Dangerous

I actually think that playing Melbourne today, as opposed to say Parramatta, St George or Manly, potentially knocked 1500-2000 off the gate IMO. The Storm are a new club from an AFL mad area and I don't think would potentially lure the hardcore Aussie RL fan across to the Stoop.

Last year Manly were a big draw. A team with a long and illustrious history in Aussie RL. It was a much tougher sell but would have liked to have seen 4k this time. Hopefully, Quins will get another chance next year. Would love a game against the Dragons, Eels or Broncos.

No doubt playing Melbourne had an affect on the crowd, but I don't think its quite as drastic as knocking 1500-2000 off the gate. 500 tops, I would say. Last years game was a cracker, so why couldn't be build on it?

I disagree. Melbourne just isn't the draw historically to latent Aussie RL fans in the capital. Add to that the fact that news leaked out about Slater, Blair and Smith not playing. Manly had never played a game in the UK for 22 years. If St George, Brisbane or Parramatta had won the NRL title I believe that a crowd close to last year's would have been on the cards.

It is hard to guage success for Quins at the moment. I love the fact that Quins have a settled home. I love the fact that the side is the "most British" in SL. I love the fact that the young London kids are coming through in droves. The only thing missing is the growth in crowds and a tilt at the top of SL. I enjoyed my visit last week and will be back. Hopefully, something can be done to improve the numbers in 2010.

I don't dispute what you say. But the numbers don't lie - I don't think there were anymore than 2000 Aussies at the Manly game last year. Did you go today? How many Aussies would you say?

It wasn't available, there were still last year's "batman" replicas in the shop.

On the subject of our predominantly English squad and growing number of local lads, I was amazed looking through the Melbourne pen-pictures in the programme to see there isn't a single local man in their squad - they're all from NSW, Queensland or NZ (plus one from West Yorkshire!) - not a single Victorian.

Although outclassed I was impressed with our squad's attitude, teamwork and application, which were back to where they should be after the late summer malaise of last year.

I live in the Channel Islands so can't make every game. I'll be there for the Salford game probably. Just seen the tries on Sky Sports - the conditions looked terrible. It is also tough to follow a club getting 12,500 the day before.

Lots to think about. Hopefully, some of the young kids on debut would have enjoyed the experience.

"Salt-of-the-Earth QRL Supporter #1"

There was hardly an Aussie accent to be heard - a few Kiwis presumably to watch the Kiwi singer. Sydney doesn't like Melbourne, Melbourne dosn't like RL therefore we were well down, well down on the convict front.

I was surrounded by them!

Although TBF some sounded like they might be "regulars".

You find it funny to poke fun at someone that can't afford to travel to games anymore? I thought more of you tbh.

5 Aussies, 3 locals who ended up spending our money in China town today because we couldnt get seats to a game that had under 4k on the gate.

And you can seriously tell me this club is going places?

another non return...

Thats right, Rugby league is more foreign to melbourne that it is in london.

However, you will see things changing on this front with the development of their junior programmes and NYC team containing locals.

What does this mean?



Thank you.

from [url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26756144-23214,00.htmlMelbourne Storn tear through Harlequins 34-10 in London trial[/url

Is the purpose of this game to try and attract London's Aussie ex-pats? If so, that's just totally bizarre considering this has already been tried in the London Broncos days and failed, and presumably the Aussies already know about the club and aren't interested in watching weekly. Even if they were attracted and came regularly, it wouldn't really gain anything for your club, it would just be an artificial inflation of support for a brief period. I still don't understand why this game is played and allowed to interrupt the Super League season, or why you want to play it. To be honest, it just turns your club into a bit of a joke.

Let's be honest here...I know little or nothing about Rugby League and even less about Australian sporting preferences....but 3,600 is a disgrace....
Polish the turd all you like but guess what you are left with

Is it an illness?

I suspect it was to do with the two paras before

[iHarlequins coach Brian McDermott was satisfied with the way his younger players stepped into the void.

“Without getting too excited I thought they were pretty good,” McDermott said. [/i

“We've got some structures and systems in place as well as we look for what the individual can do and I think that lot kept the integrity about what we did today.”

Maybe he was referring to the systems and structures at the club which are nurturing and developing players to play first grade. SO they can assess individuals in a major game scenario. And "that lot" were perhaps the youngsters he was referring to.

That's how I read it all on first glance.

Didn't enjoy the game. The conditions didn't help. And the fact the Jumbox pie stall was closed was a disgrace.

These days it depresses me to read our boards!

I sometimes wonder if this is a haunt of depressives anonymus!
How odd for our kids to play St Mary's one week and the Storm the next? Keep the faith. It is going to be an odd season so prepare for another roller-coaster ride ups and downs ( a lot on here will prefer the downs).

Why couldnt you get tickets? If it was pay on the gate.

I wonder if those 12,500 were made aware of the yesterdays fixture.

I'd love to see the reaction of those working on the gate, asking for 8 tickets next to each other. I remember in days gone by they couldn't scramble a single ticket together for the East Stand claiming it was sold out, yet it was over half empty

You couldnt buy anything more then a single ticket online before the game. How is that anyway to encourage fans to come to the game?

This coupled with the news that there was only 1 stand open, why would I bring friends down to an embarrasement like this? I even had one poster suggest that all 8 of us buy single seats and sit in different areas. Great day out with friends while I look at the unused 12,000 seats by myself.

For a club struggling to put numbers through the gate, they make it near impossible to buy a seat in a stadium over 3/4's empty. No matter the results on the field, marketing, pr and press they get, making it impossible to buy tickets is not going to win you any fans. I would use the word amature, however I know of amature sports clubs that are have better operations, that would be an insult to them.