Magic Weekend 2019 - Suncorp

[Lambretta]

TV contracts say they must

But I thought stadiums couldnt handle more than 2 games a weekend

Then the whole concept is a f**king waste of time
The reason Magic works in the UK is that they make an event out of it - a two day festival where the majority of fans turn up for more than one game and there is a party atmosphere

If they have one game on a Thursday, who is turning up for that?
Imagine Penrith v Melbourne in Brisbane on a Thursday night. What sort of f**king attendance will there be? A few hundred? Or are they planning on having the Broncos play Thursday and Friday, the Cowboys on Saturday and the Queensland State Team on the Sunday?

It's the only way they'll get crowds

Done right, this is a great idea
Done wrong and it's a bloody disaster

 

[T-Boon]

If they have one game on a Thursday, who is turning up for that?
Imagine Penrith v Melbourne in Brisbane on a Thursday night. What sort of f**king attendance will there be? A few hundred? Or are they planning on having the Broncos play Thursday and Friday, the Cowboys on Saturday and the Queensland State Team on the Sunday?

I would have the Thursday night game elsewhere in Brisbane (where is the next best stadium?)or even on the GC and I would make it a double header with the 2019 womens state of origin or a womens test match and make it compulsory for all clubs to send their full contingent.

 

[Lambretta]

I would have the Thursday night game elsewhere in Brisbane (where is the next best stadium?)or even on the GC and I would make it a double header with the 2019 womens state of origin or a womens test match and make it compulsory for all clubs to send their full contingent.

That's not a bad idea - play it on the Gold Coast and have the unemployed Kiwi scaffolders XIII up against the Drongo Aussie pissheads as an opener

It's a festival of fun that all the kiddies can get behind. Start it at midday and give free entry and a can of XXXX Gold to anyone who should actually be at school.

..........But seriously, I do like the idea. They could actually play the under 21's Origin (is that still a thing, now the Holden Cup has gone?), then a Womens International followed by an NRL game featuring the Titans. Make it an actual event.

Also means the Gold Coast won't stink up the actual festival with their utter garbage
So we can make Parramatta play them and everyone's a winner

 

[Hoofhearted]

I look on with amusement at some of the negative posts to the concept, I'm sure some of the concerns are genuine but it seems that the first reflex reaction to anything done by the NRL by some people is to find the negative.
To be honest I didn't and wont even think about any negatives, our first reaction was to get on the phone and start gauging interest with friends about attending. In less than a week we have organised a group of over 30 travelling from all corners of the country to spend a weekend in Brisbane, all because each one of us will at some stage be able to see our own team. Plus we have over a year to save up for it.
On top of this I know of two separate groups of people over here (WA) that have started planning and putting away money in order to attend, and they are all AFL fans.
Seriously you can all come up with whatever scenario you want to whinge about, all I am thinking about are three things, Footy, Beer and catching up with mates.

 

[Perth Red]

Nrl wants to create a number of big events through the year that raise significant income from hosting rights. It also gives it something to sell,state govts to get good deals for the game like the recent Melbourne announcement.
Brisbane did a good job hosting the RLWC and I can see a similiar fans buzz around the city for this. I’d fly in for a long weekend for it.

 

[M2D2]

"To be honest I didn't and wont even think about any negatives"
Denial is a hellava drug.

 

[adamkungl]

Brisbane did a good job hosting the RLWC

haha what
There were 40,000 unsold tickets across the 2 biggest games of the tournament.

The only day that will sell well for this half-baked idea is the one featuring the Broncos.

 

[Perth Red]

haha what
There were 40,000 unsold tickets across the 2 biggest games of the tournament.

The only day that will sell well for this half-baked idea is the one featuring the Broncos.

I meant in terms of the buzz around the city, the fanzone in the city with the bar and bands, the advertising around the city centre etc. the fact Australian fans were too lazy or tight arsed to go wasn’t the hosting cities fault.

Stallion keeps telling us every sydney teams has millions of fans around the country, now is their chance to shine lol

 

[adamkungl]

the fact Australian fans were too lazy or tight arsed to go wasn’t the hosting cities fault.

It's probably the fans within that city's fault though.

 

[Captain Apollo]

I went to magic weekend in 2015 up in Newcastle. It was great with all the supporters coming together for a celebration of rugby league. I would normally get behimd Leeds but met a group of Castleford fans who were a great laugh so got behind them v Wakefield.
What makes it such a success however is the fact that it's a 2 hour train from Leeds to Newcastle.
How long would it take by train to get from Sydney to Brisbane?

Sydney to Brisbane by train takes a bit over 14 hours. There is only 1 direct train service from Sydney to Brisbane per day (and it arrives in Brisbane just prior to 5.00 am). Cost ranges from $130 (economy) to $271 (sleeper) for a one way ticket for an adult.

Travelling by air will be slightly cheaper, but you are still looking at a couple of hundred dollars per person round trip if you book early enough.

Obviously the cost will be higher and trip longer for those travelling from places like Canberra or Melbourne.

Driving from Sydney to Brisbane? You'd be looking at 14-16 hours as some of the North Coast roads are amongst the worst in the country, with it being 1 lane each way in many places.

I won't go into accommodation costs as they can vary from anywhere as $50/day to upwards of $400/day depending on where you book. Mind you that is often per room as opposed to per person.

Hence you will only get people who are reasonably well off being able to afford to travel for this event from those who are non-Brisbane based season ticket holders. Hence if Queenslanders don't turn out in numbers for the non-Qld based teams, it will flop big time as you just won't get as many people travelling for it as you might think.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I’m going to enjoy bumping this thread when it’s a big success and all the doomsdayers have egg on their face.

And with regards to other expansion markets- absolutely that should be the future. But you want the first one to work, to create momentum for future Magic Weekends.

Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland should all be in the conversation in the future regarding this event.

I guarrantee if AFL moved a whole round to Sydney that they’d be considered visionaries and that it would be th death of rugby league. But the NRL does it and everyone is up in arms that 5 of the 100 games per year in Sydney might be moved

I agree with you and I think it would be a success. I just think we should have done it in Melbourne and flood the city annually with RL fans - it would make a big impact and get new fans in. I would hold it at Docklands in round 1 or 2 before the AFL comp kicks off to get maximum exposure and un-hindered access to the stadium.

 

[T-Boon]

Seriously you can all come up with whatever scenario you want to whinge about, all I am thinking about are three things, Footy, Beer and catching up with mates.

Totally. Heaps of my old university mates live in Brisbane. I think we will have a group of about 15 not counting anyones family who in my opinion are not invited.

 

[T-Boon]

Hence you will only get people who are reasonably well off being able to afford to travel for this event from those who are non-Brisbane based season ticket holders. Hence if Queenslanders don't turn out in numbers for the non-Qld based teams, it will flop big time as you just won't get as many people travelling for it as you might think.

It isn't going to appeal to out of town'ers who want to go to the footy with their family. But under 30s, singles, boys weekend types it could be huge. Some will take the Friday off make it 3 days other will take the Monday off make it 3 days. A day of football and 2 days of theme parks and strip clubs.
There are not that many games in the calendar that people are prepared to travel for, origin being mid week and all.

 

[AJB1102]

Would wanna get their turf sorted

 

[pennywisealfie]

If they have to do this, then it should be in Sydney. Sydney mainly get shit crowds because there's a million teams down there. Combine all the teams fans and you have pretty awesome crowds. With only 7 non Sydney teams in the NRL, it's the only city that makes sense. Especially when Brisbane only has one team yet we only usually just get above 30k to a game.

Non-Broncos games won't sell any more than what they would have if the matches were played at their regular venues.

 

[Saxon]

So, they are actually going to do it. 8 matches over 3 days at Suncorp.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/17...ound-to-be-staged-in-2019-at-suncorp-stadium/

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Meh. Will wait to see ticket prices/draw before I make up my mind. Seems unnecessary though.

 

[OzDragon]

Would make more sense to have all Sydney teams do this at Allianz or ANZ.

 

[T-Boon]

f**king geniused.


So whose loses home games? Hopefully not sides who already take games to the bush and then there's the issue of that awful playing surface which stuggles to hold up for 1 game a fortnight

A bunch of teams whose fans dont turn up. Parra v Souths got about 5000 fans on thursday. Take that game somewhere else.

 

[T-Boon]

Would make more sense to have all Sydney teams do this at Allianz or ANZ.

Why? so it is doomed to fail. We already know Sydney fans don't turn up because of a multitude of excuses.
The NRL want this to be a successful event.
They would be better off having something in Newcastle than Sydney.