AFL match goes meat pie free for first time since 1897

No pies? Not even from longtime VFL/AFL sponsor Four and Twenty whose signage was always on the fence at the grounds? Makes a mockery of the famous 1970s TV ad campaign with the lyrics “I’ve gotta have a Four and Twenty pie before the game. Without a Four and Twenty well it wouldn’t be the same”. Ironic considering no pies at the GWS game.

The gulf between the organisation of the cricket and the AFL was massive. Seriously, it can’t have cost that much to cart in the replay screen for the day could it? You also would have thought that with a game kicking off at 6pm and the vast majority of people coming straight from work there was going to be a high demand for a drink and a feed. And maybe cater accordingly. Hotdogs I looked at seemed like they had been in the window of the van since they cooked them up at the Canberra Show the other week. Just poor all round.

No parking, no pies, no beer. Doesn’t tempt me in the slightest to watch anything at Manuka oval. I’ll sit in front of the tele and get free parking, all the pies and beer I want at affordable prices AND get to watch replays if I missed something.
I also won’t have to worry about getting wet if it pours, can go to the toilet without waiting in queue for 30 minutes and won’t have my children subject to swearing and being chastised by drunken immature patrons for wearing the wrong team’s colours [This happened once, my 8y.o. at the time was quite hurt by it – the mean bullies].

As for public transport, how about this one.
GWS Giants match Friday 8th March.
Action has free buses leaving Civic every 20minutes from 5:00PM. This equates to 3 buses prior to kickoff. If they have say 4 buses booked for this at 45 people per bus, that is 540 people that will be able to get to the game via public transport. What about the thousands of others? Will they become victims of the ACT Government’s new fund raising program whereby donations are made into little yellow envelopes?
Does anyone use the bus to get these events and how packed are they?
In my situation, I’d have to leave home at 4:00PM, catch two buses to be in Civic by 4:49, then wait for the one to Manuka oval to be there at 5:20. Then into the queue for tickets.

For a caterer that has the experience of Canberra Stadium, Parramatta Stadium, EPIC Floriade, and a number of major events, you think they would be able to get the queuing right (assuming that’s what the complaint is?).
As far as the pies go, I believe they were buying pies from Villis but they don’t any longer. I assume they also made the decision that it is better to manufacture food from components (higher margin) then just carry something that is heat and serve (lower margin due to unit purchase rate).

Really if the greatest thing we have to complain about is the availability of pies at a Footy match, we are alright. How was the game?

switch said :

dks00k said :

+1

Also, 40 minutes and $36 later for 3 Kebabs and 2 cans of soft drink….

Stop moaning. Have you heard about the waiting time at Brodburger?

I have actually.

Which is why I choose not to go there when its likely to be busy.

I also expect caterers at such an event to have their shit together and be able to churn out a reasonable amount of their product in a reasonable period of time.

resident_weevil said :

Are you pointing out the price of four hotdogs because they seemed expensive or good value? Seems a pretty good price for a hotdog. Maybe you should consider eating just one hot dog instead of four next time. It will be better for your arteries as well as your wallet… Probably a good thing they didn’t have pies by the sounds…

Note the child he was with; possibly more.

Are you pointing out the price of four hotdogs because they seemed expensive or good value? Seems a pretty good price for a hotdog. Maybe you should consider eating just one hot dog instead of four next time. It will be better for your arteries as well as your wallet… Probably a good thing they didn’t have pies by the sounds…

gooterz said :

As a friend said, there are two types of towns. Ones with fish and chips (meat pies and sausage rolls) and Kanab towns, Canberra moved to the later at the turn of the last century.

And what’s wrong with Kanab? It’s a nice enough town for somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Great scenery in the area though.

No, I didnt stand in the beer line i was with a kid.

8 year olds dude.

Manuka – tryin to be all progressive n shit.

Vili’s were selling them at all games last year… wonder where they were this time around.

Damien why not take advantage of this business opportunity?

As a friend said, there are two types of towns. Ones with fish and chips (meat pies and sausage rolls) and Kanab towns, Canberra moved to the later at the turn of the last century.

Canberra has never been an afl town, no coloured lime milk products have ever been sold in support of AFL in Canberra.

Meat pies are a well known peptide masking agent.

Who was playing again?

Did they limit you to two beer purchases at a time?

I could not believe it at the cricket when it was my turn to buy a round for the group of 4 I was in, I had to line up for 35 minutes and then was told I could only purchase 2 beers.

About an hour later they ran out of beer altogether.

Who the hell is in charge of the catering decisions at Manuka Oval?

dks00k said :

+1

Also, 40 minutes and $36 later for 3 Kebabs and 2 cans of soft drink….

Stop moaning. Have you heard about the waiting time at Brodburger?

Heresy!

+1

Also, 40 minutes and $36 later for 3 Kebabs and 2 cans of soft drink….

Fair dinkum…that’s just un-Australian!