AFL overtaking NRL in QLD

[PaythePerryman]

Playing three games @ SCG would increase GWS crowds. It is such an obvious play. Somehow it is better to play games 300km from Showgrounds rather than 19km. Giants are supposed to be a second Sydney team. Like the Dockers in Perth, not all their fans are from Fremantle! It would be like the Dolphins in Brisbane not playing at Suncorp.

Playing at the SCG is a terrible idea.
Truly what we need (that every other club has) is a stadium where we have priority and can play every home game.
Consistency is key. It's especially painful at the start of the year to get in the habit of going if you play two home games then go away for 6-7 weeks.
In the mean time I'd prefer to play in Canberra than the SCG.
Giants aren't a 'second Sydney team'....they are a Western Sydney team.
SCG would cost WAY more while Canberra actually makes us money.

Is the SCG easy to get to....and a stunning stadium. Yes.

Does a quarter to half full SCG actually help our cause of 'growing the game'?... I don't think so.

Side note: I've noticed that at the Sydney Derby's held at SCG....barely any Giants fans rock up.

 

[Philhawk]

Playing at the SCG is a terrible idea.
Truly what we need (that every other club has) is a stadium where we have priority and can play every home game.
Consistency is key. It's especially painful at the start of the year to get in the habit of going if you play two home games then go away for 6-7 weeks.
In the mean time I'd prefer to play in Canberra than the SCG.
Giants aren't a 'second Sydney team'....they are a Western Sydney team.
SCG would cost WAY more while Canberra actually makes us money.

Is the SCG easy to get to....and a stunning stadium. Yes.

Does a quarter to half full SCG actually help our cause of 'growing the game'?... I don't think so.

Side note: I've noticed that at the Sydney Derby's held at SCG....barely any Giants fans rock up.

We’re talking about building an identity. That takes years. You should have seen the Swans crowds in the early days at the SCG. It’s a good idea to get the Giants their own (better stadium), but that’s a longer conversation.

For me, I couldn’t agree more with the notion of the Giants becoming the second Sydney team.

Why would the SCG cost way more?

 

[Walshawk]

Playing at the SCG is a terrible idea.
Truly what we need (that every other club has) is a stadium where we have priority and can play every home game.
Consistency is key. It's especially painful at the start of the year to get in the habit of going if you play two home games then go away for 6-7 weeks.
In the mean time I'd prefer to play in Canberra than the SCG.
Giants aren't a 'second Sydney team'....they are a Western Sydney team.
SCG would cost WAY more while Canberra actually makes us money.

Is the SCG easy to get to....and a stunning stadium. Yes.

Does a quarter to half full SCG actually help our cause of 'growing the game'?... I don't think so.

Side note: I've noticed that at the Sydney Derby's held at SCG....barely any Giants fans rock up.

Who says that they are not a second Sydney team? And how is 300km away better than 19km even if they areonly a Western Suburbs team? Crowds are not growing in Sydney’s west. SCG crowds are growing. Fish where the fish are. How can Canberra possibly help long term?

 

[PaythePerryman]

Who says that they are not a second Sydney team? And how is 300km away better than 19km even if they areonly a Western Suburbs team? Crowds are not growing in Sydney’s west. SCG crowds are growing. Fish where the fish are. How can Canberra possibly help long term?

There are plenty of 'fish' in Western Sydney...the population is huge. This is about GROWING the game and it takes time. Multiple generations...it's going fine.

Playing at the SCG will damage the club's identity and brand in my opinion. Majority of Giants members I've talked to (that's a lot btw) agree with that.
Even the Giants W team playing at Henson seems a betrayal to a fair few.

The point of not being Sydney's second team is that they aren't aiming to be 'Swans lite'....they are aiming to be WESTERN Sydney and to reflect and draw from that community.

I'd prefer not to play in Canberra as well but financially it's a deal that is needed with the current stadium set up.

Feels like a lot of points made by people who don't understand what the AFL and Giants are trying to achieve. Sugar fixes won't work. Stay the course. Expand and increase funding for the academies out west and it'll grow.

 

[Bjo187]

They're on the right track, just signed mirvac as a new sponsor today who are a great company to have contacts with, especially considering the development that's going to go on at Olympic park. They already have sponsorship dollars in the top third of the afl, bigger than clubs like West coast and Freo.

Their headquarters are currently getting upgraded with a new pool and facilities. 25k members already signed, the quickest in their history and round 1 reportedly about to sellout again. They're also getting much better tv coverage on 7 news these days than previous years. Twice this week alone all the tv news stations have been at hq's interviewing the coach and then today coniglio.

The roots are getting deeper and stronger each year, like others have said, like the swans and lions (and even Freo and port at this stage), they have to keep investing in the area. The afl is now doing this under Dillon, giving discounts for kids playing in w.s this year and extra funding to w.s specifically with an office based at Blacktown. Add to that a new CEO that knows grassroots footy back to front in Sydney and I'm confident about their future.

There are some fish at the scg with scg members that can't get into swans games, but I think you'd only consider adding a couple of games there when they leave Canberra. When they leave Canberra would be 2032, if Canberra are team 20 and that's when the new train and tram line direct to Olympic park will open anyway.

It would be code suicide to not have a team in this area of Australia.

 

[speedpeck23]

There are plenty of 'fish' in Western Sydney...the population is huge. This is about GROWING the game and it takes time. Multiple generations...it's going fine.

Playing at the SCG will damage the club's identity and brand in my opinion. Majority of Giants members I've talked to (that's a lot btw) agree with that.
Even the Giants W team playing at Henson seems a betrayal to a fair few.

The point of not being Sydney's second team is that they aren't aiming to be 'Swans lite'....they are aiming to be WESTERN Sydney and to reflect and draw from that community.

I'd prefer not to play in Canberra as well but financially it's a deal that is needed with the current stadium set up.

Feels like a lot of points made by people who don't understand what the AFL and Giants are trying to achieve. Sugar fixes won't work. Stay the course. Expand and increase funding for the academies out west and it'll grow.

Totally agree.

The interesting thing about Canberra is that , over time, a significant number of kids growing up as Giant fans in Canberra will eventually move and live in Sydney.......still largely supporting the Giants. It's like the Hawks in Tassie....grow up in Tassie as a Hawk fan and move to Melbourne !

Of course these situations will change in the long term I guess when Tassie gets a team and the Giants have critical mass in Western Sydney.......but at least there is mileage in the current arrangement for both clubs.

 

[GC2015]

Here's an interesting clip @3:02 from an NRL player formerly with the Gold Coast Titans and now with the Canterbury Bulldogs. His name is Toby Sexton and he was asked about the biggest difference between the Gold Coast and Sydney. He answered by saying Sydney is rugby league mad as opposed to the Gold Coast where AFL is a "distraction".

Then he doubled down on the differences between the two cities by saying Sydney is rugby league heartland, implying that the Gold Coast isn't due to other activities being popular like Aussie rules and the beach. Sexton grew up on the southern Gold Coast and lived here until he moved to Sydney at 21 years old in 2023, so he would have a good understanding of the current landscape.

I reckon this is a pretty good indication that Aussie rules is making big inroads locally on the Gold Coast because it wouldn't have been like that not too long ago if a professional rugby league player based on the Gold Coast was asked about the sporting landscape on the Gold Coast. It used to be assumed that the GC was rugby league heartland by a lot of people up until the last five or so years.

 

[Bjo187]

This was interesting to see today. Hutchie being a turncoat of the highest nature, who is actually detrimental to afl's growth in Sydney via the complete lack of coverage and anti afl crap he lets his hosts get away with, must have seen some compelling data on the gold coast to make this change.

SEN Gold Coast unveils new content strategy

SEN Gold Coast 1620am is excited to announce a significant revamp in its content strategy.

www.sen.com.au

 

[threenewpadlocks]

This was interesting to see today. Hutchie being a turncoat of the highest nature, who is actually detrimental to afl's growth in Sydney via the complete lack of coverage and anti afl crap he lets his hosts get away with, must have seen some compelling data on the gold coast to make this change.

SEN Gold Coast unveils new content strategy

SEN Gold Coast 1620am is excited to announce a significant revamp in its content strategy.

www.sen.com.au

It's not Hutchy's job to be a propagandist for the AFL. He's a businessperson. Get a grip.

 

[Bjo187]

It's not Hutchy's job to be a propagandist for the AFL. He's a businessperson. Get a grip.

Thanks Craig. Why does he ram the storm down everybody's throat on sen Melbourne then? Do you seriously think the storm are bigger in Melbourne (10th) than the swans in Sydney (1st)? Lol, get a grip.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Thanks Craig. Why does he ram the storm down everybody's throat on sen Melbourne then? Do you seriously think the storm are bigger in Melbourne (10th) than the swans in Sydney (1st)? Lol, get a grip.

Do you honestly think that the Storm gets "rammed down everyone's throat on SEN Melbourne"?

I can't say I'm a consistent listener but I've been an intermittent one for several years, at various times of the day. I can't say that I've essentially ever heard talk about the Storm, in contrast to either talk about the AFL, or just talk about sport in general in that the NRL gets no more coverage than basketball, tennis, the Tour de France when it's on, etc. etc.

 

[Bjo187]

Do you honestly think that the Storm gets "rammed down everyone's throat on SEN Melbourne"?

I can't say I'm a consistent listener but I've been an intermittent one for several years, at various times of the day. I can't say that I've essentially ever heard talk about the Storm, in contrast to either talk about the AFL, or just talk about sport in general in that the NRL gets no more coverage than basketball, tennis, the Tour de France when it's on, etc. etc.

They definitely do and I listen all the time. They even had a full day of storm the other day, something like 4 interviews in one day, plus their chairman is on every single week during the year, it is well and truly over the top compared to their minimal popularity. On the other hand you barely get any afl content on sen Sydney and in the rare times you do, it's in the crappy non peak time slots. It's definitely well unders compared to their popularity. Even if they aren't giving any afl content, at least don't be an anti afl station, some of the crap you hear on sen Sydney, my goodness.

On your comment that hutchie shouldn't be a propagandist for the afl, that's fine, but this doesn't apply to the media outta Sydney, they push the NRL's agenda on the national stage all the time. The afl have no friendly media contacts with a national platform owned by afl people other than sen, yet hutchie gives even worse coverage than the nuetrals would. It's almost like he's trying to be the old non biased commentator, so has over corrected.

On another note, the fact your posts are getting liked by the biggest troll on Bigfooty in Aussie in exile should be a red flag.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

They definitely do and I listen all the time. They even had a full day of storm the other day, something like 4 interviews in one day, plus their chairman is on every single week during the year, it is well and truly over the top compared to their minimal popularity. On the other hand you barely get any afl content on sen Sydney and in the rare times you do, it's in the crappy non peak time slots. It's definitely well unders compared to their popularity. Even if they aren't giving any afl content, at least don't be an anti afl station, some of the crap you hear on sen Sydney, my goodness.

On your comment that hutchie shouldn't be a propagandist for the afl, that's fine, but this doesn't apply to the media outta Sydney, they push the NRL's agenda on the national stage all the time. The afl have no friendly media contacts with a national platform owned by afl people other than sen, yet hutchie gives even worse coverage than the nuetrals would. It's almost like he's trying to be the old non biased commentator, so has over corrected.

On another note, the fact your posts are getting liked by the biggest troll on Bigfooty in Aussie in exile should be a red flag.

I mean it depends how you measure interest. It can be completely true that 1.2 million people, most in Melbourne, support the Storm enough that they are at the very least interested in if they win or lose, or they respond positively when surveyed about it:

Brisbane Broncos overtake the Melbourne Storm to be the most widely supported NRL club in 2024 with 1.3 million supporters - Roy Morgan Research

The latest data from Roy Morgan shows the total NRL supporter base has grown strongly from a year ago to over 7.4 million Australians (33.1%), up 2.4% from a year ago, who now support an NRL team.

www.roymorgan.com

I don't think it's necessarily over the top. There's different ways to measure popularity.

 

[RedV3x]

There's different ways to measure popularity.

Yes and in order it would be:
1. People take the time, inconvenience and money to travel to see their team.
This is easily the most important measure and an accurate guide.
2. Ratings are only important because ratings equate to money and allow relative comparisons.
3. interest is only important if it can translate into an event.
4. interest in the form of surveys. Maybe 1.1. million Melbournians interested to see if the Storm fail !

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Yes and in order it would be:
1. People take the time, inconvenience and money to travel to see their team.
This is easily the most important measure and an accurate guide.
2. Ratings are only important because ratings equate to money and allow relative comparisons.
3. interest is only important if it can translate into an event.
4. interest in the form of surveys. Maybe 1.1. million Melbournians interested to see if the Storm fail !

"The most important measure" is not exactly relevant for people talking on a radio broadcast. Even if a person is not interested in attending a Melbourne Strom game, your 4th point might also equate in people being interested about the storm in background noise on the radio. Why would they respond positively on a survey otherwise?

I really don't care about NRL, but I would also be interested if major news about the Storm such as injuries to major players or whatever impacted their season ahead, more than it for most other AFL clubs.

 

[RedV3x]

"The most important measure" is not exactly relevant for people talking on a radio broadcast.

The people who listen to football are the same people who look at football and associated news.
Your audience is has to have more than a mild interest to maintain that interest.

 

[Bjo187]

I mean it depends how you measure interest. It can be completely true that 1.2 million people, most in Melbourne, support the Storm enough that they are at the very least interested in if they win or lose, or they respond positively when surveyed about it:

Brisbane Broncos overtake the Melbourne Storm to be the most widely supported NRL club in 2024 with 1.3 million supporters - Roy Morgan Research

The latest data from Roy Morgan shows the total NRL supporter base has grown strongly from a year ago to over 7.4 million Australians (33.1%), up 2.4% from a year ago, who now support an NRL team.

www.roymorgan.com

I don't think it's necessarily over the top. There's different ways to measure popularity.

I see you're playing devils advocate. But the measure on popularity would be:

• crowds
• memberships
• tv
• participation

Which the swans thrash the storm on most of those metrics. The sport is barely even played in Melbourne.

There are 220k Sydney residents with only afl as their sport of choice a recent study found, what would that be in Melbourne with nrl? 50k maybe if you're lucky.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I see you're playing devils advocate. But the measure on popularity would be:

• crowds
• memberships
• tv
• participation

Which the swans thrash the storm on most of those metrics. The sport is barely even played in Melbourne.

There are 220k Sydney residents with only afl as their sport of choice a recent study found, what would that be in Melbourne with nrl? 50k maybe if you're lucky.

To be interested in hearing about a team on radio does not have to rise to the level of crowds, memberships, participation though.

That's the point I'm making.

I'm far more interested in hearing about if Melbourne Storm have won a game or have a player injury or whatever on SEN than I am ever playing the game, or attending a fixture.

Just becaues there's a lower level of intense interest doesn't mean that there's also a lower level of casual interest, and a radio station can address casual interest, too.

 

[Bjo187]

To be interested in hearing about a team on radio does not have to rise to the level of crowds, memberships, participation though.

That's the point I'm making.

I'm far more interested in hearing about if Melbourne Storm have won a game or have a player injury or whatever on SEN than I am ever playing the game, or attending a fixture.

Just becaues there's a lower level of intense interest doesn't mean that there's also a lower level of casual interest, and a radio station can address casual interest, too.

Even Google trends data indicates across years a much higher level of afl interest in Sydney than nrl interest in Melbourne. So basically every proper metric except for 'the vibe' that you're going with.

Hutchie is desperate to be in with the leaguie crowd up there, so folded to the noisy minority of frothing at the mouth leagiues that have a cardiac arrest any time the afl is mentioned. He's as weak as piss.

 

[2 eazy]

You're judging their success through a Melbourne lens.

Not to make excuses, but Covid did disproportionately affect the Giants.

They didn't have the rusted-on fanbase that the rest of the competition had.

They dipped hard. They only averaged 6k in 2022. Their average double that in 2024. If the AFL improved that much we'd have average 60k crowds.

In 2024, the Giants had higher Sydney home crowds than Cronulla, and only 400 off Wests. And half of their games are essentially derbies. The Giants are more than holding their own by Sydney standards.

I think 15k is definitely achievable in coming years.



The Giants only need to cover the one Canberra game. Engie is still fine for 10 games.

My preference would be to avoid the SCG like the plague. The Giants aren't just Sydney 2. They're Western Sydney. But if they have to play at the SCG, it should only be one game.

For Sydney cannot look at crowds as an indication of teams popularity as most people there mainly watch on the TV. Sharks home ground only fits 12k so they can average 15k

 

[GC2015]

This was interesting to see today. Hutchie being a turncoat of the highest nature, who is actually detrimental to afl's growth in Sydney via the complete lack of coverage and anti afl crap he lets his hosts get away with, must have seen some compelling data on the gold coast to make this change.

SEN Gold Coast unveils new content strategy

SEN Gold Coast 1620am is excited to announce a significant revamp in its content strategy.

www.sen.com.au

This is a prime example of why the Gold Coast and Brisbane sports markets should be viewed differently. A 50/50 split works on the Gold Coast. It wouldn't fly in Brisbane.

 

[Philhawk]

Even Google trends data indicates across years a much higher level of afl interest in Sydney than nrl interest in Melbourne. So basically every proper metric except for 'the vibe' that you're going with.

Hutchie is desperate to be in with the leaguie crowd up there, so folded to the noisy minority of frothing at the mouth leagiues that have a cardiac arrest any time the afl is mentioned. He's as weak as piss.

“Noisy minority frothing at the mouth.

Are we referring to you, or League fans here?

It’s mind boggling to think that a seasoned media executive like Hutchy doesn’t factor his own internal metrics when scheduling Storm content in Melb.

Of interest - you’ve posted elsewhere that SEN recently decided to adopt a 50/50 AFL/League split for SEN Gold Coasf. Was that also Hutchy “catering to the minority”?

 

[Bjo187]

This is a prime example of why the Gold Coast and Brisbane sports markets should be viewed differently. A 50/50 split works on the Gold Coast. It wouldn't fly in Brisbane.

Yeah Brisbane is less but it gets decent afl coverage compared to Sydney, Zorko is on weekly and the hosts aren't anti afl like the Sydney ones (vossy, brandy and the afternoon moron, I forget his name). Healy and Corey Parker are decent and so is Ben Davis in the mornings. I just assumed the gc would always take the Brisbane feed, until I saw this article. But, the good news certainly hasn't gone down well in this thread, as expected.

“Noisy minority frothing at the mouth.

Are we referring to you, or League fans here?

It’s mind boggling to think that a seasoned media executive like Hutchy doesn’t factor his own internal metrics when scheduling Storm content in Melb.

Of interest - you’ve posted elsewhere that SEN recently decided to adopt a 50/50 AFL/League split for SEN Gold Coasf. Was that also Hutchy “catering to the minority”?

I was using the evidence of Hutchie's track record in this space to show it must really be compelling data for him to give the afl any attention up north, as he over corrects to show no afl alliance in other markets. Swans and giants fans are aware of the terrible treatment he gives the code in Sydney, it's common in their fan pages, but as long as you're happy. You've clearly never listened or have your league goggles on again.

 

[RedV3x]

To be interested in hearing about a team on radio does not have to rise to the level of crowds, memberships, participation though.

It "does not have to" but radio most likely does depend on it's majority of listeners being fans.
It "does not have to" be people wanting to hear good news.

 

[RedV3x]

For Sydney cannot look at crowds as an indication of teams popularity

Yes you can - easily.

as most people there mainly watch on the TV.

It has been my observation over decades that television sets in Sydney are invariably on and NRL is indeed playing
but i rarely see Sydney people really engaged in watching NRL.

Sharks home ground only fits 12k so they can average 15k

NRL teams could easily play at alternative grounds with larger capacities but it would look bad
like when they play at Olympic stadium.