Well, the Broncos home season is over, and they've managed their best crowd figures in some time. The averages are as follows:
Season - 24332
ANZ (4 games) - 16415
Suncorp (8 games) - 28275
At first look the crowds at Suncorp have been a bit disappointing, but further analysis reveals some interesting facts. The Broncos have long argued that they draw poorly on Saturdays, and this is reflected in the three games played, at Suncorp, on Saturday nights, with an average of 19984. However, for the four Friday night games and one Sunday game, they averaged 33250. Considering that State of Origin put a large dent in the crowd figures for the matches against the Roosters and, even more so, the Bulldogs, I think it's fair to assume that the club would have averaged in excess of 35000 for their Friday/Sunday matches if Origin was not so disruptive to the NRL.
I'm pretty confident that the Broncos will average in excess of 30000 next year, and, if they manage to have a better season, and the NRL schedules less matches on Saturdays, they could average around 35000.
I'd be interested if anyone could let me know who is responsible for the overall scheduling of matches. I know that 9 get to choose the Friday and Sunday matches of the round, but is it the NRL or Fox who decides when the other games are played?
It never ceases to amaze me how often the scheduling gets stuffed up. For example, the Knights have been scheduled on Saturday night a number of times this year, despite the fact that they nearly always get a full house on Sunday. Surely the NRL should look to maximise crowds by trying to schedule matches to suit individual team's needs.
Compare the NRL to the AFL. The AFL releases its entire season's draw months before the season kicks off, whereas the NRL releases their's only five weeks in advance. It seems to me that most teams have fairly regular kickoff times, as well. In Brisbane, for example, the Lions play all their matches on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, always at the same time. In contrast, the Broncos could be playing in any one of up to five timeslots. It's little wonder that the AFL is so far ahead of league in crowd figures.