If a premiership is won in an empty stadium, does it still count?
Of course getting through a regular season, staying competitive, keeping the best team on the park and outlasting 15 other clubs is an achievement. Athletes go out to win. They may have a drop off intensity due to the lack of atmosphere, but humans are competitive creatures. Have you been sitting around playing Monopoly with your family in these odd times and happy to lose?
The theatre and dramatic tension that a crowd provides is what makes a sport an occasion. Everyone has been so desperate to get the NRL back, and rightly so. It is entertainment and escapism and is a good morale booster for everyone.
Moreover, resuming the NRL protects the game by generating the important TV revenue, which means that hopefully by the time 2021 rolls around everyone will have survived the dark night.
But just how much will not having a crowd as stakes get higher diminish this season and risk leaving a bitter taste in people’s mouths?
(Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
I for one can’t fathom winning a premiership when I can’t be there to feel it and see it. It seems like a cruel joke. It may be a similar feeling for the players – a bit like having a birthday party and no-one bothering to turn up for you.
It feels very much like something a struggling club might do. Or a club that has been waiting a while. A kind of hollow victory that they have broken a drought, but none of their diehards can go and see it. Would we still view the breakthrough premierships of the Rabbitohs, Sharks and Cowboys as such enormous grand finals and big chapters of our game if they were played with no-one present, maybe not even being allowed to go to the pub and watch?
The Raiders, Warriors and Eels fans are most long-suffering at this point. The Warriors haven’t won it in their history. The Eels not since the 1980s and the Raiders not since the 1990s. The Titans haven’t won it either but have only been around since 2007. The Knights won it in 2001, the Panthers in 2003, Bulldogs in 2004, Tigers in 2005 and Broncos in 2006. They have all been waiting a fair while too. Not to mention the finals droughts of some clubs who may make it this year. The Tigers and Knights stand out.
It also just seems like something that would happen to one of these clubs. As a Panthers fan I have come to hope for a lot but also expect the worse. I have seen them fly through seasons or patches of seasons and look unstoppable only for the wheels to come right off. They cruised through the first three quarters of 2010 before becoming their own inconsistent and unpredictable selves. It was a miracle they finished second, but they still managed to crash out in straight sets despite having a match in Penrith.
In 2018 they looked the goods and led the league with half the season gone. By the end they had sacked their coach, dropped a number of games in devastating fashion, managed to just get a home final in fifth but bow out in Week 2.
It would just be like the Panthers to win it this year. Or the Tigers. Or the Eels. It’s a worry in all those cases. I’d hate to think that after so long the Eels would win it and that their fans couldn’t be present – a patient and passionate fan-base that had to ride the wave of disappointment along with Nathan Hindmarch as they flexed their muscles and were then bundled out in 2001 and 2009. Once you win it, there is no guarantee on when it will happen again. We know how hard it is to go back to back. Generally it requires everything going right.
That is why this year I am cheering the favourite. It is a bit of fun and a bit of a write-off 2020. I want to see some footy and analyse my team, but for the sake of next year. I want the Roosters, Storm, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs right there at the end. They have had enough success that they deserve this premiership with an asterisk next to it.
Roosters fans don’t bother turning up anyway, so let them get that three in a row. Cha cha cha. Put the fairytale in the bank for next year and give the Eels and Raiders fans a chance to celebrate on the day. Everyone loves an underdog story, but this season let’s have the favourite win and we can go back to old habits next year.
Oh, and the Maroons can win Origin if they really want it to. Keep it warm for the Blues next year.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
From what I’ve seen watching regular season games on the tv the crowds are pretty small and don’t seem to create any atmosphere. I don’t think the players would notice an empty stadium, the seats are all different colours to give an appearance of occupation and the broadcasters can add background noise, and your nearly back to your normal grand final
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Tim, I was born in Sydney lived in Melbourne , went back to Sydney and will be moving back down to NSW sometime in the next 12 months. Queensland was never going to be a permanent thing , still support the Blues at Origin time
Paul
Roar Guru
Jack, I don't think we'll fully appreciate just how difficult a season this one will be till some time down the track. All Australians are under significant pressure, as are these guys with pay cuts, health concerns etc. Throw in the likelihood of some form of strict quarantine, perhaps for a few months, the pressure to get back to playing top level football, the knowledge that a shortened season means mistakes are more likely to hurt teams as they have fewer games to lose, etc and I'd suggest whoever wins this year's premiership will count this as a something special. Perhaps not this year, but certainly in years to come.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
That’s odd a Victorian Queenslander supporting a Sydney team. My due date was St-George’s Day 1955 but I was late but I was born in St-George Hospital and support St-George-Illawarra. Easts are still a good chance of making the top 8 and defending their crown and if they do it will be just as good as any previous 3 in a row. Souths did it in 1953-1955. Before that it was Easts in 1935-1937 and Souths did 5 in a row 1925-1929 and Balmain 1915-1917 and Easts in 1911-1913.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
It doesn't bother me if I'm at the ground or not to watch my team play. I've only been to one GF and that when the Dogs won in 2004 , I think it was. We we right up the back of the stadium and I would have much rather watched it on TV as you are too far away from the action. Sitting on a bit of grass at Brookie is much better anyway.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
I made a comment last week in regard to what happens with getting this shortened season up & Running and much hinges on how seriously the players take the rules put into place to have it happen. I mentioned how difficult it was to put an old head on young shoulders and that how many times have players been told to no avail to keep off the grog and keep out of trouble. Well this morning we have found out that a group around 8-10 players have had a wingdang of a time for a few days up at Latrell Mitchell's Taree property.....and they posted it on facebook..... Now lets see how fair dinkum Valandy's really is.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
May sound strange coming from some one who loves his Rugby League and has followed my team for 52 having spent the 9 previous years following VFL in Melbourne. I though I would go totally nuts without the footy but I have seemed to acclimatised quite well to current circumstances, sad as they are. We had a situation where the Roosters could have been the first team in 37 years to win 3 straight premierships and I know that extensive and meticulous pre season planning was put into place for the season to have a decent crack at the 3 peat. The Raiders were the same planning to be there in the GF again, now gone out the window. Now we will have a fast & furious bash em up to win shortened competition which will probably amount to nothing but a battle of attrition.However if it happens we will see how adaptable our clubs and coaching staff can be for this will be no easy feat by any stretch of the immagination.
matth
Roar Guru
And in those early years the premiership was often won by the club with the fewest players on the boat to England for the Kangaroo tour.
Nat
Roar Guru
It would be great of we had the crowds there but I don't think it lessens the intensity and satidfaction for the winning team. Most of these players are only a season or two from playing with very little crowds so I don't think it has that great of affect on performance. As much as they trot out the "for the fans" cliche, these guys spend most of the year together with one goal, the Premeirship. Whoever wins this year will party as hard as any previous winners.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Totally agree. It will be more legit than the 1997 dual premierships.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
If it's a 16 round comp I won't see it anything less than a worthy premiership for whoever wins it. The first season in 1908 was between nine teams, and Souths were premiers.