The Roosters and Bulldogs game only attracted 12,854 fans even when tickets were sold for 80 cents
PAUL CRAWLEY
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
APRIL 04, 2014 9:44PM
TWO decades back 12,854 might have been a decent crowd for a Roosters match.
They used to do cartwheels back then when family and friends turned up to watch them play.
But in 2014 they are the reigning premiers.
Youd think a crowd of 12,854 hardly justifies a success for what was supposed to be the biggest game of the NRL round.
Sonny Bill Williams taking on his old club the Bulldogs.
Even allowing for the rain last night, you tell me, does the NRL have a problem?
Last week the Roosters pulled under 15,000 for the grand final rematch against Manly.
The Roosters have that many official members.
And dont forget, leading into the game last night they were selling tickets for 80 cents as part of the Heritage Round promotion.
The NRL was obviously desperate for a big turn up.
Sonny Bill Williams even did a press conference on Monday to promote the match.
Sonny Bill hates doing media.
It was the first time the superstar backrower had spoken to us all season.
And 12,854 people turned up to watch the NRLs Friday night main event.
It was a poor crowd by any standards, regardless of the weather, and the NRL would have to be worried today.
At the start of the season NRL types tried to downplay all the negative coverage that exploded after the opening round delivered the lowest crowds in a decade.
They said at the time it was due to a complex opening round schedule, and they were confident it would improve as the season rolled on.
But heading into round five, all across the NRL, the crowds were still down 12.6 per cent on this time last year.
That is a massive drop.
After four rounds the average crowds were 16,000 for the year.
Last year they were 18,300 at this point.
Thats on average.
At the start of last year Dave Smith walked in on a billion dollar TV deal that had basically been signed off on before he even sat down in his chair.
Its a good thing the game isnt negotiating the TV deal today because they might struggle to pull the same coin, if the crowds and TV ratings are anything to go by.
All season there has been a little war going on behind the scenes between the clubs and the media over access to star players.
You cant help but wonder if that has something to do with what we are seeing now, has it backfired on the game?
Or is it the costs causing reluctance from fans?
Are fans just off footy?
Because make no mistake, the contest on the field is not the problem.
Some of the games this year have been as good as weve ever seen.
Theres been upsets galore, the comp is the most even it has been for years.
Last nights cliffhanger was another example of that.
It was 8-all at halftime with a try apiece _ and it stayed that way for the majority of the second half before Josh Reynolds landed the match winning field goal in the dying minutes.
It was a mighty effort from both teams in tough conditions.
Desperate, drama charged.
And a brave 9-8 victory for the Dogs.
So the players are doing their job on the field - but off the field is where the problem is.
And we cant always be blaming it on the rain.
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