Live: R4 V Bombers @SCG Thursday 8/4/2021

[Bangalore Swans]

I will defend any crowd measure that brings fans to the games. Loud music, hot tubs or dancing as long as more people come to the football. I want the numbers.

Game style is important and I’ll tell you why. South Sydney and Sydney City are local League times that are dominating the competition and thrilling their fan bases.

If we want people to come to our games in the face of two exciting Rugby League teams, we must provide the thrilling fast moving football that delightes the crowds.

Getting a good winning record is also imperative.

[Markwebbos]

I will defend any crowd measure that brings fans to the games. Loud music, hot tubs or dancing as long as more people come to the football. I want the numbers.

Game style is important and I’ll tell you why. South Sydney and Sydney City are local League times that are dominating the competition and thrilling their fan bases.

If we want people to come to our games in the face of two exciting Rugby League teams, we must provide the thrilling fast moving football that delightes the crowds.

Getting a good winning record is also imperative.

So the sole determinant of what we should do is to be more exciting than the NRL? Because it’s all about bums on seats? That’s depressingly reductive.

Looking at the world on those terms how do the crowd numbers stack up? Who’s “winning”?

[Markwebbos]

Another extensive and insightful analysis from The Mongrel Punt

Sydney v Essendon - Good, Bad and Ugly - The Mongrel Punt

[mcs]

I will defend any crowd measure that brings fans to the games. Loud music, hot tubs or dancing as long as more people come to the football. I want the numbers.

Game style is important and I’ll tell you why. South Sydney and Sydney City are local League times that are dominating the competition and thrilling their fan bases.

If we want people to come to our games in the face of two exciting Rugby League teams, we must provide the thrilling fast moving football that delightes the crowds.

Getting a good winning record is also imperative.

Lol all I'll say is I'm glad your not running the club..... History quite clearly tells that, no matter how good they are going, the Roosters can't manage to reach even 20K per game on average, let alone anything more, and Souths don't do much better. Irrespective of how 'thrilling' they might be or 'dominating' or whatever hyperbole you want to throw in. There is crossover in the fan bases, sure - but I think you'll find the actual substitution effect (i.e. picking one over the other) is actually pretty small, especially at the moment where there aren't clashes in home games. Plenty of people that are interested in both will watch both, and sure for some they may have to pick and choose, but for a lot they'll have a clear 'hierachy' if they cant go to both, that is likely to be far longer established then current trends of form.

I fully expect our average this year will be down on previous years, because even as restrictions lift, there seems a broader general tendency for lower crowds at the moment - COVID-19 has still got plenty of people wary of venturing out to places with lots of people.

Excluding last year for obvious reasons, we've averaged >30K at home games every season since 2014. And already there was ~5K increase in attendance between the Crows game and the Essendon game. Keep winning football games and people will watch - we don't need loud music, hot tubs, stupid comparisons or frantic talk of 'don pyke football'.

Getting the job done on the field will get people in, because the Sydney market in particular seems more fickle then others to want to back a 'winner'. NRL crowds more generally are testament to that - look at correlations between teams W/L record and their average crowds in Sydney and its quite startling. I think the Swans have done a really good job since 2000 in building up that 'rusted on' base level of support.

Intriguing enough, have a guess which year we had the smallest average home crowd figure across the year (excluding 2020) since the turn of the century. That despite the enormous achievements in that year.... (noting of course there are other factors at play too beyond performance on the field that may have impacted home game crowds - there is a lot to remember from that year, but that element I don't)

Another extensive and insightful analysis from The Mongrel Punt

Sydney v Essendon - Good, Bad and Ugly - The Mongrel Punt

Always do enjoy what they have to say - another good piece of analysis.

[Ludwig]

After watching the replay I have a much more positive viewpoint on the game than I did watching it live. I suppose it was all those missed chances which made me feel we would blow the opportunity to go 4-0. But in the end we held on for the win.

To Essendon's credit, they put in a great effort, putting up much more resistance than the champions from round 3. They were impressive in the preseason and have looked a solid cohesive unit for a good part of these first 4 rounds. Despite losing some of their stars to other clubs, they still have a lot of talent and Nik Cox looks a good pick up in the draft. Ridley was also very impressive, and I can see what all the fuss is about. They were missing a number of key players to injury, including their ruckman Sam Draper.

Although the Essendon pressure and dewy conditions took some of the polish off our previous performances, we still outplayed them and were clearly the better side on the night.

I'm not sure what the negativity about Blakey is all about. He may have had an ordinary game, but he did have his good moments and his effort were quite good. I don't agree with the call for him to be dropped.

Although I agree with the assessments that Bell is not in our best 22, I think some of the negative comments were a bit over the top. He's still young and can continue his slow development in the reserves.

My main worry for the game is about George Hewett. He's trying too often to get out of tight spots by using a pair of quick legs that he doesn't possess. I feel he may be too slow to play in our defence and we already have a full house of slow inside mids in Kennedy, Parker and Mills. His kicking, usually a strong point in his game, was timid for the style we now play. He's a solid player, but doesn't seem to have a suitable slot in the squad with the recent influx of young talent. I think there's a good chance that he will take up his free agency at end of the season and we will likely accept the AFL compo pick in return.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Watching the replay now and the first quarter we looked sharp. It’s amazing what you can observe when the pressure is off.

Campbell a couple of really nice kicks. Amazing pressure. Franklin looked sharp and our misses weren’t from being pushed out wide or flaky snaps, but shots we should be making.

A few things go right early and in the last and the game isn’t even close. I’ll also say that Logan is never out of the game, even if he’s not in the forward 50 he’s contributing. Tackling and drilling passes.

Essendon overall were only better than us for about 10 minutes.


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[DeadlyAkkuret]

Well I won't be watching that replay - unlike last week.

I liked the replay. Takes the emotion out and it wasn’t as ugly as it looked at first. Still some sharp composed play but it was just the last kick in some passages that came undone.

If we took our chances early, or late, it wouldn’t even be close. Essendon were only on top of us for a very small percentage of the game.


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[Captain]

I will defend any crowd measure that brings fans to the games. Loud music, hot tubs or dancing as long as more people come to the football. I want the numbers.

Have you actually been to a game at the SCG this year?

[crackedactor 01]

I liked the replay. Takes the emotion out and it wasn’t as ugly as it looked at first. Still some sharp composed play but it was just the last kick in some passages that came undone.

If we took our chances early, or late, it wouldn’t even be close. Essendon were only on top of us for a very small percentage of the game.


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Just heard Adam Cooney on channel Seven said we are not going to make the finals. I disagree.

[Bangalore Swans]

Have you actually been to a game at the SCG this year?

I was there on Thursday night, but spent time at the breaks indoors.

[KTigers]

I will defend any crowd measure that brings fans to the games. Loud music, hot tubs or dancing as long as more people come to the football. I want the numbers.

Game style is important and I’ll tell you why. South Sydney and Sydney City are local League times that are dominating the competition and thrilling their fan bases.

If we want people to come to our games in the face of two exciting Rugby League teams, we must provide the thrilling fast moving football that delightes the crowds.

Getting a good winning record is also imperative.

Hot tubs at the Peter Filandia Cup?.... not sure if this is going to end well.

[Mark26]

Another extensive and insightful analysis from The Mongrel Punt

Sydney v Essendon - Good, Bad and Ugly - The Mongrel Punt

Thanks for sharing Mark. I thought what the article said about Errol changing the momentum of the game was spot on. The Bombers seemed to have our measure up until he laid that tackle. What these kids can do already! I'm pretty excited.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Just heard Adam Cooney on channel Seven said we are not going to make the finals. I disagree.

Really weird time for him to make that prediction.


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[KSAS]

Another extensive and insightful analysis from The Mongrel Punt

Sydney v Essendon - Good, Bad and Ugly - The Mongrel Punt

Thanks from me also for this article link. Interesting that he thinks Tom Hickey is in AA form when he broke down his stats so far this year. Definitely exceeding all expectations.

He (along with Gerard Healy & Montagna) doesn't believe Hickey had proper prior to be deemed HTB when he grabbed the ball from the throw in. This appears to be divisive decision amongst people on this thread & in the footy world, unlike the HTB in the Geelong v Brisbane game which DID determine outcome of the game. For this reason I can't understand why the Hickey decision has gained so much attention when it occurred on our defensive 50 with 40 secs left, very hypothetical from there on. AFL backing that decision appears within reason.

On viewing replay, I'm perplexed why in the last quarter the umpire called "advantage" after Papley had stopped with his hand up after hearing whistle free paid to Buddy, who was in his kicking distance just outside 50m arc. Surely this would've got equal attention had we lost? The commentators noted the player normally gets the benefit of doubt when they stop like that.

[dejavoodoo44]

Thanks for sharing Mark. I thought what the article said about Errol changing the momentum of the game was spot on. The Bombers seemed to have our measure up until he laid that tackle. What these kids can do already! I'm pretty excited.

Yes, I noted that effort of Errol's earlier in the thread. And I probably shouldn't overdo the comparisons to Paul Kelly, but when Kelly was in his prime, if he was in the general vicinity of the ball, I always felt confident that he would emerge with the ball. Even if there was two or three opposition players closer to the ball than him. I'm starting to feel the way about Gulden and Warner. If they're near the ball, good things tend to happen.

And there were a few momentum changing efforts. For Essendon, Hind's sprint from half back, through the middle, to set up a goal, was certainly one. And late in the game for us, Harry Cunningham somehow forcing his way through congestion and hoisting the ball into our forward line, had me taking a breath and thinking, 'yes, we've got this.'

I also enjoy reading the Mongrel Punt reports on our games. They're much more insightful and observant, than what's dished up on the AFL site: which seems to work on a lowest common denominator principle.