Cricket at Metricon stadium

Sunraysia

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Mar 16, 2015
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Gold Coast
Will be attending the two BBL Heat games scheduled for Metricon. Enjoyed the New Year game last year, but won't be wasting money on a BBL fixture not involving a Queensland team. Hopefully a future Gold Coast team is a possibility...
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
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Less than a week to go until the BBL season opens with the Heat v Thunder match at the Gabba. It's also just 9 days until we get to host a Friday night fixture between the Heat and Stars at Metricon.

Hopefully a future Gold Coast team is a possibility...
I was thinking about this earlier today and I wondered where a future Gold Coast BBL team would pull majority of its players from. If you use the Heat as an example, most local players have come through the very strong inter-school league that is the GPS competition. Chris Lynn (Nudgee), Joe Burns (Nudgee), Mitchell Swepson (Nudgee), Matt Renshaw (Brisbane Grammar), Jack Prestwidge (Gregory Terrace), Jimmy Pierson (Brisbane State High School: believe it or not, Brisbane High is a GPS school) Cameron Gannon (Ipswich Grammar), Mark Steketee (Ipswich Grammar). In fact, the Gold Coast's own Max Bryant is one of the very few BBL players to go through the QLD system and not attend a GPS school. Instead, he went to St Joseph's in Banora Point.

So where would our players come from? I imagine a GC team would be heavily reliant on TSS for juniors because they compete in the GPS competition but are any other Gold Coast schools known for producing cricket players? I can really only think of Billy Stanlake as a prominent Gold Coaster in cricket these days but he was of course a TSS graduate. Andrew Symonds went to All Saints but I think that had more to do with his father being a teacher there as opposed to it being a school that would foster his cricket career.
 

Mt Isa Mustang

Cancelled
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Nov 23, 2019
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Less than a week to go until the BBL season opens with the Heat v Thunder match at the Gabba. It's also just 9 days until we get to host a Friday night fixture between the Heat and Stars at Metricon.


I was thinking about this earlier today and I wondered where a future Gold Coast BBL team would pull majority of its players from. If you use the Heat as an example, most local players have come through the very strong inter-school league that is the GPS competition. Chris Lynn (Nudgee), Joe Burns (Nudgee), Mitchell Swepson (Nudgee), Matt Renshaw (Brisbane Grammar), Jack Prestwidge (Gregory Terrace), Jimmy Pierson (Brisbane State High School: believe it or not, Brisbane High is a GPS school) Cameron Gannon (Ipswich Grammar), Mark Steketee (Ipswich Grammar). In fact, the Gold Coast's own Max Bryant is one of the very few BBL players to go through the QLD system and not attend a GPS school. Instead, he went to St Joseph's in Banora Point.

So where would our players come from? I imagine a GC team would be heavily reliant on TSS for juniors because they compete in the GPS competition but are any other Gold Coast schools known for producing cricket players? I can really only think of Billy Stanlake as a prominent Gold Coaster in cricket these days but he was of course a TSS graduate. Andrew Symonds went to All Saints but I think that had more to do with his father being a teacher there as opposed to it being a school that would foster his cricket career.
Michael Neser went to TSS
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
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BBL season kicks off tonight at the Gabba. Heat v Thunder at 6:10pm QLD time.

We have the Heat v Stars at Metricon game this Friday night at 6:10pm QLD time as well.
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
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How many of you are going to the game tomorrow night?
Good chance I'll be there.

I think the main factor preventing us from pulling a massive crowd at Metricon is the unwillingness of Brisbane people to travel down the M1 for about 50 minutes to see their team play. It's why we never get big crowds for QClashes at Metricon either. So we're really almost entirely reliant on the Gold Coast public to fill the stadium. I'm sure you're aware of our desire to have our own BBL franchise which is why it's important for the stands to be full tomorrow night.
 

HereIam86

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Jun 5, 2010
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is there any transport to and from brisbane? Maybe given its a night game, its harder to get back to brisbane especially with kids?

You can catch the Gold Coast train from Brisbane down to the Gold Coast. Than on the way back there is the Brisbane airport train that takes you back to Brisbane.
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
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is there any transport to and from brisbane? Maybe given its a night game, its harder to get back to brisbane especially with kids?
Well, in Queensland public transport is always free to and from major sporting events (you must have your ticket with you as you travel) so it should be very easy for an average cricket fan from Brisbane to hop on the train and head down the Gold Coast line where they get off at Nerang station and take the 4 minute shuttle to the stadium. Then they just follow the same instructions in reverse to get home. It's pretty easy.

I think there is a deeper issue at play here with most Brisbane people generally believing they are above attending an event outside of Brisbane. There are countless examples of this with the Titans and other events too. I'm not saying that's the case for everyone in Brisbane, but I do think there is a majority that feels that way.
 
Aug 17, 2010
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Well, in Queensland public transport is always free to and from major sporting events (you must have your ticket with you as you travel) so it should be very easy for an average cricket fan from Brisbane to hop on the train and head down the Gold Coast line where they get off at Nerang station and take the 4 minute shuttle to the stadium. Then they just follow the same instructions in reverse to get home. It's pretty easy.

I think there is a deeper issue at play here with most Brisbane people generally believing they are above attending an event outside of Brisbane. There are countless examples of this with the Titans and other events too. I'm not saying that's the case for everyone in Brisbane, but I do think there is a majority that feels that way.
Lions fans attendance rates at Metricon QClashes is downright atrocious.
 
Look when the aflw final was on and the qclash afterward they left straight after the aflw final
I would have stayed, I mean why not? You're there anyway. I went to the vflw gf and stayed for most of the vfl gf (only so much richmond I can take watching lol)
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
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Least there won’t be a storm tonight!
Tonight should be a good indicator of whether we're actually capable of having our own BBL team. Last year's results were heavily affected by weather and surrounding holidays so it's not a fair gauge. 18k would be a good number to aim for IMO but I'm expecting 15/16k to show up.

Bring on Lynnsanity and plenty of boundaries tonight!
 

The Victorian

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 23, 2018
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Tonight should be a good indicator of whether we're actually capable of having our own BBL team. Last year's results were heavily affected by weather and surrounding holidays so it's not a fair gauge. 18k would be a good number to aim for IMO but I'm expecting 15/16k to show up.

Bring on Lynnsanity and plenty of boundaries tonight!
I know the Stars are not a local team but it is the two teams who host games up there so its almost like a Gold Coast Derby!
 
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