to university in Melbourne, it was a different culture to other Victorian centres.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Although the recent fixture between the two Sydney teams (Swans vs Giants) got a respectable 192k on Fox.