Battle For Brisbane? It's No Contest
by
Tuesday April 29, 2003

If you were to listen to the doomsayers - including some supposedly devout Rugby League supporters - you would believe that Rugby League was on the verge of being demoted to minor sport status in Brisbane.  AFL officials have been crowing since the Easter Thursday live telecast of the 2002 Grand Final replay between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Magpies outrated the following night's Good Friday telecast of the Broncos' clash with defending premiers Sydney Roosters.

The story made the front pgae of the AFL official web site, was carried on Fox Sports' web site, made radio and TV news in Melbourne and was the source of the Victorian game's most disliked and well known official, Channel 9's Eddie McGuire, having a laughable attack on the very principles of Rugby League on Melbourne radio last weekend.

McGuire, whose ever growing reputation as the most biased commentator in Australian television thanks to his dual roles as Collingwood President and Channel 9 AFL telecast figurehead, compared Rugby League to World Championship Wrestling.  "Our game is sacrosanct," he told 3LO Melbourne, "and people in Brisbane and others that follow rugby league up there are only passionate about State Of Origin and build it up like World Championship Wrestling and don't give a stuff about the important home (NRL) competition."

Discussing the reasons for the Magpies-Lions TV success, McGuire claimed that the AFL outdid Rugby League at its own game - promoting the match on all mediums of communication as Rugby League was renowned during its pre-Super League golden era of the early 1990s, a period in which it was accepted as the number one winter sporting code in Australia.

McGuire continued his wrestling comparison when he claimed that the NRL competition is simply a big show about nothing, whereas AFL fans have passion about a great game.

The claims are that ludicrous that they're not worth responding to, and that the NRL haven't bothered responding to this, and similar outbursts by outgoing AFL boss Wayne Jackson is a credit to them.  NRL CEO David Gallop has on numerous occasions said that he doesn't care what AFL says about our game, but suggested perhaps they should worry about their own problems before worrying about ours.

The ongoing controversy in AFL about players "taking dives" for free kicks is continuing to make headlines.  The Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans' salary cap concessions have also raised much constenation amongst Melbourne clubs - with McGuire particularly critical.  McGuire's post-Grand Final whinge after the Lions defeated his charges was borne more out of sour grapes than anything else and was yet another example of the attitude that is irking not only Lions officials and supporters, but many in the inbred, xenophobic environment of Melbourne's AFL fraternity as well.

Ironically, Lions coach Leigh Matthews, who would have as much right as anybody to fire return salvos at McGuire, was quick to defend him after a flurry of complaints of bias from viewers after the Lions-Magpies telecast on Easter Thursday.

It's not just McGuire who is attempting to destabilise Rugby League in Brisbane.  AFL CEO Wayne Jackson, who resigned suddenly two weeks ago, earlier this year was openly critical of the NRL over its handling of the Gorden Tallis-Ben Ross fight in the Broncos' opening round clash with Penrith.  That his own game was in the news last year for the infamous "testicle bite" and a spate of ugly off-the-ball incidents obviously had slipped his mind.

However, while the AFL were less-than-graciously beating their chests to anyone who would listen last week, some more learned observers should have reminded them of the age old adage that a week is a long time in politics, and an eternity in football.

Ratings figures for the latest weekend of football in Brisbane would even force Eddie McGuire to shut up.  While the delayed telecast of the Broncos' Friday night clash with Parramatta averaged 271000 viewers, the Brisbane Lions' live telecast of their game against archrivals Western Bulldogs averaged almost half that, 138000.

If that wasn't bad enough, the delayed NRL telecast immediately following the AFL between Manly and Souths, a game widely reviewed as the worst quality game of the round played in horrendous conditions, averaged 246000 viewers - 75000 more than the Lions game.

Incredibly, the AFL web site hasn't published the latest Brisbane ratings on their web site, nor has McGuire been heard on radio celebrating AFL's continued success in Brisbane.  For a fan base that considers the NRL competition a "big show about nothing", League fans did a good job showing they cared.  Heck, they even sat down and watched last placed South Sydney out-fumble now-sixth placed Manly.

Over the past 18 months, as the Lions have ridden an amazing wave of success borne largely out of the genius of coach Leigh Matthews, many a sports journalist has written of the AFL's increasing push towards supremacy in Brisbane.  However, while the Lions are packing out the 'Gabba every week, and the Broncos are struggling to pull 20000 to ANZ Stadium, crowds alone are not a fair comparison.

Apart from the over-hyped Easter victory of the AFL - in which factors such as the impact of Good Friday church services and Thursday's traditionally higher ratings figures than Friday - the Brisbane Lions are still struggling for mass acceptance in Brisbane.  Financially, despite back to back premierships and the spoils that come with them, they have still been running at a loss.  The Broncos, despite missing the Grand Finals of the past two years by 8 and 4 points respectively, have managed a small profit.

Merchandise sales for Rugby League continue to soar high above AFL.  TV ratings are no comparison - the Queensland Cup live telecast on Saturday afternoon on the ABC always outrates the live AFL telecast at the same time. 

And one thing looms like a black cloud over all the ground AFL has made over the past five years - the rebirth of Lang Park.  The Cauldron. The home of Rugby League in Queensland.  The magnificent 52000 seat stadium reaches completion, the hype surrounding it, and specifically the Broncos' return to the hallowed turf on which they began their triumphant existence in 1988. Instead of the quickly declining ANZ Stadium well outside the CBD, the Broncos will now have a state of the art venue, arguably the best football venue in the country, just minutes walk from the heart of the city.

Broncos season ticket sales are at their highest levels since 1994 - the year after their first two premierships - and enquiries about general game tickets are remarkable. The club's first hitout on the new venue - a blockbusting clash with the Andrew Johns led Newcastle Knights on June 1, is expected to go close to a sell out.

Proof of the boost the new Suncorp-Metway Stadium will be came when tickets for the Brisbane State of Origin games went on sale last Wednesday.  24000 tickets were sold for the first game on that day - plus the 10000 tickets sold to season ticketholders prior to that.  The first game is all but sold out, still more than a month before the match, and more than a quarter of tickets are gone for the third game.  State of Origin continues to be the game's major midseason attraction, helping fans warm up for the big club games coming just two months later.  It's important to note that State of Origin as a concept failed in AFL, shunned not only by fans, but by the players as well, who have more pride playing for their club than their state.

Some AFL players even withdraw from the Australian team that plays a farcical hybrid game against an Irish team made up of their best Gaelic footballers with complaints that are questionable to say the least.

While international Rugby League isn't something the world holds its breath for, players still cherish the honour of wearing their nation's colours.  And, significantly, moves are being made to expand the game internationally after years of neglect as the cataclysmic Super League war wounds were mended.  Russia, Lebanon, Greece, Italy, even Tajikistan are establishing their local leagues.

Lang Park alone should ensure that the Broncos' average home crowds equal the Lions' at the 'Gabba, despite four games being played at ANZ Stadium to begin with, attracting only lukewarm support.  Lang Park's state of the art corporate facilities has also seen a massive boost in corporate sales for the Broncos, which, coupled with the sponsorship and increased gate takings this year, should see them record a more than acceptable financial result.

The biggest question for Rugby League in Brisbane will be whether the Broncos can maintain the momentum this year will inevitably bring.  There's little doubt that novelty and hype will inflate figures this season, but can it be maintained in 2004, 2005, 2010? 

There is little doubt that Broncos fans have become blase about supporting their team physically, and Lang Park will bring those fans out of their caves this year.  But how can the Broncos keep them coming back?  One suggestion, that has more than a bit of merit, is bringing in a second Brisbane team. 

However, another manufactured team like the Crushers probably isn't the answer.  With Redcliffe Dolphins and East Coast Tigers two wealthy Brisbane clubs with a lot of ambition, there is the possibility of elevating one of them - or a joint venture of the two - into the NRL, thus creating a club with history, and plenty of pre-existing support.

When and if this happens is questionable, but there's little doubt the NRL would be better off with 16 teams, rather than the bye-inflicted 15-team competition we have at present.

As far as the so-called Battle of Brisbane goes, however, Rugby League has it won.  Even Matthews doesn't believe his beloved Aussie Rules can ever truly takeover, and believes it's folly to attempt it.  But AFL is carving itself a solid niche in south-east Queensland, one which should see the Brisbane Lions eventually shake the transplanted Mexican syndrome, and be made up predominantly of locals.

Rugby League still has a vast infrastructure at the grassroots level, but the ARL - or more ideally, the NRL - does need to review its support of the lower reaches of the game as the AFL's AusKick program continues to gain support in primary schools.  While it doesn't directly threaten League's stance as the most played football code in Queensland (other than soccer), League should not be caught resting on its laurels.

And while Rugby League has the battle won over Aussie Rules, the Lions and Broncos are still standing toe-to-toe.  Certainly the Broncos have the ascendency - despite what some League doomsayers including the World of Rugby League's own melodramatic stirrer Matt O'Neill tell you - and the return to Lang Park should stretch the gap further.  The Broncos' test, as mentioned earlier, is to continue the momentum they will gain this year.  The Lions' test will come when their current high flying success begins to subside.  And with McGuire and his ilk trying their best to remove the Lions' so-called advantage, that fall may even be forced from within.