September 30, 2024 • 31 mins
As the AFL has expanded across the country, one question won't go away: should the Grand Final be moved from the hallowed turf of Melbourne Cricket Ground? There are many arguments 'for' and 'against', from upholding tradition to the unfair advantage it gives Victorian clubs. Today on the show, Abbey is joined once again by Laura Spurway to settle the debate once and for all.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Here at Two Good Sports.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the
land on which we record this podcast. There were innerie people.
This land was never seated, always was always will be
Hello and welcome to two Good Sports.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
In a week in the sporting landscape, that kind of
feels like those days between Christmas and New Year.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
You don't know what day it is. It's been a
wonderful time.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
There's leftover food in the fridge because we have had
the AFL Grand Final and there is a gap to
the NRL Grand Final, but it is just a sporting
smagert sport and joining us on the show this.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Week Laura Spallway again, Laura are you going.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I'm good, jeez, I'm a bit tired from the weekend.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
A bit tired too. It fits a marathon, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
It's a long season. It comes to this point. It
culminates in this Grand Final, which should have been a
bit tighter. I feel, however, here we are, We've made
it through another year. I feel like the swansa be
a bit tired too. It was pretty anticlimactic, I think
to last year with the NRL Grand Final. If you
were to show someone a game and go this is
our sport. This is why it's drama and you love it.
(01:08):
They had the perfect showcase and so do we a
four point result in the AFL. But then it comes
to this year and you're sort of like, do we
need a mercy rule? That need to get to three
quarter time where you can go And unfortunately for the
Swans that's twice in three years that they've probably got
three quarter time and said if we could press a
button and go home, we probably would. It would have
(01:28):
been so painful playing that game out with the result
that we had. However, credit to the Brisbane lines, there's
a very credit to the boy very happy Georgie Tunny
somewhere somewhere. So she has messaged me somewhere from the
Italian Mediterranean, essentially saying could there be a more Georgie
coded week that I'm not here for? Brisbane have won
(01:50):
it is the NRL Grand Final. I could he rubbish
on the Panthers and I unfortunately am in Lake Como
and I'm like, you're really sorry for you, So hello, George.
Sounds like having a terrible, terrible time, but we need
to get into our good sports, bad sport and I'm
gonna start off with a good sport that probably suits
the way that we talk about sports news and being
told a little bit differently. Katie Perry, she gave it
(02:12):
everything this week. No PR machine has worked harder.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
She did a great job.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
And I know there's been a lot of conversation about
how much she may have been paid, the hypothetical figure
we've heard his five million.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Dollars, five million dollars for seventeen minutes.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
But it wasn't just the seventeen minutes.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Was it all the pre promotion, She plugged the Tasmanian team,
she got the messaging from the AFL down pat.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I thought she did a great job.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
She referred to the footy as a Sharon, which was amazing, amazing.
Even had a chat being like, oh poor Oscar and
his shoulder. Didn't that look terrible? And I just went,
you know what. And I had the privilege of last
year I did the Kiss press conference, so I sort
of got a bit of an experience of them. But
I guess the benchmark was set with Robbie Williams, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
He's the best pre match entertainment we've ever had.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
And again I was lucky enough to interview Robbie in
the lead up and it was very uh shall I say, sterile.
And this wasn't during COVID, but it was. He sat
two meters away sort of you had your seven minutes
with him, and he sort of knew a little bit
about footy. We know now that he's the Carlton ambassador
to the world, but he certainly hadn't lent into it
(03:17):
the way that.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
We saw Katie do it this week.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
She was great.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I think she's worth the money, I really do. She
embraced it while she was here. She seemed enthusiastic at
every opportunity. Maybe when you get a five million dollar paycheck,
that gives you more pep in your step. Is there
any sporting league in the world where someone who comes
as the pre show entertainment earns that much more than
what the best player in the league does annually?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I mean, for one show super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Do you reckon though, oh Patrick Mahomes it out earned whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Their paying I suppose that's fair.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Surely, surely.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
But what I will say is I was lucky enough
to be at the ground and because so much of
that show was built around the television spectacle, myself and
Beck Madam we Err and I was like, was that good?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I don't know if that was good, but the.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Overwhelming response from home was that it was amazing, amazing.
I did have one friend who I will not name,
message me and say was that hologram stuff just for
the TV?
Speaker 4 (04:15):
And I replied, yes, yeah, babe, Yeah it was yes.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I couldn't see the CGI at the stadium.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Oh we all have that one mate where you're like, oh,
you're right, Ah, you're right. But we have been speaking
so much about AFL. But it's a massive week for NRL.
It is, so I'm going to throw the Melbourne Storm
in there for the good sport as well.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Should be.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
They've had an incredible year Minor premiers. They're coming up
against an absolute dynasty in the NRL at the moment
in the Penrith Panthers. Yeah, this is their fifth consecutive
Grand Final. They are the benchmark in the rugby league
in Australia at the moment. They've got a gun in
Nathan Cleary who is twenty six years old and has
(04:59):
already he stamped himself as a future immortal in the game.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
His dad's the coach.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
It's just really nice to have a co host that
can say the Panthers without going oh, I think they've
just got Georgie actually has a physical response. I feel
where she's coming from, and I think you've just got
to respect how good they've been.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
But this is why it is time for someone else.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
You think, But the Storm aren't new.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
They're not news, they're not new.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
They're so successful, so successful their coach Craig Bellamy, it's
his tenth Grand Final. Yeah, the man's record I think
is unmatched in any code in Australia.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
He is unbelievable. They've got a great team as well.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
They've just had their open press day, so we've come
from talking to them.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
They're in a great headspace. Sunday nights the big battle.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
They've got to go to Sydney to do it, which
is fitting when we talk about our subject matter today
of where we play these big games.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
But to me, I wish them all the best.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
They've had a great I like it when we shake
up the premieres, let's see someone new. Let's just hope
they can battle to be somewhere in the back pages,
because as we mentioned, they are such a successful team.
But to try to get interes during this week in
the paper that are about anything other than AFL.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
They are pushing it uphill. But Melbourne Storm couldn't have
been more successful.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
And that's why strategically I think they've separated the Grand Finals. Yes,
you shouldn't because happening them both in a weekend, well,
it's a bit of a waste really, like if you
want to be able to celebrate the occasion separately. They
do have different audiences, but we're seeing more of that crossover,
I think absolutely. You mentioned the fact that, of course
the NRL Grand Final is in Sydney, it's always in
(06:39):
Sydney in the same world that the AFL Grand Final
is always on the hallow turf of the MCG. But
should that just inherently be the case? Is that fair
and is that what we're going to see going forward.
That's our deep dive of coming up. Growing up as
(07:05):
a sports lover in Australia, there was no pinnacle higher
than the thought of going to watch anything at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground. This is a stadium that was built
in eighteen fifty three. Given Australia's history, there are not
many things in our dear country that has that much
(07:25):
history and gravitas, it is special. So, Laura, I'm going
to start our discussion today by saying, do you remember
the first time you went to the MCG.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And I grew up in New South Wales. I grew
up with rugby league. I grew up not knowing the
experience of the MCG. And the first time I went,
which was for a regular home and away AFL game,
I could not believe, first of all, the size of
(07:54):
the venue. I could not believe the number of people
that turned up for a game that had no consequence
on finals or anything like that. And it was just
this moment, as someone who's always loved sport, where I
just went, what is this place? This is unlike anything
(08:16):
I've ever seen. It's a different feeling. It's not just
how big it is, it's a different feeling when you
go in there. The way that it's constructed is you know,
you're so close to the action and you're so high,
but you've got such a great view and you look
around and there's I think at that time it was
eighty five thousand people, but on the weekend just gone
(08:39):
we've seen one hundred thousand people in there, so yes,
I do remember it, and being from Sydney originally, it's
tough to say to people, Okay, there's nothing like the MCG,
because I constantly then hear from everyone back home like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
What's happened to you? Where have you gone? But I
do remember it. Do you remember it?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And at the risk of offending those that are religious,
it's almost spiritual. There's something about it that feels larger
than life. And again I realized that in terms of
world stadiums, we're probably a minno, but there is something
about the MCG and the history. And you know, I
grew up in Perth and we came over and did
(09:20):
the tour of the MCG when I think I would
have been no older than ten, and I've got photos
of me like there with my little jacket and going
through the sports museum and I just remember thinking, well,
I stole some of the grass, is point one. I
remember putting some of the grass in my sock and
wanting to get Lord knows where that's gone.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
But it was just it was this other.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Worldly colosseum and the scale of it, as you said,
is something that just put me in awe and again
on the weekend, as you mentioned, we had an AFL
Grand Final where there was a six figure crowd. There
was one hundred thousand and thirteen people in a stadium
with a capacity of one hundred thy twenty four, so
it was packed to the rafters. But the two teams
(10:01):
doing battle in Brisbane and the Swans obviously are from interstate,
so it was really a state of origin game happening
in Melbourne. And it begs the question, and it begs
the question every year about the fairness of whether or
not you should just inherently have the big dance, the
AFL Grand Final held at the MCG. And there's a
(10:22):
lot of different arguments to this, some of them financial,
others in does it not give you the opportunity to
grow the game in different markets, But also for me,
it's just the romanticism of the fact that even these players,
and you could ask them for Brisbane or for the Swans,
would have grown up dreaming of being at the MCG
on the last Saturday September.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
So I was with the Brisbane Lions yesterday and Chris Fagan,
the coach of the Brisbane Lions, actually said we'd love
to play them more. Yes, because their home grounds in Brisbane,
and obviously being an interstate team you don't get that
exposure to the MCG during the season, but he said,
we'd love to play there more.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Everyone loves playing at the MCG.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
The support you get there, the crowds you get there,
the atmosphere.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
It's hard to emulate that anywhere else.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
And we've seen that with some of the other finals
games this season where we speak of the GWS game
where the crowd was negligible, so I think it was
about seventeen thousand in a stadium that does hold.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I mean, you just.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Remember a Mason Cox at the start of the year
being like, is this a showground? Are they going to
be cows? Is there a petting zoo? Like he was
really taking the mickey because they had a maximum capacity
of twenty three thousand, And look, you can have a
great experience in a smaller arena as well, rely.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
But you've got to have those impassion fans yep that
carry it.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So outside of a few exceptions, the MCG has hosted
nearly every AFL Grand Final. There have been only eleven
occasions when other venues were used. And when you think
in recent history, you're thinking about the fact there was
one opt To Stadium COVID and then we're also thinking
about the Gabba COVID, and they're really difficult I guess
examples for us to compare the pair, because not everyone
(12:08):
wanted to go to a stadium when there was a plague,
and also that there was distancing and you didn't allow
home fans to travel, so you couldn't get into wa
And famously there are a few restauranteurs that still found
their way in and then found their way to jail
for Melbourne in order to go to OPTAs Stadium. But
you couldn't have that traveling pack of fans to show
(12:30):
their support, which also is what we've sort of seen
with gather Around, right, is that everyone travels to Adelaide
and what that does for tourism and sport in the state.
So I think what they're trying to do by putting
something like gather Around on and making opening round, opening round,
let's let's leave that. Let's see if that reads its
head again next year. Look. What they're trying to do, though,
(12:53):
is create these occasions in other states.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yes, because the game is growing, and.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
When you think about occasions like things like like the
ANZAC Day Game, MCG, King's Birthday, Big Freeze MCG. So
those bigger events are still held at the home of football.
That makes sense to me because they involve Victorian clubs totally.
And I think you know, there's been this argument around
the finals games and being able to host those games
(13:20):
if you're into state to get somewhat of an advantage,
But that's not happening in Melbourne with the teams here
that are making the finals, is it that's automatically gone?
All right, We're going to have them at the MCG
as well, which is where the commercial argument comes into it,
I think, and those big clubs like Collingwood and Richmond
that play their home games at the MCG have an
(13:41):
undeniable advantage. The other thing is that we need to
highlight here.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Let's be real.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
The AFL's current contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club is
locked in until twenty fifty nine. But is that a
contract allah player contracts that seem to mean nothing at
the moment, or is that a contract that we are
seeing some leaders from other clubs and Ely Sidney saying
how fair is this? Dom Mongmeia always puts a slide
comment in there just being like, oh yeah, because that's
(14:07):
not an advantage playing at the MCG all the time.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
It is an advantage. It has to be and that's
the thing. You can't really argue with that.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
And you talk about Collingwood being one of the big clubs,
and I think it was they played seventeen, sixteen or
seventeen of their games there this year. Like, that's a
huge number of games to have on your home turf,
And especially when you have games like Anzac Day that
are locked in in the fixture of being a team
like Collingwood, you have the experience of running out in
(14:35):
front of a near capacity crowd of one hundred thousand
people screaming if you come from any of the other clubs.
And also that as an appeal for players to want
to be traded to your club to have that experience
locked in. And I think the thing is a lot
of people look at that and go, oh, I really
envy clubs like Collingwood. I really envy clubs like you know,
Richmond or Carlton who have these fixtures locked in. No,
(14:57):
they're going to get to play those games. No, they're
going to get those crowds. So even when we look
back to the final between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorne
which was at the MCG because it was the only
all Victorian finals.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
So not a Grand Final, just a final, just a final.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
The Western Bulldogs their home ground is another stadium that
holds around fifty thousand people. They were the home side,
but that was held at the MCG, which is not
a rule that's enforced in other states. That's not what
we see in Sydney, right. But I think being here
and having access to the MCG, you just have to
accept that that's where the AFL wants to play these
(15:34):
big games because you're going to get double the crowd,
They're going to make a lot of money, and hey,
this is a commercial exercise. It is a commercial exercise.
And when you talk about those arguments for obviously for
you and I and little teeny boppers thinking god, the
MCG is amazing, the arguments for is the history and
the wealth of history the MCG takes with it, the
(15:54):
tradition if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's something
beautiful about knowing what Grand Final week is going to
be and having that consistency. But you mentioned capacity and finances,
so I went and found out the numbers because I
actually thought, wait, how many how many do these different
stadiums hold, and again something like Stadium Tasmania being built,
how many are they planning to hold there? So the MCG,
(16:16):
as we mentioned, just a touch over one hundred thousand.
The next largest is Sydney Stadium, which is out at
Olympic Park. If you haven't been there, dear listener, My god,
they spent six hundred and ninety million dollars on something
that has zero ATMOS.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Well, it is a long way from anything.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Ah. And also it's just not a joy to watch
sport there. Well, it's just hard to get to. That's
the other thing, and I think Sydney Olympics has a
lot to answer for. Again, it's an eighty three and
a half thousand capacity stadium, So from the MCG to
the next you're looking about a twenty thousand jump, yep.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And that is a lot of dollars.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Yes, it's also a lot of spots for the fans
who want these seats at Grand finals, which are hard
to get yet because there's a lot of commercial corporates
who get these seats in the round finals. So the
other thing is the fans are always complaining about how
we've only got this sort of allocation because income the
corporates for the Grand Final after not being there all years.
So that is a significant jump twenty thousand people. And
(17:17):
the next is Perth Stadium, which has built only recently
at sixty one thousand, two hundred and my brain when
they built that, it felt like they were extending a freeway.
You know, when you see all that construction and they
extend a freeway by one lane, and you go, why
wouldn't you just extend it by two, Like if you're
building a world class stadium and the highest capacity in
the countries one hundred thousand. Yes, budget has to come
(17:38):
into it, but wouldn't you build an eighty thousand seat
stadium if you ever wanted to be eligible to put
your hands up for these things.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Well they missed out on Taylor Swift.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
They did, and did they want at Speaking of which,
Katie Perry is now going to Adelaide Oval and they
have fifty three thousand, so they're number four. Docklands as
you mentioned, Marvel has fifty six, SCG forty eight, the
Gabba forty two, and then you find your way down
at Hobart Stadium, which is the new one that they're building.
And I understand this because of the population and how
(18:08):
sparse it would look in the regular season to have
anything bigger than this. But it's only twenty three thousand
that it can be able to watch a game at Hobart.
So when you think of arguments against ie why should
it move around? And you look at global examples ie
the NFL and what they do with the Super Bowl
in that they lock in a venue and it's a
(18:28):
neutral venue and you know that well in advance, so
fans can plan to travel there.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
There's stadiums that the curve ain't.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
That's steep in terms of capacity and what they can
really offer. Well, if you're not going to sell the seats,
I would understand. Yeah, but every year it's a sellout.
There's one hundred thousand people that come, and this year
with two interstate teams, it was still a sellout. So
that argument that the fans wouldn't travel, or that people
wouldn't come because you know there wasn't a Victorian side
(18:57):
that made the Big Dance, Well that's redundant. Could you
have things like the AFL Grand Final Parade in Brisbane,
I would argue, no, I don't know in the same
way that the NRL Grand Final wouldn't feel the same
if they held it here. I think there's a bigger
gap with that sport in Victoria because there's only one
team in the NRL that is from Victoria. Whereas obviously
(19:20):
you know the Brisbane Lines now they're the premiers and
they're one of the teams to beat in the competition.
But also you've got the Gold Coast Sons who are
languishing a bit further behind. Let's be honest, but you
have made an effort to create a two team town.
You've done that in New South Wales as well. Obviously
there's always been a good rivalry in South Australia and
Western Australia, so maybe that gives it a bit more sway.
(19:43):
Whereas you know, the NRL Grand Final this week Melbourne
Storm one team in Victoria, very successful team, but you're
drawing on people to support that one team only. And
I think we've seen a good success story in the
AFL of GWS coming through of the Sun's coming through,
where you're trying to expand those fan bases, give people
(20:05):
an option of someone else to support, and now that
they've been able to do that and grow the game,
that's why they're saying, hey, we'll give you a home final,
maybe not the big one, but we'll give you a
home final in a.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Stadium that holds twenty three thousand people. Not many, if any,
if any.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
But the game does need people that come out without
landish things, and we absolutely love when people just go, hey,
what about this? And one of those is Sydney Swan's
president Andrew Priddam. Now you may remember him as the
bloke that said we're the most popular team in the competition.
I do.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
I love him, I love him. He was like stuff Collingwood.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We've got two million fans, which as again as news
journals we go, we'll take that headline, thank you very
much and blow it up deluxe. And he doesn't care.
He stands by it. But he's someone that's come out
with this theory of going the AFL is throwing money
out the window. Why don't we have a best of
three AFL Grand Final? Is his suggestion that it could
(21:05):
move around to different venues and therefore showcase the sport
in different states. You make me do this week three times?
I am in the ground. That's a very selfish response,
but he's basically saying that you're missing out on forty
million dollars worth of revenue. His's his argument to the AFL,
and given Sydney's recent success in finals, that's probably why
(21:28):
he wants a best of three so they can eat
one where they choke and then hopefully come back and
prove why they're the minor prepers. But Caroline Wilson probably
put it best in her response to the.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Suggestion that we should have a best of three, Get
over yourself the Grand Finals at the MCG.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
What a brilliant competition to have those two clubs playing
at the best stadium in the land. Best of three,
you'll never die wondering.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Like I do agree with her.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
But I do love Andrew Pridham and what he brings
to the landscape. I think that he's so important to
have those people that keep challenging and keep asking questions.
But the next question is and I feel strongly I'm
a traditionalist.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
But I deeply believe that the AFL Grand Final would
be a better spectacle as a twilight game.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Ah. Yes, the old time of day debate.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
It has to be. It has to be.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I mean, if you're Katie Perry and you're coming out
onto the field on the giant duster buster is a
description sure, yeap, either or both great Australian things exactly,
and you're singing firework and you've got the Pirate tech.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
And there's no lighting.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
It's bright, the sun's in your eyes. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I mean I think obviously with a specky show, I
think if it's a little bit darker, it would have
looked better. But even being at the MCG like, forget
the entertainment because of course that's going to look better underlights.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
The Brisbane Geelong pre limb was perfect.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It was perfect with that five o'clock slot, Like, I
just think it's that time, and you know what if
it's less, be honest, if it's a broadcaster's fault and
we wanted at two o'clock, you're gonna watch all day anyway.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
The only reason I could think that there would be
arguments against is God love Australians, but we do love
a drink on Grand Final day, so how blind would
everyone be by the time I got to five pm
to watch the granny, and you're just saying, you know,
this has been a very long week. Can we just
start this already? The Melbourne Bulldogs Grand Final in Perth
that was in a twilight slot to allow for the
time difference, and that also looked fantastic. Every year they
(23:34):
defend this two thirty slot because it comes up.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I like a twilight fixture as well.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I agree, but I also think, you know, one of
the arguments they throw at it is, oh, that's really
family friendly having it at two thirty in the afternoon.
Everybody can watch without any dramas of it being too late.
You don't care during the season, No, you're prying your
eyes open to watch the end of a semi because
they're finishing at stupid o'clock.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Seven to four. Start.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Oh yeah, I can't stay what like Again, granted, I
probably have some some indurances with my villainy to stay
awake late in the third drimester, but I was trying
to nap during the daid to plan to stay up. Like,
if the AFL really want to make the argument that
they're trying to make it family friendly by not having
a twilight, you have to look at what you're doing
mid seas during the season for sure, and I do
(24:21):
wonder whether that will change because that comes up as well.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
But yeah, I like a twilight fixture as well.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I think there's got to be broadcast restrictions or preferences
that come into this, but yeah, I don't see why
they couldn't do it. People are going to watch no
matter what time of date is maybe clearly not if
it's too late, but I think it's also it probably
is about the teams as well, their movements. When can
they leave, how can they slink off like the Swans
(24:48):
did in deep disappointment? And well, I think something that
we probably haven't considered here is also the financial expectation
of fans. So the pilgrimage, and we do stories on
week about the fact that Quantus in virgin conveniently decided
that a flight from Brisbane or Sydney to Melbourne that
week is going to be exorbitantly more expensive. Then you
(25:10):
have to look for accommodation, which is again going to
be spiking. It's a lot more expensive for these fans
to have to travel into state to have the opportunity
to go, and that's a hindrance too. The thing is
it takes a lot of planning to free up grounds,
the size of the MCG probably even valid Sydney Stadium
(25:31):
in advance for events when you're factoring in not just
the AFL, but NRL concerts, whatever else is going on.
So you probably can't pivot that late on a game
of that magnitude.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And that size.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
True, it's probably going to be difficult to say, you
know what, oh man, a week out, it's too into
state teams. Maybe that means we should change things. It's
not going to be doable. That's the reality of it.
And I think the ex selling corporate spaces because as
you mentioned, a lot of people, particularly for a Grand Final,
which is why some people say that the prelims actually
have better atmosphere than a Grand Final because they're the
(26:06):
real fans, whereas a lot of corporate boxes have just
been sold that you know you're going to a Grand Final,
but you don't know who particularly you're going to see.
That's also something that I think a lot of the
fans when they have this argument, don't consider is just
how much is sold in advance. Yeah, a lot of
it is, And so yeah, the atmosphere is different, and
I mean there were i'd say good contingent of interstate fans,
(26:28):
particularly Sydney Swans fands there on the weekend.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
Oh, it was so sad.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You were sad. I know it was sad.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And you know the footage of them at the airport
on their return to Sydney.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
Can you imagine driving home?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
It was like a funeral.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Oh, in mourning, in mourning. But I think speaking of
a funeral, I think that this argument is dead. I
think I think that I don't see a way it
should be at the MCG until what was it, fifty
eight twenty four? Just lock it in, Yeah, lock it
in in our completely impartial, non Victorian opinions.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Hey, I like Queensland's warm.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
I mean, if you said to me, you can go
to Brisbane and escape whatever is going on in Melbourne
at this time of year, we were lucky we.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
Had nice weather, considering Sunday was horrendous.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Then yesterday or Sunday in the rain with the Brisbane Lions.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Anyway, No, the.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
MCG forever, may it stay, Laura. It is time for
our fun fact And this is me being a little
bit cheeky, because really I wanted to have two good sports,
but we're allowed to have one.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
We try to limit it.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
So I found a roundabout way of bringing another good
sport into the fun fact. So do you know what
the term medita means?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I do not.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So Medita is a Buddhist term and it means and
I love this sympathetic joy, being able to find happiness
in other people's joy and the person that there's a
term that you can just take out into your But
Oscar McInerney, has anyone ever been more impressive in a
Grand final week, and also in a Grand final without
(28:08):
actually playing, as an example to young children about how
you can be when you're injured. And we saw that
he had a double dislocation in his shoulder. That footage,
I can't watch it. He is so much pain his
face and the agony and the realization that he's not
going to be able to play in a Grand Final.
But it went back out there anyway. But the way
(28:29):
that he handled himself this week, the way that he
mentored Darcy fought in the lead up to the Grand Final,
he was just so impressive. He was, And those pictures
of him, if you didn't see them, hugging Darcy for
joy with such joy after they had won the premiership.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
He was so happy for him and his teammates and it.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Was earnest, it was it was this authentic joy and
I just went, oh, it was so impressive. It is
a a really nice lesson for people because I think
so often in competitive industries, ours is another example of that.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
You know, you're looking at.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Other people that get opportunities, you find it really hard
to muster up the well done.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
You know, sometimes it just falls that way.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Yeah, but in his case, it was a great example
of someone who just got some crap luck at the
worst time and you know, tapped his teammate on the back,
mentored him and then congratulated him on his performance. So
he doesn't get a Premiership medal. No, and I think
that's something that should change. All players that played in
(29:37):
the final should receive a medal. Yeah, and that's something
that I think might get some serious this example well yeah,
and you know what, it was the same last year
with Taylor Adams for Collingwood.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
And Taylor Adams again this year arguably.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Yeah. I mean, I think the saving grace there is
that they lost. Had they won without him, that would
have been really, really tough. Yeah, I agree. I think
he conducted himself so well, maybe the reality will hit.
Of course there's some sadness there, of course there has
to be. But I think the way that he for me,
(30:14):
I just think as a young man that put himself
out on was able to handle himself the way that
he did under so much pressure with so many eyes
on him, and it's what you grow up dreaming of.
And obviously the way that the Lions have supported him,
it says so much for their club and their ethos.
The fact that they had his guernsey hanging up. We
(30:34):
know they do the boxing gloves as they run out
and they all touch the boxing gloves. They were also
tapping his guernsey in the runout, and that had obviously
been part of the message. But what terrifies me is
I'm like, how motivated are they going to be for
next year to win him one? Yep, yep, nat So
let's get back there and do it again. Got some
great talent coming in as well. They're going to be
(30:55):
a force, I think sometimes and why we love sports.
It can be the example of the best in people.
And I think the moodita that we saw in Oscar
mac and there needs such a message for kids and
a message for everyone that you can find in yourself
in a really, really, as you said, cracky situation, the
ability to find joy.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
For other people.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Let's just hang that up in our office, shall we.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
App Yeah, I think we should.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I think I think we should also hang up the
mics for this episode. Thank you so much for listening
to Two Good Sports and iHeart production, Laura.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
Thank you as always for coming in. We've absolutely loved it.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Please follow us at two Good Sports Podcasts.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
We'll catch you.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Next week and where I'm sure it's going to be
a NRL. We've had our AFL stint. It's going to
be talking about whoever comes out on top in the
Grand Final.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
But until then, be a good sport.
Here at Two Good Sports.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the
land on which we record this podcast. There were innerie people.
This land was never seated, always was always will be
Hello and welcome to two Good Sports.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
In a week in the sporting landscape, that kind of
feels like those days between Christmas and New Year.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
You don't know what day it is. It's been a
wonderful time.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
There's leftover food in the fridge because we have had
the AFL Grand Final and there is a gap to
the NRL Grand Final, but it is just a sporting
smagert sport and joining us on the show this.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Week Laura Spallway again, Laura are you going.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I'm good, jeez, I'm a bit tired from the weekend.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
A bit tired too. It fits a marathon, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It is.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
It's a long season. It comes to this point. It
culminates in this Grand Final, which should have been a
bit tighter. I feel, however, here we are, We've made
it through another year. I feel like the swansa be
a bit tired too. It was pretty anticlimactic, I think
to last year with the NRL Grand Final. If you
were to show someone a game and go this is
our sport. This is why it's drama and you love it.
(01:08):
They had the perfect showcase and so do we a
four point result in the AFL. But then it comes
to this year and you're sort of like, do we
need a mercy rule? That need to get to three
quarter time where you can go And unfortunately for the
Swans that's twice in three years that they've probably got
three quarter time and said if we could press a
button and go home, we probably would. It would have
(01:28):
been so painful playing that game out with the result
that we had. However, credit to the Brisbane lines, there's
a very credit to the boy very happy Georgie Tunny
somewhere somewhere. So she has messaged me somewhere from the
Italian Mediterranean, essentially saying could there be a more Georgie
coded week that I'm not here for? Brisbane have won
(01:50):
it is the NRL Grand Final. I could he rubbish
on the Panthers and I unfortunately am in Lake Como
and I'm like, you're really sorry for you, So hello, George.
Sounds like having a terrible, terrible time, but we need
to get into our good sports, bad sport and I'm
gonna start off with a good sport that probably suits
the way that we talk about sports news and being
told a little bit differently. Katie Perry, she gave it
(02:12):
everything this week. No PR machine has worked harder.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
She did a great job.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
And I know there's been a lot of conversation about
how much she may have been paid, the hypothetical figure
we've heard his five million.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Dollars, five million dollars for seventeen minutes.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
But it wasn't just the seventeen minutes.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Was it all the pre promotion, She plugged the Tasmanian team,
she got the messaging from the AFL down pat.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I thought she did a great job.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
She referred to the footy as a Sharon, which was amazing, amazing.
Even had a chat being like, oh poor Oscar and
his shoulder. Didn't that look terrible? And I just went,
you know what. And I had the privilege of last
year I did the Kiss press conference, so I sort
of got a bit of an experience of them. But
I guess the benchmark was set with Robbie Williams, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
He's the best pre match entertainment we've ever had.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
And again I was lucky enough to interview Robbie in
the lead up and it was very uh shall I say, sterile.
And this wasn't during COVID, but it was. He sat
two meters away sort of you had your seven minutes
with him, and he sort of knew a little bit
about footy. We know now that he's the Carlton ambassador
to the world, but he certainly hadn't lent into it
(03:17):
the way that.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
We saw Katie do it this week.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
She was great.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I think she's worth the money, I really do. She
embraced it while she was here. She seemed enthusiastic at
every opportunity. Maybe when you get a five million dollar paycheck,
that gives you more pep in your step. Is there
any sporting league in the world where someone who comes
as the pre show entertainment earns that much more than
what the best player in the league does annually?
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I mean, for one show super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Do you reckon though, oh Patrick Mahomes it out earned whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Their paying I suppose that's fair.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Surely, surely.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
But what I will say is I was lucky enough
to be at the ground and because so much of
that show was built around the television spectacle, myself and
Beck Madam we Err and I was like, was that good?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I don't know if that was good, but the.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Overwhelming response from home was that it was amazing, amazing.
I did have one friend who I will not name,
message me and say was that hologram stuff just for
the TV?
Speaker 4 (04:15):
And I replied, yes, yeah, babe, Yeah it was yes.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I couldn't see the CGI at the stadium.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Oh we all have that one mate where you're like, oh,
you're right, Ah, you're right. But we have been speaking
so much about AFL. But it's a massive week for NRL.
It is, so I'm going to throw the Melbourne Storm
in there for the good sport as well.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Should be.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
They've had an incredible year Minor premiers. They're coming up
against an absolute dynasty in the NRL at the moment
in the Penrith Panthers. Yeah, this is their fifth consecutive
Grand Final. They are the benchmark in the rugby league
in Australia at the moment. They've got a gun in
Nathan Cleary who is twenty six years old and has
(04:59):
already he stamped himself as a future immortal in the game.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
His dad's the coach.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
It's just really nice to have a co host that
can say the Panthers without going oh, I think they've
just got Georgie actually has a physical response. I feel
where she's coming from, and I think you've just got
to respect how good they've been.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
But this is why it is time for someone else.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
You think, But the Storm aren't new.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
They're not news, they're not new.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
They're so successful, so successful their coach Craig Bellamy, it's
his tenth Grand Final. Yeah, the man's record I think
is unmatched in any code in Australia.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
He is unbelievable. They've got a great team as well.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
They've just had their open press day, so we've come
from talking to them.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
They're in a great headspace. Sunday nights the big battle.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
They've got to go to Sydney to do it, which
is fitting when we talk about our subject matter today
of where we play these big games.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
But to me, I wish them all the best.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
They've had a great I like it when we shake
up the premieres, let's see someone new. Let's just hope
they can battle to be somewhere in the back pages,
because as we mentioned, they are such a successful team.
But to try to get interes during this week in
the paper that are about anything other than AFL.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
They are pushing it uphill. But Melbourne Storm couldn't have
been more successful.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
And that's why strategically I think they've separated the Grand Finals. Yes,
you shouldn't because happening them both in a weekend, well,
it's a bit of a waste really, like if you
want to be able to celebrate the occasion separately. They
do have different audiences, but we're seeing more of that crossover,
I think absolutely. You mentioned the fact that, of course
the NRL Grand Final is in Sydney, it's always in
(06:39):
Sydney in the same world that the AFL Grand Final
is always on the hallow turf of the MCG. But
should that just inherently be the case? Is that fair
and is that what we're going to see going forward.
That's our deep dive of coming up. Growing up as
(07:05):
a sports lover in Australia, there was no pinnacle higher
than the thought of going to watch anything at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground. This is a stadium that was built
in eighteen fifty three. Given Australia's history, there are not
many things in our dear country that has that much
(07:25):
history and gravitas, it is special. So, Laura, I'm going
to start our discussion today by saying, do you remember
the first time you went to the MCG.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And I grew up in New South Wales. I grew
up with rugby league. I grew up not knowing the
experience of the MCG. And the first time I went,
which was for a regular home and away AFL game,
I could not believe, first of all, the size of
(07:54):
the venue. I could not believe the number of people
that turned up for a game that had no consequence
on finals or anything like that. And it was just
this moment, as someone who's always loved sport, where I
just went, what is this place? This is unlike anything
(08:16):
I've ever seen. It's a different feeling. It's not just
how big it is, it's a different feeling when you
go in there. The way that it's constructed is you know,
you're so close to the action and you're so high,
but you've got such a great view and you look
around and there's I think at that time it was
eighty five thousand people, but on the weekend just gone
(08:39):
we've seen one hundred thousand people in there, so yes,
I do remember it, and being from Sydney originally, it's
tough to say to people, Okay, there's nothing like the MCG,
because I constantly then hear from everyone back home like.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
What's happened to you? Where have you gone? But I
do remember it. Do you remember it?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And at the risk of offending those that are religious,
it's almost spiritual. There's something about it that feels larger
than life. And again I realized that in terms of
world stadiums, we're probably a minno, but there is something
about the MCG and the history. And you know, I
grew up in Perth and we came over and did
(09:20):
the tour of the MCG when I think I would
have been no older than ten, and I've got photos
of me like there with my little jacket and going
through the sports museum and I just remember thinking, well,
I stole some of the grass, is point one. I
remember putting some of the grass in my sock and
wanting to get Lord knows where that's gone.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
But it was just it was this other.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Worldly colosseum and the scale of it, as you said,
is something that just put me in awe and again
on the weekend, as you mentioned, we had an AFL
Grand Final where there was a six figure crowd. There
was one hundred thousand and thirteen people in a stadium
with a capacity of one hundred thy twenty four, so
it was packed to the rafters. But the two teams
(10:01):
doing battle in Brisbane and the Swans obviously are from interstate,
so it was really a state of origin game happening
in Melbourne. And it begs the question, and it begs
the question every year about the fairness of whether or
not you should just inherently have the big dance, the
AFL Grand Final held at the MCG. And there's a
(10:22):
lot of different arguments to this, some of them financial,
others in does it not give you the opportunity to
grow the game in different markets, But also for me,
it's just the romanticism of the fact that even these players,
and you could ask them for Brisbane or for the Swans,
would have grown up dreaming of being at the MCG
on the last Saturday September.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
So I was with the Brisbane Lions yesterday and Chris Fagan,
the coach of the Brisbane Lions, actually said we'd love
to play them more. Yes, because their home grounds in Brisbane,
and obviously being an interstate team you don't get that
exposure to the MCG during the season, but he said,
we'd love to play there more.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Everyone loves playing at the MCG.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
The support you get there, the crowds you get there,
the atmosphere.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
It's hard to emulate that anywhere else.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
And we've seen that with some of the other finals
games this season where we speak of the GWS game
where the crowd was negligible, so I think it was
about seventeen thousand in a stadium that does hold.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I mean, you just.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Remember a Mason Cox at the start of the year
being like, is this a showground? Are they going to
be cows? Is there a petting zoo? Like he was
really taking the mickey because they had a maximum capacity
of twenty three thousand, And look, you can have a
great experience in a smaller arena as well, rely.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
But you've got to have those impassion fans yep that
carry it.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So outside of a few exceptions, the MCG has hosted
nearly every AFL Grand Final. There have been only eleven
occasions when other venues were used. And when you think
in recent history, you're thinking about the fact there was
one opt To Stadium COVID and then we're also thinking
about the Gabba COVID, and they're really difficult I guess
examples for us to compare the pair, because not everyone
(12:08):
wanted to go to a stadium when there was a plague,
and also that there was distancing and you didn't allow
home fans to travel, so you couldn't get into wa
And famously there are a few restauranteurs that still found
their way in and then found their way to jail
for Melbourne in order to go to OPTAs Stadium. But
you couldn't have that traveling pack of fans to show
(12:30):
their support, which also is what we've sort of seen
with gather Around, right, is that everyone travels to Adelaide
and what that does for tourism and sport in the state.
So I think what they're trying to do by putting
something like gather Around on and making opening round, opening round,
let's let's leave that. Let's see if that reads its
head again next year. Look. What they're trying to do, though,
(12:53):
is create these occasions in other states.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yes, because the game is growing, and.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
When you think about occasions like things like like the
ANZAC Day Game, MCG, King's Birthday, Big Freeze MCG. So
those bigger events are still held at the home of football.
That makes sense to me because they involve Victorian clubs totally.
And I think you know, there's been this argument around
the finals games and being able to host those games
(13:20):
if you're into state to get somewhat of an advantage,
But that's not happening in Melbourne with the teams here
that are making the finals, is it that's automatically gone?
All right, We're going to have them at the MCG
as well, which is where the commercial argument comes into it,
I think, and those big clubs like Collingwood and Richmond
that play their home games at the MCG have an
(13:41):
undeniable advantage. The other thing is that we need to
highlight here.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Let's be real.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
The AFL's current contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club is
locked in until twenty fifty nine. But is that a
contract allah player contracts that seem to mean nothing at
the moment, or is that a contract that we are
seeing some leaders from other clubs and Ely Sidney saying
how fair is this? Dom Mongmeia always puts a slide
comment in there just being like, oh yeah, because that's
(14:07):
not an advantage playing at the MCG all the time.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
It is an advantage. It has to be and that's
the thing. You can't really argue with that.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
And you talk about Collingwood being one of the big clubs,
and I think it was they played seventeen, sixteen or
seventeen of their games there this year. Like, that's a
huge number of games to have on your home turf,
And especially when you have games like Anzac Day that
are locked in in the fixture of being a team
like Collingwood, you have the experience of running out in
(14:35):
front of a near capacity crowd of one hundred thousand
people screaming if you come from any of the other clubs.
And also that as an appeal for players to want
to be traded to your club to have that experience
locked in. And I think the thing is a lot
of people look at that and go, oh, I really
envy clubs like Collingwood. I really envy clubs like you know,
Richmond or Carlton who have these fixtures locked in. No,
(14:57):
they're going to get to play those games. No, they're
going to get those crowds. So even when we look
back to the final between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorne
which was at the MCG because it was the only
all Victorian finals.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
So not a Grand Final, just a final, just a final.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
The Western Bulldogs their home ground is another stadium that
holds around fifty thousand people. They were the home side,
but that was held at the MCG, which is not
a rule that's enforced in other states. That's not what
we see in Sydney, right. But I think being here
and having access to the MCG, you just have to
accept that that's where the AFL wants to play these
(15:34):
big games because you're going to get double the crowd,
They're going to make a lot of money, and hey,
this is a commercial exercise. It is a commercial exercise.
And when you talk about those arguments for obviously for
you and I and little teeny boppers thinking god, the
MCG is amazing, the arguments for is the history and
the wealth of history the MCG takes with it, the
(15:54):
tradition if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's something
beautiful about knowing what Grand Final week is going to
be and having that consistency. But you mentioned capacity and finances,
so I went and found out the numbers because I
actually thought, wait, how many how many do these different
stadiums hold, and again something like Stadium Tasmania being built,
how many are they planning to hold there? So the MCG,
(16:16):
as we mentioned, just a touch over one hundred thousand.
The next largest is Sydney Stadium, which is out at
Olympic Park. If you haven't been there, dear listener, My god,
they spent six hundred and ninety million dollars on something
that has zero ATMOS.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Well, it is a long way from anything.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Ah. And also it's just not a joy to watch
sport there. Well, it's just hard to get to. That's
the other thing, and I think Sydney Olympics has a
lot to answer for. Again, it's an eighty three and
a half thousand capacity stadium, So from the MCG to
the next you're looking about a twenty thousand jump, yep.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And that is a lot of dollars.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Yes, it's also a lot of spots for the fans
who want these seats at Grand finals, which are hard
to get yet because there's a lot of commercial corporates
who get these seats in the round finals. So the
other thing is the fans are always complaining about how
we've only got this sort of allocation because income the
corporates for the Grand Final after not being there all years.
So that is a significant jump twenty thousand people. And
(17:17):
the next is Perth Stadium, which has built only recently
at sixty one thousand, two hundred and my brain when
they built that, it felt like they were extending a freeway.
You know, when you see all that construction and they
extend a freeway by one lane, and you go, why
wouldn't you just extend it by two, Like if you're
building a world class stadium and the highest capacity in
the countries one hundred thousand. Yes, budget has to come
(17:38):
into it, but wouldn't you build an eighty thousand seat
stadium if you ever wanted to be eligible to put
your hands up for these things.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Well they missed out on Taylor Swift.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
They did, and did they want at Speaking of which,
Katie Perry is now going to Adelaide Oval and they
have fifty three thousand, so they're number four. Docklands as
you mentioned, Marvel has fifty six, SCG forty eight, the
Gabba forty two, and then you find your way down
at Hobart Stadium, which is the new one that they're building.
And I understand this because of the population and how
(18:08):
sparse it would look in the regular season to have
anything bigger than this. But it's only twenty three thousand
that it can be able to watch a game at Hobart.
So when you think of arguments against ie why should
it move around? And you look at global examples ie
the NFL and what they do with the Super Bowl
in that they lock in a venue and it's a
(18:28):
neutral venue and you know that well in advance, so
fans can plan to travel there.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
There's stadiums that the curve ain't.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
That's steep in terms of capacity and what they can
really offer. Well, if you're not going to sell the seats,
I would understand. Yeah, but every year it's a sellout.
There's one hundred thousand people that come, and this year
with two interstate teams, it was still a sellout. So
that argument that the fans wouldn't travel, or that people
wouldn't come because you know there wasn't a Victorian side
(18:57):
that made the Big Dance, Well that's redundant. Could you
have things like the AFL Grand Final Parade in Brisbane,
I would argue, no, I don't know in the same
way that the NRL Grand Final wouldn't feel the same
if they held it here. I think there's a bigger
gap with that sport in Victoria because there's only one
team in the NRL that is from Victoria. Whereas obviously
(19:20):
you know the Brisbane Lines now they're the premiers and
they're one of the teams to beat in the competition.
But also you've got the Gold Coast Sons who are
languishing a bit further behind. Let's be honest, but you
have made an effort to create a two team town.
You've done that in New South Wales as well. Obviously
there's always been a good rivalry in South Australia and
Western Australia, so maybe that gives it a bit more sway.
(19:43):
Whereas you know, the NRL Grand Final this week Melbourne
Storm one team in Victoria, very successful team, but you're
drawing on people to support that one team only. And
I think we've seen a good success story in the
AFL of GWS coming through of the Sun's coming through,
where you're trying to expand those fan bases, give people
(20:05):
an option of someone else to support, and now that
they've been able to do that and grow the game,
that's why they're saying, hey, we'll give you a home final,
maybe not the big one, but we'll give you a
home final in a.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Stadium that holds twenty three thousand people. Not many, if any,
if any.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
But the game does need people that come out without
landish things, and we absolutely love when people just go, hey,
what about this? And one of those is Sydney Swan's
president Andrew Priddam. Now you may remember him as the
bloke that said we're the most popular team in the competition.
I do.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
I love him, I love him. He was like stuff Collingwood.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We've got two million fans, which as again as news
journals we go, we'll take that headline, thank you very
much and blow it up deluxe. And he doesn't care.
He stands by it. But he's someone that's come out
with this theory of going the AFL is throwing money
out the window. Why don't we have a best of
three AFL Grand Final? Is his suggestion that it could
(21:05):
move around to different venues and therefore showcase the sport
in different states. You make me do this week three times?
I am in the ground. That's a very selfish response,
but he's basically saying that you're missing out on forty
million dollars worth of revenue. His's his argument to the AFL,
and given Sydney's recent success in finals, that's probably why
(21:28):
he wants a best of three so they can eat
one where they choke and then hopefully come back and
prove why they're the minor prepers. But Caroline Wilson probably
put it best in her response to the.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Suggestion that we should have a best of three, Get
over yourself the Grand Finals at the MCG.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
What a brilliant competition to have those two clubs playing
at the best stadium in the land. Best of three,
you'll never die wondering.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Like I do agree with her.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
But I do love Andrew Pridham and what he brings
to the landscape. I think that he's so important to
have those people that keep challenging and keep asking questions.
But the next question is and I feel strongly I'm
a traditionalist.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
But I deeply believe that the AFL Grand Final would
be a better spectacle as a twilight game.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Ah. Yes, the old time of day debate.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
It has to be. It has to be.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I mean, if you're Katie Perry and you're coming out
onto the field on the giant duster buster is a
description sure, yeap, either or both great Australian things exactly,
and you're singing firework and you've got the Pirate tech.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
And there's no lighting.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
It's bright, the sun's in your eyes. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I mean I think obviously with a specky show, I
think if it's a little bit darker, it would have
looked better. But even being at the MCG like, forget
the entertainment because of course that's going to look better underlights.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
The Brisbane Geelong pre limb was perfect.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It was perfect with that five o'clock slot, Like, I
just think it's that time, and you know what if
it's less, be honest, if it's a broadcaster's fault and
we wanted at two o'clock, you're gonna watch all day anyway.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
The only reason I could think that there would be
arguments against is God love Australians, but we do love
a drink on Grand Final day, so how blind would
everyone be by the time I got to five pm
to watch the granny, and you're just saying, you know,
this has been a very long week. Can we just
start this already? The Melbourne Bulldogs Grand Final in Perth
that was in a twilight slot to allow for the
time difference, and that also looked fantastic. Every year they
(23:34):
defend this two thirty slot because it comes up.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I like a twilight fixture as well.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I agree, but I also think, you know, one of
the arguments they throw at it is, oh, that's really
family friendly having it at two thirty in the afternoon.
Everybody can watch without any dramas of it being too late.
You don't care during the season, No, you're prying your
eyes open to watch the end of a semi because
they're finishing at stupid o'clock.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Seven to four. Start.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Oh yeah, I can't stay what like Again, granted, I
probably have some some indurances with my villainy to stay
awake late in the third drimester, but I was trying
to nap during the daid to plan to stay up. Like,
if the AFL really want to make the argument that
they're trying to make it family friendly by not having
a twilight, you have to look at what you're doing
mid seas during the season for sure, and I do
(24:21):
wonder whether that will change because that comes up as well.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
But yeah, I like a twilight fixture as well.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I think there's got to be broadcast restrictions or preferences
that come into this, but yeah, I don't see why
they couldn't do it. People are going to watch no
matter what time of date is maybe clearly not if
it's too late, but I think it's also it probably
is about the teams as well, their movements. When can
they leave, how can they slink off like the Swans
(24:48):
did in deep disappointment? And well, I think something that
we probably haven't considered here is also the financial expectation
of fans. So the pilgrimage, and we do stories on
week about the fact that Quantus in virgin conveniently decided
that a flight from Brisbane or Sydney to Melbourne that
week is going to be exorbitantly more expensive. Then you
(25:10):
have to look for accommodation, which is again going to
be spiking. It's a lot more expensive for these fans
to have to travel into state to have the opportunity
to go, and that's a hindrance too. The thing is
it takes a lot of planning to free up grounds,
the size of the MCG probably even valid Sydney Stadium
(25:31):
in advance for events when you're factoring in not just
the AFL, but NRL concerts, whatever else is going on.
So you probably can't pivot that late on a game
of that magnitude.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And that size.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
True, it's probably going to be difficult to say, you
know what, oh man, a week out, it's too into
state teams. Maybe that means we should change things. It's
not going to be doable. That's the reality of it.
And I think the ex selling corporate spaces because as
you mentioned, a lot of people, particularly for a Grand Final,
which is why some people say that the prelims actually
have better atmosphere than a Grand Final because they're the
(26:06):
real fans, whereas a lot of corporate boxes have just
been sold that you know you're going to a Grand Final,
but you don't know who particularly you're going to see.
That's also something that I think a lot of the
fans when they have this argument, don't consider is just
how much is sold in advance. Yeah, a lot of
it is, And so yeah, the atmosphere is different, and
I mean there were i'd say good contingent of interstate fans,
(26:28):
particularly Sydney Swans fands there on the weekend.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
Oh, it was so sad.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You were sad. I know it was sad.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And you know the footage of them at the airport
on their return to Sydney.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
Can you imagine driving home?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
It was like a funeral.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Oh, in mourning, in mourning. But I think speaking of
a funeral, I think that this argument is dead. I
think I think that I don't see a way it
should be at the MCG until what was it, fifty
eight twenty four? Just lock it in, Yeah, lock it
in in our completely impartial, non Victorian opinions.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Hey, I like Queensland's warm.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
I mean, if you said to me, you can go
to Brisbane and escape whatever is going on in Melbourne
at this time of year, we were lucky we.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
Had nice weather, considering Sunday was horrendous.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Then yesterday or Sunday in the rain with the Brisbane Lions.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Anyway, No, the.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
MCG forever, may it stay, Laura. It is time for
our fun fact And this is me being a little
bit cheeky, because really I wanted to have two good sports,
but we're allowed to have one.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
We try to limit it.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
So I found a roundabout way of bringing another good
sport into the fun fact. So do you know what
the term medita means?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I do not.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So Medita is a Buddhist term and it means and
I love this sympathetic joy, being able to find happiness
in other people's joy and the person that there's a
term that you can just take out into your But
Oscar McInerney, has anyone ever been more impressive in a
Grand final week, and also in a Grand final without
(28:08):
actually playing, as an example to young children about how
you can be when you're injured. And we saw that
he had a double dislocation in his shoulder. That footage,
I can't watch it. He is so much pain his
face and the agony and the realization that he's not
going to be able to play in a Grand Final.
But it went back out there anyway. But the way
(28:29):
that he handled himself this week, the way that he
mentored Darcy fought in the lead up to the Grand Final,
he was just so impressive. He was, And those pictures
of him, if you didn't see them, hugging Darcy for
joy with such joy after they had won the premiership.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
He was so happy for him and his teammates and it.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Was earnest, it was it was this authentic joy and
I just went, oh, it was so impressive. It is
a a really nice lesson for people because I think
so often in competitive industries, ours is another example of that.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
You know, you're looking at.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Other people that get opportunities, you find it really hard
to muster up the well done.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
You know, sometimes it just falls that way.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Yeah, but in his case, it was a great example
of someone who just got some crap luck at the
worst time and you know, tapped his teammate on the back,
mentored him and then congratulated him on his performance. So
he doesn't get a Premiership medal. No, and I think
that's something that should change. All players that played in
(29:37):
the final should receive a medal. Yeah, and that's something
that I think might get some serious this example well yeah,
and you know what, it was the same last year
with Taylor Adams for Collingwood.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
And Taylor Adams again this year arguably.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Yeah. I mean, I think the saving grace there is
that they lost. Had they won without him, that would
have been really, really tough. Yeah, I agree. I think
he conducted himself so well, maybe the reality will hit.
Of course there's some sadness there, of course there has
to be. But I think the way that he for me,
(30:14):
I just think as a young man that put himself
out on was able to handle himself the way that
he did under so much pressure with so many eyes
on him, and it's what you grow up dreaming of.
And obviously the way that the Lions have supported him,
it says so much for their club and their ethos.
The fact that they had his guernsey hanging up. We
(30:34):
know they do the boxing gloves as they run out
and they all touch the boxing gloves. They were also
tapping his guernsey in the runout, and that had obviously
been part of the message. But what terrifies me is
I'm like, how motivated are they going to be for
next year to win him one? Yep, yep, nat So
let's get back there and do it again. Got some
great talent coming in as well. They're going to be
(30:55):
a force, I think sometimes and why we love sports.
It can be the example of the best in people.
And I think the moodita that we saw in Oscar
mac and there needs such a message for kids and
a message for everyone that you can find in yourself
in a really, really, as you said, cracky situation, the
ability to find joy.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
For other people.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Let's just hang that up in our office, shall we.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
App Yeah, I think we should.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I think I think we should also hang up the
mics for this episode. Thank you so much for listening
to Two Good Sports and iHeart production, Laura.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
Thank you as always for coming in. We've absolutely loved it.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Please follow us at two Good Sports Podcasts.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
We'll catch you.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Next week and where I'm sure it's going to be
a NRL. We've had our AFL stint. It's going to
be talking about whoever comes out on top in the
Grand Final.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
But until then, be a good sport.
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