Fixture North Melbourne v Carlton very close to being a sellout. The AFL must make this Good Friday Fixture Permanent

[Underarm]

Given their 'efforts' in establishing the Eureka game, they either learned a lot from their failures, or had the AFL holding their hand tightly through this process. I'd guess both.

The fact that they're playing a big 4 team in the top 4 is covering up the cracks.

 

[Irish BlueBagger]

Carlton made sense from the start. You've got the small teams, the Saints, Dogs, North.
Then the rest all have a marquee game.
Collingwood, Anzac Day, Queens Birthday,
Essendon, Anzac Day, Dreamtime,
Hawthorn, Easter Monday
Melbourne, Queens Birthday
Richmond, Dreamtime

Except for Carlton who have nothing. You want a big club to help out a small club with a marquee game, Carlton's the logical one.

I've always wondered who the girl in your avatar is!

 

[Irish BlueBagger]

Carlton are premiership contenders?
What date is it today, 5th or 1st?
Did the earth reverse poles or something?
WTF is going on ?

No the earth is still the same as always, and the Saints still have their 1 flag and 27 wooden spoons!

 

[JohnZ]

Because it isn't two smaller clubs playing anymore.

It's free air and for those outside of VIC it's a wasted opportunity.

 

[Proper Gander]

I still don't know how Carlton got left out in the cold to begin with- made zero sense then and still doesn't now

I have the vaguest recollection that the AFL preferred at the time to attempt to make it a regular fixture for two clubs that otherwise don’t have a marquee game? I might have imagined it but I think I heard it said. Either way it hasn’t worked out in that form so far. I hope it is an enjoyable game today.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

I said this before, but i want the Roos to rise along with us a force to be reckoned with again. I want the 90's back again!

Agree with that, North Melbourne are a proper footy club with proper fans.

They deserve a lot better than what haters in the media like Caro-Whine treat them or some flogs here (mainly Plastic Franchise interstate club fans) who want them to relocate/fold or merge.

 

[Leeda]

Jeez I'm happy with minows and so called fiants...um giants..
It is a horrible day weatherwise.. every team would be scuppered and not reach ultimate performance .

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Tell me I'm wrong that most non Victorian Club posters here (well at least the SA and WA clubs) want North to cease to exist.

If that is Moral Grandstaning, fine, I call it calling out arrogant plastic franchise bollocks and hubris.

I went to Fitzroy's last game in Melbourne, one of the worst days of my life.

Never want to see scenes like that ever again

 

[Irish BlueBagger]

Agree with that, North Melbourne are a proper footy club with proper fans.

They deserve a lot better than what haters in the media like Caro-Whine treat them or some flogs here (mainly Plastic Franchise interstate club fans) who want them to relocate/fold or merge.

Most of the clubs in the league are proper clubs, and most fans are proper as well.

I just think the competition needs both Carlton and North Melbourne, up and about and firing on all cylinders again.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Most of the clubs in the league are proper clubs, and most fans are proper as well.

I just think the competition needs both Carlton and North Melbourne, up and about and firing on all cylinders again.

I also am keen to defend and support Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney and their existence in the league, despite some here questioning their worth and existence in the league.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Tell me I'm wrong that most non Victorian Club posters here (well at least the SA and WA clubs) want North to cease to exist.

If that is Moral Grandstaning, fine, I call it calling out arrogant plastic franchise bollocks and hubris.

I went to Fitzroy's last game in Melbourne, one of the worst days of my life.

Never want to see scenes like that ever again

If that was one of the worst days of your life you must be doing pretty well. It’s just a game at the end of the day.

 

[HTPunter]

Good lesson to the Bulldogs - if you want a marquee fixture, don’t flog your opponent the first couple of times.

…

Quite tongue in cheek. I’m really not a fan of the same sides getting multiple blockbuster slots - which now all the big Melb clubs do (bar Hawthorn?). And as much as I felt like North “deserved” first crack at Good Friday, I don’t think we did enough to keep it really. Every other club would do the same charity and good will work…ignoring sick kids would be PR disaster, it’s hardly gods work that North are doing.

 

[Irish BlueBagger]

If that was one of the worst days of your life you must be doing pretty well. It’s just a game at the end of the day.

Well if that was Carlton would you not be a bit pissed off, because i sure would anyway.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Well if that was Carlton would you not be a bit pissed off, because i sure would anyway.

I would be pissed off

 

[footyfan1978]

Good lesson to the Bulldogs - if you want a marquee fixture, don’t flog your opponent the first couple of times.

…

Quite tongue in cheek. I’m really not a fan of the same sides getting multiple blockbuster slots - which now all the big Melb clubs do (bar Hawthorn?)

Easter Monday. Made sense when Hawks and Cats contenders around similar time but not so much now. Rather see a mix.

 

[My_Username]

I said this before, but i want the Roos to rise along with us a force to be reckoned with again. I want the 90's back again!

I don't think Carlton's brown paper bags will be coming back.

 

[Billy ray]

is this even on free to air outside melbourne?

 

[My_Username]

is this even on free to air outside melbourne?

AFL site indicates it's FTA in all markets.

 

[Rod Stroker]

If we are getting sell outs it makes sense.

I’m annoyed that I can’t go as it’s an apparent sell out which they are only expecting 46-47k at.

They'll move it to the MCG... and make it a Carlton home game

 

[Red Bull]

Not a classic game but competitive and the biggest crowd at Docklands in a decade.
Enough to go ahead with the fixture again next season and start building it into the marquee game it can become …

 

[btdg]

Great game and good to see it was a sell out.

My only wondering is about timing. Why play Good Friday at 4:20pm - that's the day where nothing is open, but also people dont tend to have big family stuff either (no meat and all that). It is also the charity game, but the late finish meant the tv coverage jumpeed straight to news and missed an opportunity to do an extended post match fundraiser

Meanwhile the only Easter Sunday games are 2:10 - that's on the day where lots of people have the big family lunch, head to church services first, and there is just generally more on.

Should switch them imo... have this at 2:30pm and Easter Sunday the later slot at 3pm

 

[Tas]

Docklands has a lot of corporate memberships, it is hit or miss how many of those will attend, they don't all attend even for the biggest games. They do not count them towards the attendance when they do not show up but all the paid reserved seats have 75% of the revenue go towards the gate. it doesn't matter if it is 49k or 55k, the difference is usually corporate seats that are no shows. My previous employer had 10 Docklands seats and a corporate box and it was very rare more than half of those seats were used. These aren't real people who have ponied up thousands of dollars for a reserved seat and not shown up.

 

[footyfan1978]

This won't get above 40k
Medallion club won't turn up (just like 99% of marvel games). Add in nothing being open in the city

I went to a 'sell out' that only had 33k.
Medallion club was empty and the home fans (think it may have been stkilda) didn't turn up

This game will be similar

Someone is shocking at crowd number predictions.

Least this guy was realistic.

Capacity is around 53k but no chance it can get there without medallion club. They'll all be in their holidays homes.

Actual realistic turnout will be 45-48k for a "sold out" game at Marvel.

Not bad. Only one thousand over your range prediction.

 

[footyfan1978]

My only wondering is about timing. Why play Good Friday at 4:20pm -

Meanwhile the only Easter Sunday games are 2:10 - that's on the day where lots of people have the big family lunch, head to church services first, and there is just generally more on.

Should switch them imo... have this at 2:30pm and Easter Sunday the later slot at 3pm

Nah, Docklands is s**t for day games. Twilight time is the best use of this crap designed Docklands.

 

[Whisper in the Wind]

Good lesson to the Bulldogs - if you want a marquee fixture, don’t flog your opponent the first couple of times.

…

Quite tongue in cheek. I’m really not a fan of the same sides getting multiple blockbuster slots - which now all the big Melb clubs do (bar Hawthorn?). And as much as I felt like North “deserved” first crack at Good Friday, I don’t think we did enough to keep it really. Every other club would do the same charity and good will work…ignoring sick kids would be PR disaster, it’s hardly gods work that North are doing.

The AFL did North no favours.
After years of asking for this game, they eventually give it to them just as they delist Boomer, Petrie etc.
It was obvious they would struggle on field for the next few years.
Not only bad timing, but they fixture them against the reigning Premiers (Bulldogs) - a young side that would be contending for the next few years.

If the AFL gave North the game vs Carlton, like they proposed mid 2010s, the matches would have been more competitive.
North would have won more games than they lost early, and the tide would have turned towards Carlton more recently.
Throw in moments like Chris Judd's chicken wing, Jarrad Waite switching sides, a couple of North upsets.
The tradition would have reached a level by now that you could get 60,000+ at the G today.