Taking games to the bush are far from an issue. Honestly, if you expect incredible crowds then you're nothing short of delusional. These games still pull crowds bigger than some; few but still some, regular home games. It's hard for these places to sell out because while rugby league is still quite entrenched, its growth can only be so much and unfortunately, without a team to follow, it's popularity isn't going to be at the level people like you, Bunniesman, expect it to be.
Furthermore, I'm confident a team like the Cowboys playing instead of South Sydney vs Newcastle would have pulled a better crowd. I have family up there and they're Cowboys/Broncos fans and only one went because he's a Newcastle supporter.
Taking games to the bush is far from an idea that needs to be scrapped. It needs to be marketed better and having the right teams there to attract the crowds. Unfortunately for Souths and Newcastle, they're not clubs that are going to attract a sell out crowd and I would highly recommend Souths, if they want to persist with the a fixture in Cairns, to do so against the Cowboys or even Broncos, not a team from out of state.
