Two ANZAC Day games

[Diesel]

since 2010 the NRL has had two ANZAC Day games yet one game gets ignored more often.

FTA TV coverage on all channels, newspapers and to a lesser degree the NRL talk about the ANZAC Day game in Sydney. The Melbourne game doesn't get the press it deserves.

The Sydney game is referred to as the traditional game however it's hardly traditional when it only started in 2002.

Is this typical of a Sydney centric competition and media or is the other game less important?

 

[Clifferd]

You would think the Melb v NZ should be the traditional game...you know, because one of the teams actually represents NZ v an Australian team

Should be a game in Brisbane or Canberra aswell imo

 

[The Mad Hatter]

since 2010 the NRL has had two ANZAC Day games yet one game gets ignored more often.

FTA TV coverage on all channels, newspapers and to a lesser degree the NRL talk about the ANZAC Day game in Sydney. The Melbourne game doesn't get the press it deserves.

The Sydney game is referred to as the traditional game however it's hardly traditional when it only started in 2002.

Is this typical of a Sydney centric competition and media or is the other game less important?

Not all of this was always true.

It's only recently FTA coverage was guaranteed.

And sure, only started in 2002, but traditions have to start somewhere. Build it and they will come...and that's exactly what has occurred.

The Melbourne game is playing catch up and building up too.

The media has always been Sydney centric. If you have a problem with it, write your local paper a letter or start a reasonable online petition to have them improve their reporting.

 

[Desert Qlder]

Going to the Melbourne game was always a highlight for me. Brilliant experience.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Does the Melb media talk up the NRL game in Melb today?

Going to assume no.... Too much circle jerking over the game at the "G"..

 

[TheDalek079]

Easts V St Merge is a highlight of the season and a way for the league to pay respect to ANZAC. It has become a traditional fixture in our code played out in front of large, 30k+ crowds in recent seasons.

Salary Cap cheats V Vodafone is designed to get a few fumbleball fans to attend after attending a fumbleball game

 

[Last Week]

Why not play a whole round on ANZAC day? Every game with a simultaneous kick off at 3pm..

 

[Diesel]

Why not play a whole round on ANZAC day? Every game with a simultaneous kick off at 3pm..

Could you imagine ch9's conundrum, wanting to show the Broncos game when there is a Roosters/Dragons game at the same time. Broncos v Dragoosters and ANZAC Day is moved to Friday

 

[Nuke]

I kinda miss the days when you'd be at a game and over the PA you'd get score updates from the other game/s taking place at the same time.

In the early-mid 1990s, hearing someone like Penrith had taken the lead 14-12 over Manly with 10mins to go at Brookvale, while sitting on the hill at Marathon Stadium always got a decent cheer even if ('when' in those days!) the Knights were up and playing well. I suppose with mobile phones being what they are these days, even if games were played simultaneously, any ground announcement like that wouldn't be met with the same response as everyone would know already.

 

[veggiepatch1959]

Does the Melb media talk up the NRL game in Melb today?

Going to assume no.... Too much circle jerking over the game at the "G"..

I don't know about The Age but the Herald Sun has about 8-10 pages of AFL on a Monday and maybe 1/8 of a page about the Storm game and nothing else.

Maybe Melbourne should have a second team instead of Brisbane (ha f**king ha!). The media coverage would have to increase in the same way AFL's media coverage increased when GWS joined the Swans as the second Sydney AFL side.

Just saying.............

 

[Meth]

You would think the Melb v NZ should be the traditional game...you know, because one of the teams actually represents NZ v an Australian team

Should be a game in Brisbane or Canberra aswell imo

Last year, the Warriors were a disgrace and it was particularly difficult to take as it was tied to the ANZAC spirit, of which we had none.

I'm not really sure a club competition needs to have an ANZAC fixture. The Kiwi captain is playing for the 'Australian' team and we have a couple of Aussies in our team. We have the ANZAC Test...this is just overkill.

Rugby League on a public holiday is great though

 

[wittyfan]

I thought the 3 games on Anzac Day they had in 2015 worked well.

 

[T-Boon]

The NRL needs to outdo the AFL here and have not one but three female servicewomen do the national anthem. Preferably at least one aboriginal service woman.

 

[Meth]

ANZAC promo involving Bellamy, McGregor, Robinson and......Ricky Stuart. FFS

 

[The Mad Hatter]

To be honest, Australia and NZ should be playing the Test on ANZAC Day but that ship has sailed.

 

[Diesel]

I kinda miss the days when you'd be at a game and over the PA you'd get score updates from the other game/s taking place at the same time.

In the early-mid 1990s, hearing someone like Penrith had taken the lead 14-12 over Manly with 10mins to go at Brookvale, while sitting on the hill at Marathon Stadium always got a decent cheer even if ('when' in those days!) the Knights were up and playing well. I suppose with mobile phones being what they are these days, even if games were played simultaneously, any ground announcement like that wouldn't be met with the same response as everyone would know already.

Haven't been to a Saturday game in ages, do they announce previous scores at the 5:30 or 7:30 games?

 

[Diesel]

I thought the 3 games on Anzac Day they had in 2015 worked well.

IIRC it was 5 games

 

[Spanner in the works]

I'd like to see a game played in PNG every year. Kokoda, Milne Bay, etc etc.

 

[Captain Apollo]

IIRC it was 5 games

It was 5 games, namely:

Newcastle v North Qld in Newcastle (Cowboys won 26-24, crowd 15,518);
NZ Warriors v Gold Coast at Mt Smart (Titan won 32-28, crowd 15,102);
Melbourne v Manly at AAMI Park (Manly won 12-10, crowd 13,948);
Brisbane v Parramatta at Suncorp (Broncos won 28-16, crowd 34,398); and
Sydney Roostesr v St-George Illawarra (Dragons won 14-12, crowd 35,110).

That year Anzac day fell on a Saturday.

When you look at the crowd figures, it shows not great crowds for 3/5 games, in fact they would be on par with regualr games played at other times of the season. Quite frankly I don't think it "worked" that well that year, in my opinion.

 

[Prometheus]

Being in the heart of Aussie Rules territory, the Melbourne game will never get the attention that the Sydney game does. Especially since the AFL has its own ANZAC Day game going on.