The problem with NRL matches at suburban grounds
LEICHHARDT Oval was a picture for the Wests Tigers-Cowboys clash, but if the NRL want to pursue a model where games are played at traditional venues then something has to change.
NRL
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THERE is no denying it is a great night out at a packed Leichhardt Oval.
The walk to the stadium through the local streets, the diehard supporters dressed top to toe in Tigers gear, even the chill in the air lends to the atmosphere.
To park yourself on the hill with like-minded league fans like I did the other night and look around and realise you are part of a game that can galvanise a community is a great feeling.
But if the NRL want to pursue a model where games are to be played at traditional venues then something has to change.
The facilities at Leichhardt Oval would barely cater for 5000 let alone the 13000 that turned up to watch Benji Marshall put fellow legend Johnathan Thurston to the sword one last time.
It is pretty ordinary that fans need to queue for 30 to 40 minutes for a pie or a beer after forking out $35 at the gate to get into the ground.
Catering staff were stretched to breaking point at the food and drink vans on the hill as hungry and thirsty fans wanted to do nothing more than enjoy some basic refreshments as they watched their heroes get to work. Surely they can figure out a way to dish them out a little more rapidly.
Atmosphere aside, the ground struggles to cope and if the Tigers and NRL are expecting fans to part with their hard-earned then the least they can do is provide basic services for them. Even the big screen kept freezing throughout the game.
They just can’t rely on devotion to the ground and other suburban stadiums to get them through because the goodwill may not last.
Then again maybe it will, NRL followers are the most hardened of fans and will put up with pretty much anything to ensure games remain at venues like Leichhardt.
The thing is, if they can get the issues like the catering right, there is an even bigger future for the game in the suburbs.
The positive publicity generated off the back of these games is of enormous value to the Tigers and NRL. No other big code in Australia can offer an experience like it. It looks fantastic on TV, and broadcasters love it.
Next time a game is played there why don’t the Tigers board, Todd Greenberg and the NRL Commissioners join the throng on the hill and experience it for themselves.
They will have a great night but they will also experience the real frustration of the fans, and they are after all, the most important part of the game.