Nice try, but it's a fact that Essendon have never outdrawn Collingwood while finishing below them on the ladder. In fact, history shows Essendon are required to be at least 4 places higher on the ladder and have won 4 more matches in order to match Collingwood for crowds. That's exactly where they will probably end up this year, and as a result, the two teams' crowds will be almost identical. Anytime the two teams finish near each other on the ladder, Collingwood end up in front by a significant margin.
This hold true when both teams played out of their suburban grounds, when Essendon moved to the G while Collingwood was still at Victoria Park, and since the opening of Docklands.
As always, reverse the onfield positions and Collingwood would be outperforming Essendon in the same situation.
Here's a handy cut-out-and-keep guide to the average crowds when particular ladder differences between the two sides occur:
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Or if you prefer number of wins as a better indicator:
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