Why A-League crowds are better behaved than NRL, AFL and cricket

How many fans were thrown out of the AFL preliminary final between the Sydney Swans and Collingwood at the SCG on September 17?

There were 16 evictions with one person charged and another handed an infringement notice by police for drunken misbehaviour.

How about the NRL semi-final between South Sydney and Cronulla at the adjacent Allianz Stadium that same night?

There were 17 evictions with no police charges but one drunken man who was trying to start fights ran off after police tried to detain him using capsicum spray.

How about the Wallabies-England Test at the SCG on July 16?

There were three evictions including a 31-year-old man who received numerous police charges after he climbed on the scoreboard then the roof of the Bill O’Reilly Stand to urinate.

This is actually a good image for the struggling A-League.

This summer, like every summer, as many as 80 fans are likely to be ejected during one day of Test cricket.

Now tell me this: how many fans do you think were turfed from Allianz last Saturday night during the fiery A-League match between Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers? Given some of the headlines, I’d say 30 or more.

Try six evictions with four men charged for fighting.

The weary issue of A-League crowd behaviour has popped up again after the first Sydney Derby was held at the new $828 million Allianz Stadium.

A crowd figure of 34,232 was posted but, according to those in attendance, it felt like more as the clubs’ active supporter groups — Sydney FC’s The Cove and the Wanderers’ Red and Black Bloc — found their voice and traded barbs at one another.

The following day, there was a sense of triumph about it all; not so much for the Wanderers but the A-League itself. The domestic league’s popularity has faded, but this spectacle showed it had a pulse.

Then, on Sunday night, Channel Nine ran a story on its 6pm bulletin reporting wild crowd behaviour along with shots of the Tibby Cotter Bridge, which had been graffitied by fans from both clubs.

Those who attended the event were surprised by the story. They witnessed little or no trouble on the night. Stadium staff and A-League officials reported the same thing.

Milos Ninkovic set up Kusini Yengi for what proved to be the match-winning goal on Saturday night.Credit: Getty

Nevertheless, the narrative about soccer fans running through the streets like lunatics was away and Bulldogs boss Phil Gould tumbled in. “Imagine if n [sic] NRL crowd did this?” he mused on Twitter.

Several people replied to Gould with sickening footage from the NRL’s Magic Round earlier this year when drunken fans had belted each other in the stands at Suncorp Stadium. Another posted footage of an MCG brawl from the match between Carlton and Collingwood.

Pigeonholing supporters is always dicey and particularly so with soccer because their fans believe the criticism is based on ethnicity — and much of the time it is. The truth is every sport has its dickheads.

According to the police and stadium officials, there’s a difference between the trouble found at soccer matches and other codes.

The Cove was in full voice during the Sydney Derby.

Rugby league, union, AFL and cricket fans will invariably be ejected for being punishingly drunk. Soccer fans are mostly sober but struggle to bottle their excitement. And, yes, they love a flare.

The real victim of A-League matches are the poor, defenceless plastic seats. About 40 were broken on Saturday night, although that’s nothing on the 200 destroyed during one Sydney Derby in the old stadium. The bill is always picked up by Sydney FC.

Is this the end of days? Not really. A-League bosses would be privately jumping up and down on their ergonomic office chairs with glee about what transpired on Saturday night.

The league has been in rapid decline for several reasons, not least its inability to handle the pressures of COVID-19. TV numbers last season were abysmal.

Mostly, it can be attributed to the smothering of active supporter groups in the past few years. While the behaviour from some active fans was disgraceful, the measures sanitised the sport and killed the best thing going for it: the diverse, vibrant, loud, colourful and passionate fans who follow the game.

Mums and Dads won’t save the A-League but their TIFO-carrying, flare-wielding sons bouncing up and down on seats alongside other young men of similar disposition just might.

There will be collateral damage. Seats will get broken. Traffic will get stopped. Tibby Cotter will get tagged.

It’s not right but give me a loud, enthusiastic supporter over one that’s blind drunk and itching for a fight any day.

Please, sort out the eligibility saga once and for all

First, it was Tonga. Now it’s Samoa.

The rise and rise of Pacific nations as rugby league powerhouses should prompt the ARL Commission to finally make realistic changes to State of Origin eligibility rules.

Under the current rules, players who represent tier-one nations cannot play for NSW or Queensland.

There’s growing debate about whether Samoa and Tonga deserve that status given their performances at the last two World Cups, although the indication from the International Rugby League is that won’t happen anytime soon.

Samoa won’t become a tier-one country anytime soon despite their World Cup success.Credit: Getty

Regardless, Origin eligibility - and therefore its standard - shouldn’t hinge on IRL decisions.

NSW coach Brad Fittler believes those who play in either NSW and Queensland before the age of 13 should be allowed to play Origin but also represent whichever country they want.

The idea deserves serious consideration. Under that system, Roosters lock Victor Radley wouldn’t have to decide between NSW and England as he has.

International and Origin football should complement - not compete against - each other.

Origin does more than rake in the big bucks. It turns great players into superstar players. Part of the reason Samoa has reached the final against Australia on Sunday morning AEDT is because many of its players have earned big-game experience at Origin level.

The ARLC should have addressed this issue sooner. It’s not like the influx of Pasifika and Maori players into the NRL happened overnight.

Some players have allegiance to the state where they grew up and their parent’s country of birth. Some also feel an allegiance to Australia.

Instead of finding ways to restrict players from representing the teams to which they feel aligned, the game should find ways to take advantage of it.

The NRL has changed. Origin needs to change, too.

Rennie’s running out of time

For the past two years, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has continually spat out the same line about judging him on his side’s performance at the Rugby World Cup.

Given the results this season - four wins from 12 matches - it’s fair to say Australian fans heading to the tournament in France next year should set a low bar. Or just head to the bar as often as possible. Both will work.

Australian rugby doesn’t have the luxury of resting players as Rennie did in the humiliating loss to Italy. It also doesn’t have the luxury of being judged on the four-year world cup cycle.

The code has become so irrelevant it needs glorious Wallabies victories, big and small, every time they play. Sure, a five-Test spring tour is tough, but you can only imagine Wallabies greats crying into their sugarcane champagnes when they read about “player loading”.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.Credit: Getty Images

Former Rugby Australia boss John O’Neill maintained rugby’s success was directly linked to the performance of the national side. Nothing was better for business than Wallabies victories.

Maybe Rennie will prove us all wrong. Maybe the Wallabies’ performances this year are mere tiles in a big, beautiful mosaic which, when finally completed, reveals Australia as the best rugby nation on the planet. Maybe I’m a unicorn.

But if his side loses to Ireland this Sunday morning, then Wales the next, RA must consider pulling the trigger on Rennie now.

Signing off, for now

This is my last column for the year. Let’s spend this time apart to work out what we really want from this relationship. Or hurry up and reject me so I can move on.

In the meantime, wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year that’s safe, prosperous and full of glorious St George Illawarra victories.

THE QUOTE
“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me.” — Manchester United’s cranky superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on manager Erik ten Hag in an extraordinary interview with Piers Morgan. I know I labour the Seinfeld references but tell me this doesn’t remind you of George Costanza trying to force the Yankees to sack him by driving around the car park with the World Series trophy in tow.

THUMBS UP
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield setting up a partnership to sell a line of cannabis edibles is one of the greatest things to ever happen to sport, perhaps the world. “Holy Ears” resemble the piece of Holyfield’s ear Tyson bit off during their infamous 1997 bout. “If I was on cannabis, I wouldn’t have done it,” Tyson said.

Anyone got a packet of Tim Tams?

THUMBS DOWN
Who cares if Victor Radley and James Bentley traded punches and/or headbutts at a pub near Manchester? What’s deeply concerning is England players allegedly playing knock-and-run on the doors of Samoan players who were asleep. I pity the fool who tried this on Junior Paulo.

It’s a big weekend for … Jarome Luai, who has inspired Samoa to the World Cup final against Australia with three man-of-the-match performances in a row. If anyone can cause the mother of all upsets at Old Trafford — setting Mount Druitt alight with celebration — it’s the Panthers No.6.

It’s an even bigger weekend for … Qatar, the controversial host nation of the FIFA World Cup with the opening ceremony and then match between the host nation and Ecuador broadcast on SBS at 3am on Monday AEDT. Fun fact: some supporters are staying in tents at $300 a night, such is the accommodation situation in Doha. Well done, FIFA. Nailed it again.

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