Qualifying Final 2: Brumbies v Chiefs. Sat. 19/07

[Pfitzy]

In reality the SFS - the Waratahs home stadium - is relatively easily accessible for around half of Sydney's population.

Yet, a lot of the rugby supporting population living in the immediate area seem to have better things to do. It might be relatively easy from the east and lower north, but from the inner west and further it's a shit fight if traffic goes to pot.

Needs a train line

 

[mst]

I think both Tahs and Brumbies fans wish that substantially more people would come and watch their rugby teams play.

Sydney is a massive city so really you only need to get a small percentage of people interested to have a decent crowd.

Canberra has a bit of a large country town phenomenon where there is less competition from other pro sporting teams and entertainment options in general so you hope that there's more of a community spirit to support the Brumbies.

Canberra is a very sporty and artsy place. Both are counter-productive as the art'sy type are off doing what they do, and the sporty crowd are thinned out as its spread across several sports. The bogan's (including half of Queanbeyan) are usually aligned with the raiders. So 20k is pretty massive and anything regular season about 10k is good but we would like more.

@TahDan PS - We do have people that drive from around the region (southern NSW including from the coast, Wagga, Young etc) which is a little further that the outer burb's of Sydney.

 

[boyo]

"young boys harden girls"

 

[Brumbieman]

Oh ffs.


It aint that bloody cold! Put on a decent t-shirt, a nice thick hoodie and a decent jacket, then go to the Wig and Pen prior to the game and get rat arsed.

Walk 5minutes, jump on the free bus from Civic out to a bus stop that's 40m from the gates, go inside, grab a few beers and within 10 minutes of getting off the bus, you're in your seat, lathered up with a few pints and ready to scream.

Jump on the same bus back to Civic after the game, and you'd be in a bar faster than you can get OUT of Allianz stadium.

 

[Hawko]

Canberra is a very sporty and artsy place. Both are counter-productive as the art'sy type are off doing what they do, and the sporty crowd are thinned out as its spread across several sports. The bogan's (including half of Queanbeyan) are usually aligned with the raiders. So 20k is pretty massive and anything regular season about 10k is good but we would like more.

@TahDan PS - We do have people that drive from around the region (southern NSW including from the coast, Wagga, Young etc) which is a little further that the outer burb's of Sydney.

Its further in km but not necessarily in time. But the clue to the SFS and Olympic Park are to drive until you hit the traffic and then train it.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Lealiifano out to find Mowen..

 

[TahDan]

@TahDan PS - We do have people that drive from around the region (southern NSW including from the coast, Wagga, Young etc) which is a little further that the outer burb's of Sydney.

You get people from all over at Tahs games too in truth. At the Higlanders game I sat next to an older couple who'd come from Gosford and were full members. I've met people who've come all the way from Newcastle too. They wouldn't be the norm though, just as I doubt they wouldn't be the norm in Canberra too.

 

[Froggy]

There were four of us from 300km west of Sydney at Homebush for Tahs/Brumbies, and we had been at the SFS for the French test the week before.
It's not how hard it is to get there, it's whether you want to be there!

 

[Pfitzy]

There were four of us from 300km west of Sydney at Homebush for Tahs/Brumbies, and we had been at the SFS for the French test the week before.
It's not how hard it is to get there, it's whether you want to be there!

Thing is, having grown up in the country, I know that those sorts of distances don't faze country people. Mum used to drive 60km to work and it was only 35 minutes for her (25 if she wasn't paying attention )

Its the fucking around you have to do to get to the SFS from anywhere further then 20km that is the issue. Most rugby people in Sydney are perplexed that anyone would want to LIVE further out than that, of course

 

[ACT Crusader]

To be fair to Canberrans, a lot of jobs have disappeared down there in the last 11 months, so I'm guessing the fan base has been affected a little by the weaker economy.

Mainly through voluntary redundancy in the Public Sector and them walking away with a pocket full of (public) cash.....

Having lived there for a fair few years and going out to the Concrete Ice Box quite a bit, I can say that the weather/conditions will be the major deterrent

 

[TahDan]

Mainly through voluntary redundancy in the Public Sector and them walking away with a pocket full of (public) cash...

Having lived there for a fair few years and going out to the Concrete Ice Box quite a bit, I can say that the weather/conditions will be the major deterrent

Well when the primary industry of a town is effectively governing and public sector work, losing thousands of jobs is bound to hit all the service industries that .. Well service them too.

And let's not be too precious about public cash; apparently it's quite alright to dish tonnes of it out on private schools and religious chaplains.

As for the weather, well it didn't seem to be a major deterrent a few years ago, so what else has happened?

 

[ACT Crusader]

Brumby crowds haven't been great all year and were low last year, however there's been hundreds of redundancies in the PS each year for the past 5 years. But the ACT economy is fairly resilient, the retail/services sector experienced growth. Walking through the Canberra Centre there were job ads on every second window.

I question whether the jobs situation is a key factor in the low numbers.

 

[Merrow]

Lost my job through redundancy late last year and still looking. There's just some things you can't cut back on

 

[TahDan]

Brumby crowds haven't been great all year and were low last year, however there's been hundreds of redundancies in the PS each year for the past 5 years. But the ACT economy is fairly resilient, the retail/services sector experienced growth. Walking through the Canberra Centre there were job ads on every second window.

I question whether the jobs situation is a key factor in the low numbers.

It may not be the only thing, but I've been reading all year that business confidence and investment is down in Canberra thanks to the loss of public sector jobs and anger about all the lies in the Budget. It's enough to take people's minds off sport in such a politically focused place. The only retail spikes I've heard of occurred at Christmas - so hardly surprising.

There may be other factors, but I reckon the lack of confidence from a weakened economy is a more severe factor than the weather, which has been crap in Canberra forever - even back in 2004 when the Brumbies were filling Bruce all the time.

 

[Merrow]

I'm getting freebies for Saturday night! Can't wait!!

 

[Ghibli]

Moving on back to the match, press articles indicating that the Chiefs are quite confident about the match. Do or die, hopefully an entertaining match with good refereeing.

 

[Bairdy]

With the return of guys like Cruden, Latimer, and even Whopper and Fitzgerald, this Chiefs side will prove more competitive than the disjointed and injury-depleted side that travelled to Canberra back in April.

Hope for the Brumbies sake they lift as they did against the Force, and not revert to solely kicking for territory. If To'omua, Speight, Kuridrani, Tomane etc. run it when it is on, the game should be a cracker.

Brumbies by 6.

 

[Slim 293]

 

[Marcelo]

C'mon Brumbies!!!!!!!!! A very tough match

 

[caymantim]

Its Finals rugby, do or die. If you can't get there rain, hail or shine, then you are not a fan, you are a joke. Get behind 'em!!