Quote: RLBandit "Nothing puts bums on seats better than star players with skill,'"
It takes a lot more than a panto villian or a few star players to put bums on seats.
Of the 30 Professional Rugby League sides on the planet, the one packed with the most stars and skilled players is......16th on the list by average attendance:
Brisbane 33377
Canterbury 23572
Newcastle 20919
Souths 18904
New Zealand 17111
Parramatta 16803
St George Illawarra 16426
Wests Tigers 16227
Wigan 16,043
Leeds 14,948
Manly 14593
North Queensland 14415
Gold Coast Titans 14405
Saints 14,088
Cronulla 13234
Melbourne 12685
Sydney Roosters 12482
Hull 11,885
Bulls 11,761
Wire 11,430
Penrith 10858
Canberra 10190
Wakey 8,172
HKR 7,786
Hudds 7,709
Cas 6,633
Widnes 5,942
Salford 5,492
London 2,808
Melbourne have made a massive effort off the field for 2013....they are the defending champs and have made gains so far, but they wouldn't make the top 10 yet......and they are the Harlem Globetrotters of our game.
Star Players=Bums on seats?...Maybe in some cases in the short term they do.....but long term,it'sa risky strategy.
This year the Roosters have a show pony in SBW......but they have also marketed him to buggery and have increased their average so far in 2013 due to games against the 2 best supported teams in Sydney and Brisbane....let's see how they cope with Penrith, the Warriors and Canberra, as well as Penrith and the Gold coast.......he needs to increase their average by 2,500 a game for them to get their money back......he's on target to deliver,but when he's gone, will they stay?
