The Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports Radio interviewed Callan Ward this morning - they kept referring to the match as the 'Battle for the Bridges' which made me chuckle. People don't seem to know what bridge/s we are even battling for, nor how many....
They may be a manufactured team and I suspect they will take a long time to take root but, for now at least, I like them and I'm glad they're here. They are an exciting team to watch and they've got grit as well as flash. I love Callan Ward, Jezza and that Mummy bloke goes ok too. And I rejoice in seeing them stick it up the Victorian teams, indeed most of the other teams in the comp.
I think even if they win one or more premierships in the years ahead (which will certainly help) it will be the efforts at the grassroots level that will see them flourish or wither in the longer term. A premiership might see some people jump on the bandwagon while the ride is fun, and a few would stay on beyond, it is teaching the people of western Sydney to understand and appreciate the game that will do it. So developing the talent in the area as well as community engagement seem vital to me. And from what I'm seeing people post on RWO (possibly not the most reliable guide in this instance) they have a way to go to get better at this. You have to remember they are coming from a long way back compared to soccer where the game is familiar, people already know the rules and it is the world game - in an area with huge cultural diversity and a lot of 1st and 2nd generation Australians who will naturally gravitate more readily to what they know. If they can develop some superstars from the local multicultural communities that, I think, will auger well for their future much more than a premiership.
I can't see them relocating to Canberra - the market of Western Sydney is just so much bigger - and they already get the benefits of playing a few home games there. Not even Tassie has been able to get its own team - and that's a whole State full of passionate Aussie rules followers.
Incidentally, I too hate the name 'Battle of the Bridge'. What's more it seems stupid that the 'Bridge' being referred to is the one I think of as the Glebe Island Bridge when it's a different Bridge that Sydney is famous for - never mind that Swans fans come from all over and not one side of the Bridge. Why not just call it the derby? I know that's what they call it in WA but so what - it's a common term for when two sides from the same city play each other the world over. Anyway, we could pronounce it 'DARBY' instead of 'DERBY' as it seems they do in WA for some reason.
I don't know why I'm posting this in a thread about Gary Rohan (you champ!) but I'm not sure where else to put it.
I love Gazza saying of him and BJ "We�ve both been trying to put in a bit of excitement into the team.� Is he giving everyone else a bit of a wind up?!
I'd like Canberra to get our own team, not just a GWS relocation from that project failing. I want it to succeed up there and I think it will.
The new TV deal proves the expansion's worth, and the Giants will be fine. They currently get about 5m in extra money a year which will wind up soon. It's not a huge gulf to bridge. Their stadium breakeven is 7000 people, they have the naming rights income from two stadiums, an attractive sponsorship presence in the largest city in the country. Their target market is 2 million people of which they need maybe 1%. A pretty good set of fundamentals to run them on a modest financial basis.
Hope we smash them.
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