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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/meet-the-invisibles/story-e6frfgbo-1225939591064
Meet the Invisibles
Kangaroos team ... Only 6,000 fans have purchased tickets to see the Kangaroos play PNG. Picture: Cameron Richardson Source: The Sunday Telegraph
IN 1982, Kangaroos coach Frank Stanton tagged the undefeated Australian team "The Invincibles".
Now, 28 years later, the Australian team are in danger of becoming The Invisibles.
The Sunday Telegraph has learned that just 6000 tickets have been sold for Australia's opening clash of the Four Nations tournament against Papua New Guinea at Parramatta Stadium next Sunday.
Capacity at the ground is 22,000 and the match is Sydney's only chance to see the Kangaroos play in the competition. They face England in Melbourne and the Kiwis in New Zealand and the final is at Suncorp Stadium.
Despite the chance to watch captain Darren Lockyer further his claims to become an Immortal, or witness first-hand the wizardry of Billy Slater and the passion Paul Gallen has for the green and gold jersey, only a small section of league fans seem prepared to support their national team.
Yesterday, at an open training session at Parramatta's home ground, just over 100 fans showed up.
Yet National Rugby League and Australian Rugby League officials are refusing to panic.
They claim the decision to showcase the Kangaroos at Parramatta - instead of Homebush or the SFS - co-incided with the call to stage a curtain-raiser between Samoa and Tonga next Sunday.
"It's hard to say how many [spectators] we'll get, but we're certainly below where we'd want to be at the moment," NRL director of commercial and marketing Paul Kind said.
"We certainly would have liked to have been ahead of 10,000, and we're not.
"But Tonga and Samoa brought 11,000 on their own in the World Cup, so we remain confident.
"The whole purpose of playing at Parramatta - with three teams from the Pacific Islands and the Kangaroos - was to show the support of the cultural diversity to western Sydney and the idea of turning this Sunday afternoon into a celebration of the game out there.
"We're hopeful fans will respond to the fact the Kangaroos are playing their only game in Sydney."
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr also said the next seven days would clearly indicate the interest levels in the Four Nations tournament.
"I think the game is just starting to get some attention because obviously the people of Sydney have been consumed with the all-Sydney grand final," Carr said.
"What we've discovered with the Pacific nations playing out west in the past is that there is not a lot of people that pre-buy.
"I'm sure that there will be a good crowd."
Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens added yesterday: "The idea [to play only one game in Sydney] is obviously for New Zealand, who are playing three games at home.
"That's obviously set up to try to push plenty of rugby league into New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup [next year].
"I think there'll be a good crowd here."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/meet-the-invisibles/story-e6frfgbo-1225939591064
Meet the Invisibles
- David Riccio
- From: The Sunday Telegraph
- October 17, 2010 12:01AM
Kangaroos team ... Only 6,000 fans have purchased tickets to see the Kangaroos play PNG. Picture: Cameron Richardson Source: The Sunday Telegraph
IN 1982, Kangaroos coach Frank Stanton tagged the undefeated Australian team "The Invincibles".
Now, 28 years later, the Australian team are in danger of becoming The Invisibles.
The Sunday Telegraph has learned that just 6000 tickets have been sold for Australia's opening clash of the Four Nations tournament against Papua New Guinea at Parramatta Stadium next Sunday.
Capacity at the ground is 22,000 and the match is Sydney's only chance to see the Kangaroos play in the competition. They face England in Melbourne and the Kiwis in New Zealand and the final is at Suncorp Stadium.
Despite the chance to watch captain Darren Lockyer further his claims to become an Immortal, or witness first-hand the wizardry of Billy Slater and the passion Paul Gallen has for the green and gold jersey, only a small section of league fans seem prepared to support their national team.
Yesterday, at an open training session at Parramatta's home ground, just over 100 fans showed up.
Yet National Rugby League and Australian Rugby League officials are refusing to panic.
They claim the decision to showcase the Kangaroos at Parramatta - instead of Homebush or the SFS - co-incided with the call to stage a curtain-raiser between Samoa and Tonga next Sunday.
"It's hard to say how many [spectators] we'll get, but we're certainly below where we'd want to be at the moment," NRL director of commercial and marketing Paul Kind said.
"We certainly would have liked to have been ahead of 10,000, and we're not.
"But Tonga and Samoa brought 11,000 on their own in the World Cup, so we remain confident.
"The whole purpose of playing at Parramatta - with three teams from the Pacific Islands and the Kangaroos - was to show the support of the cultural diversity to western Sydney and the idea of turning this Sunday afternoon into a celebration of the game out there.
"We're hopeful fans will respond to the fact the Kangaroos are playing their only game in Sydney."
ARL chief executive Geoff Carr also said the next seven days would clearly indicate the interest levels in the Four Nations tournament.
"I think the game is just starting to get some attention because obviously the people of Sydney have been consumed with the all-Sydney grand final," Carr said.
"What we've discovered with the Pacific nations playing out west in the past is that there is not a lot of people that pre-buy.
"I'm sure that there will be a good crowd."
Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens added yesterday: "The idea [to play only one game in Sydney] is obviously for New Zealand, who are playing three games at home.
"That's obviously set up to try to push plenty of rugby league into New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup [next year].
"I think there'll be a good crowd here."
