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Magic weekend Aus

Pommy

Coach
Messages
14,657
Magic weekend in the Super League is well loved by many.
It gives the sport the opportunity to take the game to areas not normally considered to be rugby league country.
And more importantly gives fans a good excuse to have a weekend away on the piss.
What are people's thoughts on having it here? Obviously the places it could be taken to would be limited to probably Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, NZ.
And having 16 teams would probably mean all games couldn't be fitted in to two days like the SL.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,146
I like the idea. It is worth consideration at headquarters (so it will be on the agenda for consideration in about 6 years). Again much like the Nines it would be a good opportunity to let cities bid for hosting rights. I would consider just about any city as an option even Wellington.
 
Messages
14,479
It's a good idea for SL.

But not here in Australia where there is a 1000km between each of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville...and overseas to NZ.

In the UK, you can just toddle off down the road.

An idea would have been to have tendered MNF to Adelaide and/or Perth.

Then people of Adelaide or Perth would have footy every MNF and see all the NRL teams play.

Turned it in to a giant event.

If both cities had shared it...every fortnight those cities would have had live footy. People in the Eastern states who didn't want to go would watch on TV still...and would have to with their teams playing 'away'.
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,708
I'll only support the concept if the NRL has Cosantino as the halftime entertainment..

If we can't afford him, I'd settle for Peter Powers or Shane St James..
 

Evil Homer

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
7,178
Wouldn't work because of the distances and the vastly different sporting culture. The only way it could really work would be to play a bunch of matches in China or somewhere and try to fill the stadium, but that could be just as easily achieved with double headers rather than sacrificing an entire round.

Also the reason this happens in the UK is because the RFL put out a tender and cities bid upwards of a million pounds to host the event. It's not just something that they decided to do for fun.
 

jim_57

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,290
Maybe an "on the road" extra round, but not all teams in one place.

I'd just prefer Sydney teams to take low drawing games around Aus & NZ, which is already happening somewhat. Adopting "second homes" shoukd be seriously looked at by NRL clubs IMO. Either taking home games there or working a deal to play "away" games there and making a 1-3 game annual commitmebt to an area to try and grow a fanbase long term.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,146
But not here in Australia where there is a 1000km between each of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville...and overseas to NZ.

In the UK, you can just toddle off down the road.

A flight between Newcastle and Melbourne is about 3 hours in total including the drive to the airport and waiting. Sydney to Melbourne, say 3 hrs allowing for the abysmal traffic.
Brisbane to Melbourne 3.5hours.

Get Jetstar on as magic day sponsor and offer cheaper flights to club members or those with tickets.
Just because there are obstacles to things doesn't mean we should can an idea. Just think a bit more about solutions.
Magic round beats the crap out of 'lets watch on TV round'.
 

adamkungl

Immortal
Messages
42,955
I just don't see what is gained by it.

You can get a 2 day crowd of 100,000 in Suncorp instead of 8 crowds averaging 16k?

You can ruin the ratings by having games on Saturday morning instead of the Friday night?

We shouldn't can the idea because of obstacles, we should can it because it's a dud and offers nothing to the fans except a pain in the arse trip to see what should be a home game.
 
Messages
14,479
A flight between Newcastle and Melbourne is about 3 hours in total including the drive to the airport and waiting. Sydney to Melbourne, say 3 hrs allowing for the abysmal traffic.
Brisbane to Melbourne 3.5hours.

Get Jetstar on as magic day sponsor and offer cheaper flights to club members or those with tickets.
Just because there are obstacles to things doesn't mean we should can an idea. Just think a bit more about solutions.
Magic round beats the crap out of 'lets watch on TV round'.

Let's just work on getting all the fans going to their own games every fortnight and then work on magic rounds, I say.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,146
Let's just work on getting all the fans going to their own games every fortnight and then work on magic rounds, I say.

Agree thats got to be the main focus.

But the game can try to do both. Its not one or the other.

Another way of doing it might be to have the magic round split over 2 weekends in Melbourne (or Perth) around a Melbourne (or Perth) state of origin. So that fans travel down for their club game and stay until Wednesday night for the Origin or head down for origin and stay for the following weekend for their club game.

A city might pay a lot of money for that.
 

Haffa

Guest
Messages
15,881
Another way of doing it might be to have the magic round split over 2 weekends in Melbourne (or Perth) around a Melbourne (or Perth) state of origin. So that fans travel down for their club game and stay until Wednesday night for the Origin or head down for origin and stay for the following weekend for their club game.

About 50 people would do that.
 

Valheru

Coach
Messages
17,509
I don't see the benefit of doing it here.

I do think ANZ and Allianz should be used for more double headers though, say 2 or 3 a year each.
 

DiegoNT

First Grade
Messages
9,378
We Recently had a weekend were all 16 teams played each other in the one stadium. No one came. No one flew over to watch. If you think fans are going to over to Perth or Melbourne in their Thousands to watch a regular season match then you are deluded. For the event to work you'll need local fans to attend in droves. We rightfully laugh at GWS for thinking they can just waltz into west sydney and immediately capture the hearts and minds of people in west sydney, yet people expect us to do the same in Perth, where People Pray at the Altars of West Coast and Freo. The nrl average crowd is 14-15k per game, so to make the event worthwhile you have to at least match that. For 8 games split over 2 days you need 60k on both days just for it to match a regular season round.
 

DiegoNT

First Grade
Messages
9,378
I don't see the benefit of doing it here.

I do think ANZ and Allianz should be used for more double headers though, say 2 or 3 a year each.
Sydney clubs struggle for crowds against teams like the warriors, gold coast and even Broncos. Why not have double headers when sydney teams are hosting those teams in the same round
 

seanoff

Juniors
Messages
1,195
Sydney clubs struggle for crowds against teams like the warriors, gold coast and even Broncos. Why not have double headers when sydney teams are hosting those teams in the same round

Because it will be too far to the stadium, too hot, too cold, too wet, not wet enough, too nice, dont like the food at the stadium its held at, dont like the stadium, cant park at the door, dont like the seats, no public transport close by, it might be overcast, it might be sunny etc.

Manly fans couldn't get to the SFS for a final, what makes you think they'll travel anywhere but Brookvale for a round X game.

If they wont go to their own games at their own places what makes you think they'll go somewhere else.
 

DiegoNT

First Grade
Messages
9,378
Because it will be too far to the stadium, too hot, too cold, too wet, not wet enough, too nice, dont like the food at the stadium its held at, dont like the stadium, cant park at the door, dont like the seats, no public transport close by, it might be overcast, it might be sunny etc.

Manly fans couldn't get to the SFS for a final, what makes you think they'll travel anywhere but Brookvale for a round X game.

If they wont go to their own games at their own places what makes you think they'll go somewhere else.
I was thinking more along the lines of bulldogs and rabbitohs having a double header when warriors and titans visit. Maybe dragons and roosters out of sfs when Raiders and cowboys are in town. I know some club fans like manly are content on only going to games played out of there little mud hole, but teams playing out of the bigger stadiums can work together
 

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