Illawarra Mercury
May 28, 2002
The Dragons will again review tenure at Aussie Stadium later this year and if they keep getting dismal crowds like last Sunday's attendance, then a venue change could be on the cards.
Only 9051 spectators turned out to see St George Illawarra take on one of the National Rugby League's glamour clubs, the previously undefeated Brisbane Broncos.
The match was the only NRL game in Sydney on the day and with the Swans having played the previous night and the NSW Super 12 side's season over, there was no other major football event within cooee.
And while the weather was not perfect, there was no rain and it was by no means a freezing day.
St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust would have preferred to have seen many more of the red-and-white faithful at the thrilling 28-20 victory.
``We would have to say that it was disappointing considering we were up against the undefeated leaders of the competition," he said.
``I think crowds across the game in recent weeks have been disappointing. We got 10,000 down at WIN Stadium for the Saturday night game against the Tigers the week before and it was the second biggest crowd of the weekend."
The joint venture board will decide the club's Sydney home base for 2003 in August. Kogarah Oval is not viewed as a permanent option by the club but one or two matches may be played there.
Among the other possibilities would be Stadium Australia or the Sydney Showground.
It is understood the Dragons' sleeve sponsor, St George Bank, is not entirely happy with the club playing at a ground which is under a naming rights deal with one of its rivals, Aussie Home Loans.
Doust said rugby league fans these days rarely came out in huge numbers unless matches were big events.
``There is a lot of competition in the marketplace. Sydney had the State of Origin on Wednesday night and then the Swans played on Saturday night. Getting people to attend games is a dilemma we in rugby league face," he said.
``It has got to be something that stands apart. We have a lot of competition for our dollar. Our Anzac Day event (against the Roosters) and the Charity Shield (versus Souths) were standouts and we got good crowds."
St George Illawarra's overall average home crowd attendances have risen six per cent this season to 12,884.
The figures at Aussie Stadium have dropped an average of 221 fans while the WIN Stadium average has risen by nearly 1100 due to the increased capacity from the new northern grandstand.
Average home crowds. This year - at Aussie Std: 14,036; at WIN Stadium: 11,732; combined: 12,884. Last year - at Aussie Std: 14,257; at WIN: 10,638; combined 12,146.