Tadhg Kennelly on ABC radio before the last game against Richmond said that playing on ANZ Stadium is like playing 6 quarters of footy, it's that draining on your legs. He also mentioned during the game that with the Swans playing consecutive games there that if they lose to Freo they will probably not make the Grand Final.
Maybe playing 3 games in four weeks at the @@@@@@ heap was a small reason for looking so flat in the grand final.
It might be interesting to check how we have fared in the past after playing there.
The sooner we leave that ground the better.
ANZ is a superb venue, and anyone who witnessed the preliminary final this year, would testify to that. Schedule planning to avoid AFL straight after league games is the key.
ANZ v Moore park is a classic sydney contest. The blue bloods dont want any tax payers money "wasted" out west. Fact is, most marginal seats are out west, so thats where the money is starting to go these days.
As far as ANZ plans, the are aiming high and expecting low. They want a roof, retractable end stands, and restaurant precinct.
They will get, a roof, and a gradual build up of entertainment options around the ground.
A roof will be AWESOME.
Interesting admission from the power brokers that Homebush is broken. And that the taxpayers need to fork out to try to fix a privately run business. Did taxpayers fork out for the new SCG stand? (Not sure) I don't like Homebush but does a roof and more turf damaged by rolling stands help? What next? Air-con? Soft. Personally in these times of "budget emergency" (not) I'd rather the money went to public transport or social services.
I agree- I'm pretty ropable as a taxpayer that they want basically 2/3rds of the funding from the Government for the project. As good as a roof on ANZ could be, why should taxpayers be forking out for it in all honesty when, despite it being a crap venue in the large part for AFL, it still is a pretty high quality stadium compared to some of the rest . A lot of better things for the Government to spend the money on - let the private sector fund it, if there is a genuine return on the investment, they'll soon find the money.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
Dave Smith and the NRL are lobbying the State Government to build a new rectangle stadium at Moore Park to hold 65,000. They are also lobbying for an upgrade of Parramatta Stadium to hold 40,000. This is in today's Daily Telegraph.
If the State Government backs the Dave Smith plan then ANZ will be doomed.
Sydney certainly is the best example of shelling out good money on poor stadia.
A host of rl suburban grounds, RU, SFS next to the SCG and ANZ.
Now they want to throw more money at an under utilised and sufficiently large SFS.
They want to throw even more money at an over utilised but poorly supported vacuous ANZ stadium that has less good viewing seats than the SCG.
Wait a while and the case for a better WS stadium will probably disappear as well.
You'd have better chance of GWS becoming a powerhouse and providing a return on ANZ.
give it to the game
Interesting analysis by Tadhg. Gives weight to this stat: since 2004 the Swans have played 7 finals games at Homebush where they went on to play the next final game the very next week. And their record for those 7 succeeding games played one week later? 6 losses and just one win, being the 2012 Grannie.
Umm. 2005 ring a bell?
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