If Dolphins do get sub 20k today let’s not pretend that is anything more than awful.
I didn’t expect them to match or exceed broncos crowds but I was also told the city was screaming for more content. They should be getting 25k to any game without much effort in a decent time slot.
Whilst we'd all want the Dolphins drawing 25K+ to all their matches at Suncorp, it's important that we don't overreact if they happen to fall into high teens territory today.
Firstly, since Andrew Johns retired, Newcastle has been far from a big drawer in the Sunshine state. Taking out last year's big crowd, generally the Knights have drawn in the 20K - 25K range at Suncorp over the past decade. There is a reason why the Broncos don't include them in their wish list of opponents to host when submitting to the NRL and why they missed out on Magic Round.
Secondly, as others have said, the Dolphins are still a new club, so it's not uncommon to go backwards on year 2 on some metrics, but they are also having to compete against a Broncos club which has rediscovered itself both on and off the field. In the battle of the hearts & minds of the South Queensland youth, there aren't going to be any easy wins for the Dolphins right now. If they had joined during the Griffin, Henjak or Seibold years, they would have been able to grow a lot quicker.
Thirdly, the club did stuff up for the Wests Tigers game with their $20.23 ticket offer. Whilst it drove some sales to that game, they did cop some backlash over it and no doubt some fans held off pre-purchasing for the Knights game out of fear of being stung again. The club has listened and not repeated the mistake, but it's still a sin they'll have to pay for, for a few games at least.
In terms of the comments about Brisbane was screaming for more content, none of that has been incorrect. Dolphins are still one of the better drawing teams in the sport & their arrival has also fuelled the growth of the Broncos, from a ratings, sponsorship, digital activity perspective, they're in the top 8 in all them. The largest crowd of the season so far has involved them and their return fixture against the Broncos is bound to be another sell out as well.
The club can of course still do a lot better. IMO, their pricing at Suncorp and the way they release tickets leaves a lot to be desired and they are pretty average at promoting their own matches, but let's not freak out too much if today's crowd is meh.
