War on the Gold Coast - Suns vs Titans

[Raiderdave]

Every time, Raider! Not just once!

no

just once

[Beaussie]

Poll result on the Daily Telegraph site says it all. The Suns are winning and the Titans are in all sorts of trouble. Will the Titans survive? The signs are not looking good.

Why Titans are getting Sunburnt on the Gold Coast
Phil Rothfield
From:The Daily Telegraph
June 27, 201112:00AM


Who'll win the code war on the Gold Coast?

The Titans and rugby league 22.86% (192 votes)
The Suns and AFL 55.95% (470 votes)
There's room for both codes 21.19% (178 votes)


RUGBY league is in trouble on the Gold Coast, Sports Editor-at-large Phil Rothfield explains.

The team is on the bottom of the ladder, playing dreadfully, and crowds have fallen 25 per cent in recent years.

On Saturday the Titans came up against the Suns AFL team for the first time in a Super Saturday double header and got their backsides smacked. I know because I attended both games.

More than 16,000 showed up at Suns v Western Bulldogs (2.10pm kick-off) and only 12,997 at the Titans v Sharks (5.30pm kick-off) a figure that looked hugely inflated judging by the number of empty seats.

The Suns had the better atmosphere and provided better value-for-money entertainment. Here's how I saw it.

The battleground

From the moment you land at Coolangatta Airport, it's not hard to tell there's a footy war in town.

The pilot announces: "Welcome to the Gold Coast, home of the Jetstar Titans."

A Virgin plane lands as we disembark, with a huge emblem of the Gold Coast Suns on the side.

Inside the airport is a massive advertising poster for the AFL team replacing the one the Titans used to have in exactly the same spot when they first joined the NRL in 2007.

Although the Suns have the biggest sporting names on the Gold Coast in Gary Ablett and Karmichael Hunt, the Titans dominate the media build-up in the Gold Coast Bulletin, scoring the all-important back page and more column centimetres on both Friday and Saturday editions.

Value for money

Tickets are much cheaper for the AFL game.

A child could watch the Suns Western Bulldogs game from as little as $5, adults from $20. The tickets are heavily subsidised by the AFL.

The cheapest seats at the Titans v Sharks (16th on the ladder v 14th on the ladder) were $18 for children and $30 for adults. Family tickets for the Suns game (two adults, two children) start from just $45 but almost double to $82 at the Titans.

That's a lot more than the Sydney-based NRL clubs charge. For example, kids can attend a Roosters game at the SFS for $10 and families for $58.

The cost of food, which the club has no control over, has been a big issue at Titans matches. Reacting to complaints from their fans, the Titans have started hosting a members-only sausage sizzle outside the ground. For $5 you can get a hamburger or sausage sandwich and a drink.

Game day

Both the rugby league and the AFL sides have struggled to be competitive this year and it was certainly the same case on Saturday.

The Titans were spirited for the first half but got smashed by the Paul Gallen-inspired Cronulla Sharks in the second-half. Final score 36-12.

The Suns were never going to win but kept the scoreboard respectable. Final score Western Bulldogs 110-88.

For someone who struggles to watch an entire AFL game, I enjoyed the atmosphere, the skills of Ablett and the chance to see Hunt play. Their new stadium at Carrara is a wonderful facility. Everyone gets a comfortable seat.

I notice more women and families. No queues at the many food outlets, bars and toilets.

Facilities at the Titans' Skilled Park are outstanding too but atmosphere suffers with 16,000 empty seats. The Sharks' supporters group, the Finatics, make more noise than the locals.

If anything, the ground is over-staffed because of the small crowd. It's sure different to suburban footy facilities at the Sydney NRL grounds.

The food prices are basically the same (extremely high) at both venues because the same catering company operates at both grounds.

Investment

The Suns are going to be awfully hard to beat in a long-term war because the AFL is pouring $100 million into the area over the next five years.

The money will be spent on advertising, marketing and a blitz on junior development in rugby league strongholds as far south as Coffs Harbour.

They are not just aiming their business at ex-Victorians on the coast they want to convert rugby league supporters and fans from other sports as well.

While the Suns get $20 million a year from the AFL, the Titans are on their own. I asked NRL boss David Gallop earlier this year if they needed more cash support.

"The Titans don't need propping up, but we are certainly working with them to support marketing, community, development and other opportunities and we will be increasing our investment to meet the challenges ahead." Gallop said.

"The fact is the AFL does have deeper pockets, but sport is about much more than the amount of money you can throw around."

The verdict

In medical parlance, the Titans are not quite in a critical condition but are certainly on the serious list.

The overall state of their finances is the game's best kept secret because they operate under twin companies with their managing director Michael Searle as major shareholder.

Not even the NRL knows how they are travelling financially but often need to provide their grant in advance to ease cash flow issues that come from servicing huge debts from building the Centre of Excellence facility.

In the long term it's hard to understand why the NRL would expand into new areas like Perth or the Central Coast before meeting the daunting challenges on the Gold Coast.

Under the new independent commission, the Melbourne Storm will be heavily subsidised with several million dollars a year because they operate in AFL territory.

The Titans get nothing. They have no Leagues Club. Their average crowd this year has fallen to 16,154.

The NRL can handle the AFL invasion into Sydney's west because they've got the Eels, Panthers, Tigers and the Bulldogs. Benji Marshall, Nathan Hindmarsh, Michael Jennings etc, etc.

But Saturday proved the Titans need help. The AFL has arrived in town and they're playing a strong game.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6082349293

[pussycat]

Gold Coast is performing poorlyat the moment, thers no doubt, as happens to all teams from time to time. Rugby Legue have never attracted big crowds. The Titans ratings, however will still be much higher. It's not unlike the Swans situation, they usually have larger crowds than the Roosters, but the Roosters have never, ever - ever been outrated by SBS repeats.

[Beaussie]

Alarm bells ringing at NRL headquarters.

The rival codes went head-to-head for the first time on the glitter strip yesterday. The Titans have had a five-year headstart on the Suns, but alarm bells should be ringing at NRL headquarters after the AFL emphatically won the battle of the spectators on the Gold Coast.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6081938055

[Raiderdave]

Poll result on the Daily Telegraph site says it all. The Suns are winning and the Titans are in all sorts of trouble. Will the Titans survive? The signs are not looking good.

Why Titans are getting Sunburnt on the Gold Coast
Phil Rothfield
From:The Daily Telegraph
June 27, 201112:00AM


Who'll win the code war on the Gold Coast?

The Titans and rugby league 22.86% (192 votes)
The Suns and AFL 55.95% (470 votes)
There's room for both codes 21.19% (178 votes)


RUGBY league is in trouble on the Gold Coast, Sports Editor-at-large Phil Rothfield explains.

The team is on the bottom of the ladder, playing dreadfully, and crowds have fallen 25 per cent in recent years.

On Saturday the Titans came up against the Suns AFL team for the first time in a Super Saturday double header and got their backsides smacked. I know because I attended both games.

More than 16,000 showed up at Suns v Western Bulldogs (2.10pm kick-off) and only 12,997 at the Titans v Sharks (5.30pm kick-off) a figure that looked hugely inflated judging by the number of empty seats.

The Suns had the better atmosphere and provided better value-for-money entertainment. Here's how I saw it.

The battleground

From the moment you land at Coolangatta Airport, it's not hard to tell there's a footy war in town.

The pilot announces: "Welcome to the Gold Coast, home of the Jetstar Titans."

A Virgin plane lands as we disembark, with a huge emblem of the Gold Coast Suns on the side.

Inside the airport is a massive advertising poster for the AFL team replacing the one the Titans used to have in exactly the same spot when they first joined the NRL in 2007.

Although the Suns have the biggest sporting names on the Gold Coast in Gary Ablett and Karmichael Hunt, the Titans dominate the media build-up in the Gold Coast Bulletin, scoring the all-important back page and more column centimetres on both Friday and Saturday editions.

Value for money

Tickets are much cheaper for the AFL game.

A child could watch the Suns Western Bulldogs game from as little as $5, adults from $20. The tickets are heavily subsidised by the AFL.

The cheapest seats at the Titans v Sharks (16th on the ladder v 14th on the ladder) were $18 for children and $30 for adults. Family tickets for the Suns game (two adults, two children) start from just $45 but almost double to $82 at the Titans.

That's a lot more than the Sydney-based NRL clubs charge. For example, kids can attend a Roosters game at the SFS for $10 and families for $58.

The cost of food, which the club has no control over, has been a big issue at Titans matches. Reacting to complaints from their fans, the Titans have started hosting a members-only sausage sizzle outside the ground. For $5 you can get a hamburger or sausage sandwich and a drink.

Game day

Both the rugby league and the AFL sides have struggled to be competitive this year and it was certainly the same case on Saturday.

The Titans were spirited for the first half but got smashed by the Paul Gallen-inspired Cronulla Sharks in the second-half. Final score 36-12.

The Suns were never going to win but kept the scoreboard respectable. Final score Western Bulldogs 110-88.

For someone who struggles to watch an entire AFL game, I enjoyed the atmosphere, the skills of Ablett and the chance to see Hunt play. Their new stadium at Carrara is a wonderful facility. Everyone gets a comfortable seat.

I notice more women and families. No queues at the many food outlets, bars and toilets.

Facilities at the Titans' Skilled Park are outstanding too but atmosphere suffers with 16,000 empty seats. The Sharks' supporters group, the Finatics, make more noise than the locals.

If anything, the ground is over-staffed because of the small crowd. It's sure different to suburban footy facilities at the Sydney NRL grounds.

The food prices are basically the same (extremely high) at both venues because the same catering company operates at both grounds.

Investment

The Suns are going to be awfully hard to beat in a long-term war because the AFL is pouring $100 million into the area over the next five years.

The money will be spent on advertising, marketing and a blitz on junior development in rugby league strongholds as far south as Coffs Harbour.

They are not just aiming their business at ex-Victorians on the coast they want to convert rugby league supporters and fans from other sports as well.

While the Suns get $20 million a year from the AFL, the Titans are on their own. I asked NRL boss David Gallop earlier this year if they needed more cash support.

"The Titans don't need propping up, but we are certainly working with them to support marketing, community, development and other opportunities and we will be increasing our investment to meet the challenges ahead." Gallop said.

"The fact is the AFL does have deeper pockets, but sport is about much more than the amount of money you can throw around."

The verdict

In medical parlance, the Titans are not quite in a critical condition but are certainly on the serious list.

The overall state of their finances is the game's best kept secret because they operate under twin companies with their managing director Michael Searle as major shareholder.

Not even the NRL knows how they are travelling financially but often need to provide their grant in advance to ease cash flow issues that come from servicing huge debts from building the Centre of Excellence facility.

In the long term it's hard to understand why the NRL would expand into new areas like Perth or the Central Coast before meeting the daunting challenges on the Gold Coast.

Under the new independent commission, the Melbourne Storm will be heavily subsidised with several million dollars a year because they operate in AFL territory.

The Titans get nothing. They have no Leagues Club. Their average crowd this year has fallen to 16,154.

The NRL can handle the AFL invasion into Sydney's west because they've got the Eels, Panthers, Tigers and the Bulldogs. Benji Marshall, Nathan Hindmarsh, Michael Jennings etc, etc.

But Saturday proved the Titans need help. The AFL has arrived in town and they're playing a strong game.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6082349293

if the Suns can manage to beat the Titans first year average

21,489

then they've won the war in year one

21,618 in year two

otherwise

tell your story walking

[Beaussie]

if the Suns can manage to beat the Titans first year average

21,489

then they've won the war in year one

21,618 in year two

otherwise

tell your story walking

One cannot trust NRL official crowd figures. Too much proven fudging of the figures as we saw again on the weekend.

and only 12,997 at the Titans v Sharks (5.30pm kick-off) a figure that looked hugely inflated judging by the number of empty seats.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6082349293

[Raiderdave]

if the Suns can manage to beat the Titans first year average

21,489

then they've won the war in year one

21,618 in year two

otherwise

tell your story walking

One cannot trust NRL official crowd figures. Too much proven fudging of the figures as we saw again on the weekend.

and only 12,997 at the Titans v Sharks (5.30pm kick-off) a figure that looked hugely inflated judging by the number of empty seats.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6082349293

seems its contagious
plenty of empty seats at the suns game too ..... heaps in fact

oh

& I see you failed to highlight these important facts

Tickets are much cheaper for the AFL game.

A child could watch the Suns Western Bulldogs game from as little as $5, adults from $20. The tickets are heavily subsidised by the AFL.

The cheapest seats at the Titans v Sharks (16th on the ladder v 14th on the ladder) were $18 for children and $30 for adults. Family tickets for the Suns game (two adults, two children) start from just $45 but almost double to $82 at the Titans.

my my
another fumbleballer telling
only half the story

[Onions]

Who the fuck said the AFL subsidised seating?? They're actually spending more money, little boy! Where's the NRL spending to compete? Oh yeah, they don't have any to spend whereas the AFL does!!

Who's telling only half the story? You're not even telling a quarter of it!

[Raiderdave]

Who the **** said the AFL subsidised seating?? They're actually spending more money, little boy! Where's the NRL spending to compete? Oh yeah, they don't have any to spend whereas the AFL does!!

Who's telling only half the story? You're not even telling a quarter of it!

ah .... the article

AFL is soooooooo cheap to get into
how else would you explain the crowds

[pussycat]

Intesting article

" The Swans have been swamping the Sydney NRL clubs in attendances for years. Been doing it since the Bloods woke from their slumber in the mid-90s. Even if the NRL clash was a little more mouth-watering than the turgid Roosters against the impotent Knights, it wouldn’t have come close to the numbers at the Cricket Ground.

Where the game is really played, where the money is made, is where the Swans are getting killed.

Just 49,000 Sydneysiders bothered to watch the game on television. That’s 49,000 with no caveats. No Fox Sports live coverage, nor 7mate. 49,000, total. Quite frankly numbers like those are not worthy of mainstream free-to-air television. Seven News was slaughtered. Because of the AFL.

Not all of it is the doing of the television behemoth that is NRL. More people watched netball on Ten, while the day before saw more people watched bowls on ABC1 than Ten/OneHD’s Saturday afternoon AFL clash. If there wasn’t a watertight contract in place, the AFL simply wouldn’t have been on Seven yesterday.

Back in the day it was easy to poke fun when the Swans on occasion were out-rated by Iron Chef. Remember? The irony is in those days a figure of 130,000 would have caused enough alarm for emergency 9am board meetings.

Just think about yesterday’s numbers for a moment. Of the entire Sydney population interested in yesterday’s game, 40 percent were inside the SCG. The dip is astounding.

What does it matter, a record TV deal has already been done, you say? Yes, with the new television deal, Sydney’s atomic TV ratings won’t matter. With $1.25 billion on the way, no club is going broke for a long, long time, and no child entering school shall be without an AFL sponsored lunch box until they complete their HSC.

However, there is a bigger picture here - Western Sydney.

The Swans have been an established brand in the harbour city for nearly thirty years. If we take yesterday’s figures – relatively consistent over the last 12 months I might add - as the sample size, just 2 per cent of Sydney cares enough to invest three hours a week in them.

Seriously, what hope does this give GWS? When they are handed their inevitable early thrashings the media berate them, as the Gold Coast Suns know only to well. Easy, lazy stories, ill-informed too, yet destructive nonetheless.

The new club will enter the competition under a new arrangement which means exactly zero of their games will appear on mainstream free-to-air television. For a decade the heavies at AFL house played their hand hard. Every game involving a local team in the fledgling markets had to be on free-to-air at a decent time. It has been a disaster. Even the unyielding Andrew Demetriou, a man who you fancy would buy ten bingo cards at the RSL just to get the edge on the old ladies, knew he had to fold.

Sure, some games in Sydney will be aired on the diminutive 7mate, while every AFL match will be available live on subscription television, but try convincing the marginal western Sydney socio-economic group to shell out a minimum 80 bucks a month when we are about to enter the Carbon Tax era.

Not exactly a rails run for a new club in a niche sport.

There is a group in Sydney that is madly-in-love-with-AFL-lets-move-in-then-get-married-and-get-old-together. The problem is no-one else in town seems to want to dance or flirt with the sport. They don’t even want to be friends with it.

If Sydney was a giant party, AFL is the couple in corner that’s lost in each other’s eyes while everyone else is ignoring them out of resent or embarrassment for them." the punch

[Raiderdave]

Intesting article

" The Swans have been swamping the Sydney NRL clubs in attendances for years. Been doing it since the Bloods woke from their slumber in the mid-90s. Even if the NRL clash was a little more mouth-watering than the turgid Roosters against the impotent Knights, it wouldn’t have come close to the numbers at the Cricket Ground.

Where the game is really played, where the money is made, is where the Swans are getting killed.

Just 49,000 Sydneysiders bothered to watch the game on television. That’s 49,000 with no caveats. No Fox Sports live coverage, nor 7mate. 49,000, total. Quite frankly numbers like those are not worthy of mainstream free-to-air television. Seven News was slaughtered. Because of the AFL.

Not all of it is the doing of the television behemoth that is NRL. More people watched netball on Ten, while the day before saw more people watched bowls on ABC1 than Ten/OneHD’s Saturday afternoon AFL clash. If there wasn’t a watertight contract in place, the AFL simply wouldn’t have been on Seven yesterday.

Back in the day it was easy to poke fun when the Swans on occasion were out-rated by Iron Chef. Remember? The irony is in those days a figure of 130,000 would have caused enough alarm for emergency 9am board meetings.

Just think about yesterday’s numbers for a moment. Of the entire Sydney population interested in yesterday’s game, 40 percent were inside the SCG. The dip is astounding.

What does it matter, a record TV deal has already been done, you say? Yes, with the new television deal, Sydney’s atomic TV ratings won’t matter. With $1.25 billion on the way, no club is going broke for a long, long time, and no child entering school shall be without an AFL sponsored lunch box until they complete their HSC.

However, there is a bigger picture here - Western Sydney.

The Swans have been an established brand in the harbour city for nearly thirty years. If we take yesterday’s figures – relatively consistent over the last 12 months I might add - as the sample size, just 2 per cent of Sydney cares enough to invest three hours a week in them.

Seriously, what hope does this give GWS? When they are handed their inevitable early thrashings the media berate them, as the Gold Coast Suns know only to well. Easy, lazy stories, ill-informed too, yet destructive nonetheless.

The new club will enter the competition under a new arrangement which means exactly zero of their games will appear on mainstream free-to-air television. For a decade the heavies at AFL house played their hand hard. Every game involving a local team in the fledgling markets had to be on free-to-air at a decent time. It has been a disaster. Even the unyielding Andrew Demetriou, a man who you fancy would buy ten bingo cards at the RSL just to get the edge on the old ladies, knew he had to fold.

Sure, some games in Sydney will be aired on the diminutive 7mate, while every AFL match will be available live on subscription television, but try convincing the marginal western Sydney socio-economic group to shell out a minimum 80 bucks a month when we are about to enter the Carbon Tax era.

Not exactly a rails run for a new club in a niche sport.

There is a group in Sydney that is madly-in-love-with-AFL-lets-move-in-then-get-married-and-get-old-together. The problem is no-one else in town seems to want to dance or flirt with the sport. They don’t even want to be friends with it.

If Sydney was a giant party, AFL is the couple in corner that’s lost in each other’s eyes while everyone else is ignoring them out of resent or embarrassment for them." the punch

great article
truly on the money

[Onions]

Who the **** said the AFL subsidised seating?? They're actually spending more money, little boy! Where's the NRL spending to compete? Oh yeah, they don't have any to spend whereas the AFL does!!

Who's telling only half the story? You're not even telling a quarter of it!

ah .... the article

AFL is soooooooo cheap to get into
how else would you explain the crowds

How about it's a great game huh? People want to see it! Who wants to see NRL? See the attendances for details. God you are Queen E's disciple of dumb aren't ya?

[Raiderdave]

Who the **** said the AFL subsidised seating?? They're actually spending more money, little boy! Where's the NRL spending to compete? Oh yeah, they don't have any to spend whereas the AFL does!!

Who's telling only half the story? You're not even telling a quarter of it!

ah .... the article

AFL is soooooooo cheap to get into
how else would you explain the crowds

How about it's a great game huh? People want to see it! Who wants to see NRL? See the attendances for details. God you are Queen E's disciple of dumb aren't ya?

ahhhh

no

its cheap

[TLPG]

No, it's enjoyable - and better live than on TV. Stop making claims without back up, Raider.

[Beaussie]

Who the **** said the AFL subsidised seating?? They're actually spending more money, little boy! Where's the NRL spending to compete? Oh yeah, they don't have any to spend whereas the AFL does!!

Who's telling only half the story? You're not even telling a quarter of it!

ah .... the article

AFL is soooooooo cheap to get into
how else would you explain the crowds

The AFL looks after its fans and as a result the fans continue to go to games in huge numbers. Perhaps the NRL could learn from the AFL again here. God knows the NRL copies everything else the AFL does.

BTW, did you know the AFL is the 4th highest attended sport in the WORLD.