Wasn't the Dragons vs Roosters game originally a 3pm kickoff?
I think they only moved it to 4pm a couple of years ago, and since then the crowds have been well up .. this year was 41,000 and last year was 39,000 or thereabouts.
It is funny that the A-League spoke of the success of getting 42,000 to a Grand Final between a Sydney team and Central Coast, whereas NRL quietly went about getting just about the same to a Round 7 match.
Whilst we got pummelled this year, the atmosphere was outstanding ... to be honest, I think there is now something special about the game (not just for the two clubs, but for the whole competition).
Warriors playing was a great idea too, and I guess Melbourne was the team quick enough to organise it. Personally I think Raiders vs Warriors, alternating between playing in Canberra and Auckland, would have been an even better idea .. but such is life.
Playing a 3rd game dilutes those two somewhat IMO. This year was the first time the AFL played a second game on Anzac Day, and they run a big risk if they want to play a 3rd next year too. As with Roosters vs Dragons, there is something special about Magpies vs Bombers (even moreso as it's been going for longer) .. it both detracts from that event as a major spectacle and detracts from what ANZAC day is really about to start playing more and more sports games on the day.
