afl in Sydney making massive inroads...

[Hoops]

AFL has 5 games per week (3 live) shown into Sydney.

We in Vic only get 2 live games a week - Sat nite & Sun Arvo

 

[Godz Illa]

you AFL hating dipsh*ts

you dumb bastards

You are fools, plain and simple.

You are deluded

the insluar wankers

you morons

Imbeciles

They're an angry mob these Mexicans. Mel what you need to do is take some deep breaths, find your centre, and watch more Rugby League. Then you will be at peace.

 

[Hindyscrack]

I'm not arguing with the ratings of footy in the Northern States. I just beleive that the NRL (& the arrogant posters on this site) could take a leaf out of the AFL book and promote the hell out of the game.

Instead of just waltzing in with the usual "We're better than you" arrogant attitude that the Northern States show towards us and expect we will take on your game.

It won't happen, and if you just force RL onto people without any kind of 'development partnership', it just won't work.

Honestly, don't take me for someone who wants to see the AFL take over the world. So long as Richmond survive I'm a happy man lol Kill the Swans and Lions for all I care.

Mel Tiger's correct, the NRL is hardly going out of its way to Help the development of our game outside of its traditional heartlands. Look at how the AFL has expanded into a national comp and how it helps the game in Brisbane, Sydney. $9mil alone just in sydney from the AFL on top of the swans promotion, live coverage of games in prime time positions, salary cap benefits. The NRL/ARL could take a leaf out of its book and get its house in order, imagine what it could do.

Hopefully the next tv deal helps this. But knowing the way the league has acted in the past we will be stuck in suburban sydney mentality forever.

 

[Misty Bee]

Thanks for dragging the discussion out of the gutter, Hindyscrack.

Back in 1995, we didn't have Melbourne, but we DID have a national comp, actually an international comp that was the widest geographically spread competition in any football code on earth. TV ratings in 1994 meant that League was the biggest winter sport in Australia - despite AFL's carry on about home crowds. Then News Ltd got involved, and the rest is history.

Yet this debate is basically a comparison about the AFL's push into Sydney via the Swans, and the NRL's push into Melbourne via the Storm - an idea that was always on shaky ground.

Sydney has accepted the Swans, but simply doesn't get excited by it. The AFL can have their annual massively hyped game that will put many bums on seats at Telstra, and that's fine. League can deal also with the Bledisloe hype, and the occasional Soccer equivalent. At the end of the day, the 4 biggest sporting events on the NSW calendar are 3 SOO games and the RL GF. The latter game, going back into the infancy of last century, has only been pipped twice: by a Union world cup final, and the 2000 Olympic Games.

The 3 strands of media in NSW give ample coverage to all 4 codes.

In Contrast, Melbourne, the SUPPOSED sporting capital of Australia, is dismal. 2 years ago I spent a weekend there. Of all the sports reporting done on C9 that weekend, RL was allowed approximately 5 seconds. The weekends results were thrown up, and the I can recite the ENTIRE report thus:

And in the NRL this weekend there were wins to Brisbane, Penrith and the Raiders

And that was there entire coverage of that weekends round.

Listening to an AFL call on radio that weekend, they crossed to Olympic Park: Halftime - Storm 4, St George 0. The AFL commentaters response? Again, a quote:

Sounds like another rivetting game of Rugby League *chuckle*

It's not lack of TV coverage that hinders League in Vitoria. It's the pathetic insular attitude of Victorians.

Mel, until the 3 strands of the Victorian media get their heads out of their myopic arses and sees that there is a big planet that exists beyond the Wodonga Bypass, you can NEVER say that League, Union or anything else won't be accepted. The Grand Final ratings prove that. And don't forget that 87 000 turned up at the G to watch Origin once.

 

[Hoops]

.
In Contrast, Melbourne, the SUPPOSED sporting capital of Australia, is dismal. 2 yeasr ago I spent a weekend there. Of all the sports reporting done on C9 that weekend, RL was allowed approximately 5 seconds. The weekends results were thrown up, and the I can recite the ENTIRE report thus:

Why should the NRL get precedence and more air time over say the EPL, when there is less NRL supporters (including the Storm) than EPL supporters here?
I might add if my memory serves me correctly excluding the Storm we don't even hear the other results of the NRL on C9.

Listening to an AFL call on radio that weekend, they crossed to Olympic Park: Halftime - Storm 4, St George 0. The AFL commentaters response? Again, a quote:

It's only fair when Rugby League supporters make snide remarks about another code is it?

It's not lack of TV coverage that hinders League in Vitoria. It's the pathetic insular attitude of Victorians.

You guys keep saying that, but just because our game is bigger outside our heartland than your game, this must be the reason

Mel, until the 3 strands of the Victorian media get their heads out of their myopic arses and sees that there is a big planet that exists beyond the Wodonga Bypass, you can NEVER say that League, Union or anything else won't be accepted. The Grand Final ratings prove that. And don't forget that 87 000 turned up at the G to watch Origin once.

The coverage of NRL is greater than the actual interest here. You might not like it but it's true.
Even in an article I saw posted here written by an Rugby League loving Melburnian said

The Storm does have fans. But it could sure do with a few more, as well as media interest that didn't have the distinct whiff of charity.

 

[Misty Bee]

Why should the NRL get precedence and more air time over say the EPL, when there is less NRL supporters (including the Storm) than EPL supporters here?

Because the AFL gets precedence up here, BY THE SAME ORGANISATIONS. League and AFL get equal share of the sports reporting in Sydney and Brisbane. Union is a very close third.

League and Union are closed out in Melbourne.

It's only fair when Rugby League supporters make snide remarks about another code is it?

No. Commentators give AFL updates from all over Australia, and NEVER bag the code when they do. Does AFL radio coverage include updates from places such as Penrith, Erricson or Brookvale?

It's not lack of TV coverage that hinders League in Vitoria. It's the pathetic insular attitude of Victorians.

You guys keep saying that, but just because our game is bigger outside our heartland than your game, this must be the reason

No, you ignored my reason, which was contained in the previous 8 lines before your quote. But thanks for proving my point about Victorians.

The coverage of NRL is greater than the actual interest here.

The interest in NRL in Melbourne is probably equivalent to in Sydney interest in AFL. Which means that Sydney's AFL coverage FAR FAR exceeds the interest levels in that code. The point about media fariness is lost on you, sadly. Again, proving my point about Victorians.

 

[taipan]

Whilst the Victorian media continue with their immature,inbred,biased AFL only mentality ,and spend a fair time putting the sword into other codes,Melbourne can never be called the sporting capital of Australia.AFL even in the early days of the Swans got more than its fair share of coverage in Sydney,and today few if any media people waste ink or talk bagging AFL.The Melbourne media has a lot of growing up to do.
if an AFL player goes off the rails in Sydney it receives b...all publicity,if a rugby league player does the same thing, the whole deed is plastered over the Melbourne media. Balanced reporting pull the other one.

 

[Brutus]

They're an angry mob these Mexicans. Mel what you need to do is take some deep breaths, find your centre, and watch more Rugby League. Then you will be at peace.

Yes, in the meantime though, I think he should toddle off back to the AFL board. Nobody cares about Richmond here and nobody cares about AFL. Bye bye.

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

AFL's on it's knees in Sydney and it's beginning its inevitable slide in Brisbane.

Time to up the salary cap advantages to 1.2 million to both.

 

[Misty Bee]

Then they can fight Yawnion for Anasta!

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

Good idea.

The loser gets him.

 

[bender]

For that matter the Storm for one season were also shown at a decent timeslot ... What are their crowd figures again?

Your post just proves the arrogance and idiocy of those northerners who expect Victorians will just accept their game down here.

The AFL Commision may be many bad things but at least they work hard to try and realise their dream of a national game.

Rather than the NRL who do abosloutely nothing to try and work towards that.

Meltiger,

Most of your points are reasonable regarding rugby league and victorian tv except you forget some important facts:
1. When Storm games were televised in Melbourne a while ago they basically averaged 80,000 to 100,000 viewers. Not earth shattering but not too bad for a saturday afternoon. I could be wrong, but i am pretty sure that this would blow Iron Chef out of the water.

2. Every single live coverage I can remember of a rugby league game in Melbourne prime time has always been an astonishing success (usually reported in the paper as usch later in the week) before the games are reduced back to delayed telecasts the following years. For examples, look to the ratings of live origins, test matches, Melbourne Storm Semi finals, all over the last 10 or so years.

On a side note, it is a shame that ratings are so secretive in Australia (outside the top 10), but I would love to know how RL rates on Foxtel in melbourne. I wouldnt be at all surprised if it was surprisingly competive with the AFL foxtel channel on saturday nights. AS foxtel coverage continues to grow, so to will RL coverage and that is something which a lot of people tend to forget as the importance of Freeto air will diminish somewhat, as time proceeds.

 

[iggy plop]

Read this.



http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2005/05/31/1117305621759.html?oneclick=true

The ratings figures for Swans games this season show that the Saturday night games on Channel 10 average 137,501, compared with 133,629 last season. The one Saturday day game averaged 95,012, significantly down on previous seasons.

So the one Saturday game for the Swans this year averaged 95,012. These are the sorts of numbers the Storm were getting when they had their games shown live on Saturday afternoon into Melbourne for that one year with hardly any promotion. The Swans Saturday night numbers in prime time are also pathetic. Imagine their numbers if RL was on FTA at the same time?

The Swans have had 25 years in this city and have get mass promotion for their games on channel 10, the radio and tv.

Yet some people think the Storm don't deserve to get their games on FTA in Melbourne.

What a joke!

 

[Hoops]

if an AFL player goes off the rails in Sydney it receives b...all publicity,if a rugby league player does the same thing, the whole deed is plastered over the Melbourne media. Balanced reporting pull the other one.

Do you only hear what you want to hear. The only time we hear of when a RL player goes off the rails is when the Sydney media tell us. Beleive me an AFL player no matter what the situation is deemed alot more news worthy no matter what the story than an NRL Player in Melbourne. Perhaps you should stop getting your news from LU, and go through the Melbourne papers websites if you don't beleive me.

 

[Heritage XIII]

How can Meltiger explain 138,000 for Origin in Melbourne at 10:30pm and 77,000 in rural Victoria...again, with no promotion?

 

[gunnamatta bay]

Anyone who can make 4 dishes out of sea urchin should outrate a knock-on-a-thon.

:lol:

How do they know what people are watching? Does someone go round at night knocking on doors asking the occupants whats on the box?

 

[strong_latte]

AFL fans in Sydney are mostly South Melbourne expats or "trendy's", as Mike Gibson put it on 'the Back Page' on monday. People in Melbourne have critisized the swans for playing boring footy, but it hasn't affected their crowds out here because their "fans" *cough* don't even know the rules half the time!

 

[Thunderstruck]

:lol:

How do they know what people are watching? Does someone go round at night knocking on doors asking the occupants whats on the box?

You serious?

 

[taipan]

Do you only hear what you want to hear. The only time we hear of when a RL player goes off the rails is when the Sydney media tell us. Beleive me an AFL player no matter what the situation is deemed alot more news worthy no matter what the story than an NRL Player in Melbourne. Perhaps you should stop getting your news from LU, and go through the Melbourne papers websites if you don't beleive me.

You still dont get my point,in Sydney (and I do read the papers) if an AFL players does the deed it barely cracks a mention in Sydney papers,the opposite happens in Melbourne with league players.I read the Australian national paper(check the AFL lover Patrick Smith's outbursts on rugby league players) and the website of the Herald Sun and Age.I see what I see not what you think I like to hear.Steve Price formerly of 3AW has said much the same on his sydney show on 2UE.Of course an AFL is more newsworthy in Vic thats a no brainer.Hopoate made news in Vic and all over the world for his episode,that idiot former AFL player now in the VFL munching on a blokes nuts rarely made a mention in the Sydney press,except the TV.Suggest you look at Sydney papers sometime ,you might get the message.

 

[gunnamatta bay]

You serious?

Of course!