A few weeks back I wrote about the prize of finishing as league leaders.
While my suggestion that we treat the winners with slightly more interest met with, er, ‘mixed’ responses, one of the true, unequivocal rewards that should greet those at the top of the ladder, that we could all agree on, was home advantage in the finals.
So, imagine my shock in discovering the Penrith versus Souths decider will take place at ANZ Stadium. They can deck the stands out with liquorice allsorts colours, parade as many Panther mascots as they like.
They may not play Glory Glory to South Sydney over the loudspeaker, and they may ask the Burrow to move to the cheap seats, but this hardly qualifies as home advantage (Penrith to Olympic Village: 26 miles. Olympic Village to Redfern: 11 miles).
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great boost for the Bunnies. Since clubs have been able to host games in front of fans, we’ve been back at what we’ve called home since 2006.
But I’m still left with the nagging question as to: why? (Why the game is at Homebush, not why Souths continue to play home matches there: that’s another painfully irreverent article for another day).
It can’t simply be a blanket policy of avoiding suburban grounds during the play-offs. The Panthers hosted Easts on the foothills on the Blue Mountains in Week 1 – admittedly when there was less on the line, but its finals footy nonetheless.
Penrith love playing at Panthers’ Stadium. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
It also can’t be about having a neutral venue for the preliminaries. We all understand the need for an unbiased, big-stage coliseum for the main event, so, logic goes, why shouldn’t they extend that to the round before?
In the UK, the Challenge Cup does so, as did football’s FA Cup before big money demanded a change (arguably a factor in the competition losing some of its magic, but I digress).
But that is for a straight knockout, standalone cup competition, where regular season standings play no part. As one of my previous articles relating to the Amco Cup pertains to, more ‘mixed’ responses shows minimal appetite for such a competition in Australia.
The very fact that the Melbourne-Canberra game is taking place at Melbourne’s ‘home’ in Brisbane, rather than a neutral ground in between the two cities (even in these tumultuous times) suggests the powers that be still wish to reward home advantage up until the grand final.
As politicians the world over are fond of reminding us, these are unprecedented times. It’s great that fans can return in Australia and Aotearoa (even if it does seen streaks of jealousy from HMP UK).
But with reduced capacities, it is surely the moral thing to do to ensure as many fans as possible can attend. 40,000 is better than 10,000, better transport links, easier to social distance, don’t kill granny, etcetera.
But has anyone asked either the Penrith players, or their fans? Be under no illusions the importance of home advantage. Sports behind closed doors in England and those early NRL rounds show just how important having that extra motivation can be.
An Old World example that I’m sure someone will find umbrage with: when Tottenham began redeveloping our stadium, we played Champions League football games at Wembley (capacity: 90,000).
We didn’t do this previously (admittedly our performances not allowing for regular top tier appearances), but we could’ve packed in almost three times as many and made a killing.
An empty ANZ Stadium (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But we stuck with our, let’s say ‘unique’, 35,000 ground (now 60,000). The fans would not have stood for corporate grandstanding and the loss of home advantage. There would’ve been protests at the thought of moving high-profile games 11 miles down the road.
Back in the before times, when Penrith hosted New Zealand Warriors in the 2018 Finals, they played that game at the Olympic Stadium, and got just 17,168 through the gates (IE: less than the capacity of their own stadium). The grass, and indeed the profit sheet, isn’t always greener.
Of those Penrith fans lucky enough to have tickets, I’m sure they’d much rather have the privilege of watching in home, familiar, local surroundings, generating a much more concentrated atmosphere than trekking half a city away to the soulless goldfish bowl.
If not, please let me know (not clickbaity or trying to get more ‘hits’ or comments, genuinely interested to hear why).
Why is it OK to forego advantage, the sieged fortress mentality and the backing of the 18th man, just to put a few more bums on seats miles away from home?
Or is this just something that, like Cherry Ripe and the Bathurst 1000, an outsider like me will just never understand?
Wolly
Roar Guru
The NRL’s sleeves are endlessly deep.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
If clubs weren’t “financially incentivised” to keep that white elephant it would be a neutral ground and suited to a semi. Get the Rabbits back to Redfern, the Dogs back to Belmore and maybe get the Tigers to settle on just one ground
Simmo85
Roar Rookie
Mate penrith had a way better advantage then most teams all year, they hardly traveled, they’re still playing in sydney just down the road. If they can’t beat the bunnies there they don’t deserve to be in the gf anyway.
Bingo
Roar Rookie
Penrith could only beat the Roosters by a point at home - a team Souths beat by 50 two weeks before. Wouldn’t matter where this game is played. The Panthers aren’t going to be in the GF.
Luke M
Guest
Lame how? The Panthers didn't make the schedule. They simply beat whoever was put in front of them and earned the right to the best finals schedule. Why the hell would the Panthers club want to give that up simply because the NRL gave them a good draw?
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Just checking a few things, *That the writer knows we work in KM's not miles? * That the writer knows that most people travel to the ground by car or public transport, they don't tend to walk and it takes approx the same amount of time to drive from Penrith to ANZ as it does from Redfern (not that there is a single Rabbitoh player that lives at Redfern). * Does the writer know that Souths have won 5 of the last 8 games played between these teams at Penrith Stadium while Penrith have won 5 of their last 7 matches at ANZ Stadium....
Nick
Roar Guru
"Not having to travel" Come on...it's a 40 minute bus from Penrith to Homebush down the M4. There is this ridiculous notion that all the Penrith players must be renting just behind the stadium. Some of the Penrith players actually live closer to Homebush than Penrith.
Walter Black
Guest
Gee, Cry me a river why don't you ? Penrith (and their fans) are some of the least inconvenienced in this very strange year. They have had one of the best draw's in the comp, have rarely had to travel far and as strange times go have had a pretty good rub of the green. Compare that to what the Warriors have had to put up with or the Storm (and lets hot pretend that Queensland is home because it ain't). On the whole, Penrith have had it pretty easy this season and if travelling a few Km down the road is the worst that have to put up with then they will have done very well indeed.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
Maybe they should rename the club then?
Mannyk
Guest
Penrith lost only one game in 2020 ... that was at Bankwest (versus Parra).... so i guess Penrith chose the other finals venue option - ANZ Stadium (where their only game was a resounding thumping of the hapless doggies). Penrith is a bit superstitious methinks (aka nervous)
Nat
Roar Rookie
The old double bluff hey Wolly? :stoked:
Andy_p
Roar Rookie
They wanted more experience and familiarity with the ground so that if they make the GF they'll feel that much more familiar with the ground. Cleary took his kickers to the ground the other week purely for this purpose.
Dan
Guest
I understand what you're saying about ground familiarlarity but I don't think that is the intended benefit of having a home final as much as having the home crowd and not having to travel. I get that it's not as big a thing when the lower placed team is also a Sydney team but what are you gonna do?
Dan
Guest
No advantage? they got a week off, choice of venue and their members get first grab at the tickets. What I'm saying is that if they played at Panthers and it was open slather on tickets it would be likely be a 50/50 crowd. I'm just saying the real advantage of a home final when it is beetween 2 Sydney teams is who get's first shot at the tickets..... or it should be anyway.
Adam
Roar Guru
But that's really because the vast majority of NRL fans live in western Sydney....
Albo
Roar Rookie
I don't think the "gripe" has anything to do with how far fans have to travel. The issue is more whether there is any advantage of ground familiarity or not to Souths rather than the Panthers ? Souths have played 7 matches at ANZ this year and 9 matches at Bankwest this year. I guess if they were the only two choices for the Panthers to choose from, they have gone with the "least" familiar to Souths this year ? Penrith have played one match at ANZ and two at Bankwest this year. Even if they were aware of the circumstances of maximising crowd numbers for prelim finals, the fact remains that there is definitely no advantage given to the Panthers for finishing minor premiers over the team finishing 6th ?
Paul
Roar Guru
hi Tom, I'm assuming you didn't see this story which suggest it was Penrith's call to play this game at ANX Stadium. It also seems clear they were well aware they would not be playing any more finals at Penrith, given the NRL's rules around maximising crowd numbers, for a competition that needs every dollar it can generate. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2020-penrith-panthers-preliminary-final-venue-anz-stadium-nathan-cleary-ivan-cleary/news-story/ef57366e585472ab53cdc91085954be4
Dan
Guest
Except that the vast majority of Souths fans and members live in Western Sydney?
Dan
Guest
By far the largest base of Rabbitohs fans and members live in Western Sydney. Redfern may be the spiritual home but only 5% of fans/members travel from there. Penrith had the choice between Bankwest and ANZ. That is the beneffit of finishing on top. I don't get the gripe here. The idea of a "Home" final between 2 Sydney teams is ridiculous anyway. It takes less than 90 minutes to get anywhere in Sydney. The real significance of a home final is and should be is whose members get first shot at tickets. It isn't 1908 anymore this whole article is written on the premise the fans all come from the area they represent. Team allegances are generational not geographical, people follow the teams their great grandparents/grandparents/parents followed
Nat
Roar Rookie
Ha! Just tell them you're on the Tele and that's auto access and at-home quarantine. Seems to work in Qld.