Where the NRL does it better....

[Cheer Squad]

Gladiators more like invisible men | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25578246-12270,00.html)

In this article Patrick Smith inadvertently draws attention to something the NRL handles much better than the AFL. It's the difference in attitude between the codes about using marquee games for promotional purposes.

It's pretty obvious the NRL community does not feel threatened by occasionally sending the State Of Origin away from it's tradtional heartlands in NSW and QLD. I doubt they'd agonise over occasionally sending the Grand Final to Melbourne either if they thought it would help promote the game in Victoria.

Compare that with how precious many in the AFL community are about the prospect of occasionally sending the Anzac Day match, or - gasp - the Grand Final, interstate. To Sydney of all places! You only need to read some of the comments on here to see how much the idea seems to threaten many AFL people. And despite Patrick's claim that Melbourne was indifferent to State of Origin, last night's crowd of 50,967 was excellent.

Maybe it's Sydney's persistent indifference to AFL that really threatens people.

[Pace To Burn]

Gladiators more like invisible men | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25578246-12270,00.html)

In this article Patrick Smith inadvertently draws attention to something the NRL handles much better than the AFL. It's the difference in attitude between the codes about using marquee games for promotional purposes.

It's pretty obvious the NRL community does not feel threatened by occasionally sending the State Of Origin away from it's tradtional heartlands in NSW and QLD. I doubt they'd agonise over occasionally sending the Grand Final to Melbourne either if they thought it would help promote the game in Victoria.
Compare that with how precious many in the AFL community are about the prospect of occasionally sending the Anzac Day match, or - gasp - the Grand Final, interstate. To Sydney of all places! You only need to read some of the comments on here to see how much the idea seems to threaten many AFL people. And despite Patrick's claim that Melbourne was indifferent to State of Origin, last night's crowd of 50,967 was excellent.

Maybe it's Sydney's persistent indifference to AFL that really threatens people.

Theres no way a Grand Final would ever be played in Melb. They get crowds twice as big every week in Brisbane compared to Sydney and they still havent sent it there yet. The differance with this is that origin is the pinnacle of league and as such there would have been a fair percentage in the crowd last night that travelled from Nsw and Qld and made a trip out of it. Also everyone knows that people in Melb would turn up to watch two cows run around on a field if it was advertised,so its not a risk for the Arl, totaly diff up here you wouldnt sell out Telstra for an Anzac Day match.

[goswannie14]

Theres no way a Grand Final would ever be played in Melb. They get crowds twice as big every week in Brisbane compared to Sydney and they still havent sent it there yet. The differance with this is that origin is the pinnacle of league and as such there would have been a fair percentage in the crowd last night that travelled from Nsw and Qld and made a trip out of it. Also everyone knows that people in Melb would turn up to watch two cows run around on a field if it was advertised,so its not a risk for the Arl, totaly diff up here you wouldnt sell out Telstra for an Anzac Day match.They do it for one, it's called "Cow-pat lotto".

[Wardy]

This old chestnut again??? :rolleyes: The crowd was about 70% who travelled from NSW & QLD - they made the trip for the experience - exactly like people from all over the country travel to MCG in Melbourne for the AFL grand final (should they be lucky enough to secure a ticket). Melbourne has the 2 best stadiums in the country that can cater for every sport,they have excellent facilities and (in the MCG's case) have the greatest crowd capacity. This continual "hope" that the AFL grandfinal will be staged in another state is fanciful - until other states can provide a stadium that can hold 100,000 plus - it will remain in the games spiritual home. Keep on dreaming - you may have a chance after 2032 (only 23 years to go!!!), but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Cheer Squad]

We can't afford to have rugby league lose a major fight | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25588468-12270,00.html)

From Patrick's follow-up article:

"...it is beyond dispute that every time an Origin match is played outside of Queensland or NSW it is a significant spiritual loss to the home markets."

Wrong, Patrick. It's not a loss of any kind. You don't understand the psyche of people in Sydney and Brisbane. We're relaxed about sending marquee events like State of Origin into non-traditional markets. We're not precious about it.

To describe sharing a marquee event as a "loss" is a Freudian slip - an insight into what many Melbourne people really think about the expansion of the VFL into a national competition.

[Cheer Squad]

...I wouldn't hold my breath.

You'd do us all a favour if you did...

[Wardy]

You'd do us all a favour if you did...

is that the best you can do??? deary me...........I'm so scared!!!!!:D