As someone who goes to every Sharks home game, I too am concerned at this years crowd numbers but I really dont think MNF works for us in the shire.
Whoever made the point about working in the city, hit the nail on the head. I only have anecdotal evidence to support it but here goes; normally I go to the games with a core crew of about 8 to 12 blokes and their partners so sometimes there is 20 of us. There were only four of us there last night, simply because people couldnt get to the ground on time. These people wanted to come to the game, and in other circumstances would. But if you are finishing in the city at 545 or 6, youre no chance of getting to the game at Woolooware on time. Hell even a bloke finished work at 630 at Caringbah and couldnt make it until well after kick off cause of parking issues etc. I saw scores of people at the ground last night in their work gear, so they had legged it straight to the game from the office.
Other factors that make Monday night poorly suited to the Sharks is the fact that for a lot of regular footy goers, the game is a precursor to a big night out. I cant comment for other clubs but the culture of this club is that the game starts your night out. Alot of more casual observers wont go to a game if they dont have the option to kick on at Northies/ Fusion/ city whatever and you cant do that on Monday night. Wrong or right, its just ingrained in the culture of the club.
Cronulla have also had five (I think) MNF fixtures this year, so we are probably a better test case for the longevity of the concept, and most people at the ground I spoke to are seriously unhappy with the timeslot.
