Support the Raiders. Pleeeease...

Tongue recalls “I remember the days gone by when you would watch a Raiders game on TV and the stands would be full”.

Why wasn’t he at the game and supporting the raiders?

Tongue recalls “I remember the days gone by when you would watch a Raiders game on TV and the stands would be full”. If I recall correctly the controversy at the time was that the Raiders were closing the stands on one side of the grounds to force people to sit opposite the cameras and make it look full.

It was also a much smaller stadium in days gone by.

Deano said :

JellyACT said :

Also, since when is a Raider an animal? Or a Storm, Titan, Cowboy, Red, Mariner, Steeler, Crusher, Berry or Warrior for that matter?

When they’ve had too much to drink! Boom. Boom.

Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week.

I walked straight into that one Deano.

JellyACT said :

Also, since when is a Raider an animal? Or a Storm, Titan, Cowboy, Red, Mariner, Steeler, Crusher, Berry or Warrior for that matter?

When they’ve had too much to drink! Boom. Boom.

Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week.

ant said :

Another one word: Superleague. That showed us that it was all just big business. Then they named the teams after animals, like the yanks do, so they can move them around easier. Bugger that. Had enough.

We do exactly the same thing. The Cats, the Panthers, the Broncos, the Bulldogs, the Bulldogs, the Hawks, the Roosters.

I guess an example of a non animal team is the Raiders…..of course the yanks have the Oakland Raiders…who have moved about 17 times now.

Doesn’t bode well for Canberra.

I’d support the Raiders but I’m a Storm man through and through. I do go a few times a year though.

Considering it was snowing in Ngunnawal at the time of the game, I’m not suprised not many people turned up. Maybe what we need in an indoor stadium. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen.

I like the Raiders, I think they are a good team. Massively underrated. The fact that everyone rates them wooden spooners is not helping their image. I really hope they make the finals this year to get back a bit of support. Canberrans are fickle sports fans. They only go for winners and as soon as their performance drops, so do their fans. Todd Carney hasn’t helped either. Todd is a very talented player and it took a lot of balls for the Raiders to drop such a big name player when their team lacks such superstars. The Raiders recent performances without Todd have prooved that they made the right decision though.

I am a Sea Eagles fan because I was born and bred in Manly, but what excuses do born and bred Canberrans have?

illyria said :

We take our kids to the Brumbies. Raiders….never again. Generally the experience is far more refined at the Brumbies, for example, nobody in the crowd yelling out “Get the f***ing ball you f***ing b**** c***, go f***ing back to bla bla bla” while their kids sit next to them taking it all in. And last time we went to the raiders people pinched our good seats and threatened to punch my husband in the head when we had the audacity to expect them to move. Security were all up at the bar area trying to control the drunken masses up there. This pleasantry was witnessed by all our kids. No….never again. I admit I am a football snob. People have to set their standards higher. Otherwise Todd and all his peers will just keep urinating on people in nightclubs.

illyria, i totally agree. When i have been to the Brumbies it has been a great atmosphere, yes, people getting angry at the ref etc but all done with either no or minimal swearing! Last time i was at the Raiders…i felt like leaving, we had young kids all around us who were loving the game but then we had teenagers around us who were drinking and swearing and carrying on. and when i walked around the other side of the stadium i could see the same behaviour so it wasn’t just our area. We had one family move away and sit in another area. Behaviour you can do without when all you want to do is watch your team play.

It makes me sad to read so many negative comments about the Raiders. Alas, some of them are valid. I love the Raiders and was at the game last week but had to leave before kick of (I won’t bore with details of why). Also, since when is a Raider an animal? Or a Storm, Titan, Cowboy, Red, Mariner, Steeler, Crusher, Berry or Warrior for that matter?

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot said :

Morgan said :

We lost our cricket team, where did the Canons go, and the Brumbies look like next.

I highly doubt that.

The ARU are aiming at having MORE teams in the future.

The Brumbies are defintely not next…there is too much support for them and would be a big backlash if they were to go. Besides, they still pull crowds even when they’re losing.

I support the Raiders, always have, always will. But i agree with what a lot of people are saying…it is just getting too expensive. And i am really fed up with the off-field behaviour of so many league players (not saying that other codes aren’t the same). Everything has gone up in price and some things have to go.

I’m also a little tired of hearing how underpaid they are and that their career is only 10 years etc. Come join the real world, where we get paid less than you guys do and some of our careers may only last 10 years as well…it’s called forward planning and taking some inititive in securing your own future instead of crying to the NRL.

As i said, will always support the Raiders as i was born in and still live in Canberra but until ticket prices drop i won’t be going through the gates in the near future. Not while i have to pay off a mortgage anyway.

We take our kids to the Brumbies. Raiders….never again. Generally the experience is far more refined at the Brumbies, for example, nobody in the crowd yelling out “Get the f***ing ball you f***ing b**** c***, go f***ing back to bla bla bla” while their kids sit next to them taking it all in. And last time we went to the raiders people pinched our good seats and threatened to punch my husband in the head when we had the audacity to expect them to move. Security were all up at the bar area trying to control the drunken masses up there. This pleasantry was witnessed by all our kids. No….never again. I admit I am a football snob. People have to set their standards higher. Otherwise Todd and all his peers will just keep urinating on people in nightclubs.

Veering off topic slightly what percentage of ticket money actually ends up with the Raiders as against the Stadium and/or local Gvmt. Is anyone privy to the inner working of the financial side of things?

It is so simple. Canberra people support winners. The Raiders might win more games than they loose, or close enough, but they aren’t winning the comp.

Morgan said :

We lost our cricket team, where did the Canons go, and the Brumbies look like next.

I highly doubt that.

The ARU are aiming at having MORE teams in the future.

The NRL is cheaper than going to Manuka to watch AFL. When they say there are 14000 people there it looks like 14000, if half the seats are empty then it must be 14000.

I was there last week and snow was forecast, but every other Canberra game this year has been over 10,000. In a city this size, and with the shit support Canberrans give to their teams thats pretty good. No wonder the AFL isn’t interested in us, Launceston gets more games than us at a third of our size, and Hobart gets test cricket, and its half our size. Wake up Canberra go to these games or lose live sport in our fair city. We lost our cricket team, where did the Canons go, and the Brumbies look like next.

It’s amazing how 14,000 at a Brumbies game looks twice as many people as the 14,000 at the Raiders.
Are the Raiders counting legs ?

I took my 3 kids (6,8 & 10)to the Raiders v Roosters $75 to get in, another $30 for chips & coke. Not a good investment for we Roosters fans.
That’s why people don’t go.
I’ll sit in the comfort (& warmth)of my home & watch it live on FOX.

The teams used to have their real name (Eastern Suburbs, Balmain etc) and then an animal nickname. Now the animal names are their official names. So the “franchises” can be on-sold if necessary. The players will be joining the actors guild next.

bd84 said :

If you take their word on the what looks like a creative attempt at crowd counting. I have a good chuckle at the 14,000 crowd they normally announce especially when you look around the ground and it’s almost 3/4 empty.

I don’t know that I agree with that assessment. On the 14,000 occasions the stadium is absolutely more than half full.

New Yeah said :

…young Todd has left a bad taste in many peoples’ mouths.

I see what you’ve done there, heheheee.

Cameron said :

I’m a season ticket holder and just about every game has had 11 to 14 thousand there.

If you take their word on the what looks like a creative attempt at crowd counting. I have a good chuckle at the 14,000 crowd they normally announce especially when you look around the ground and it’s almost 3/4 empty.

There are probably a number of reasons people don’t go including; the high price, they raised gate general admission by 50% this season for a team that were in the bottom half of the ladder, to take your whole family you’re probably looking at about $70+; people don’t go when it’s extremely cold or raining; and Canberrans don’t go watch any team of ours that aren’t winning premierships, the numbers just gradually decline.

ant said :

Another one word: Superleague. That showed us that it was all just big business. Then they named the teams after animals, like the yanks do, so they can move them around easier. Bugger that. Had enough.

The Raiders were great when the blokes were from our region, in from the surrounding country towns. Now they’re from anywhere, if the price is right.

The teams have always been named after animals? The game might have survived if it was still superleague, it needs money to be pumped into it and teams pumped out. 17 teams with memberships of 3000 people isn’t sustainable, it’s well on the way to death if it stays on the same track. But that might have something to do with it only requiring players to stop, start, throw, stop, start, throw, stop, stop, zZzZzZzZzzzz…

Oh come on! You cant keep blaming Super League. It was almost 10 years ago.

Another one word: Superleague. That showed us that it was all just big business. Then they named the teams after animals, like the yanks do, so they can move them around easier. Bugger that. Had enough.

The Raiders were great when the blokes were from our region, in from the surrounding country towns. Now they’re from anywhere, if the price is right.

football? if they didn’t have to put boots on, i wonder if they’d know where their feet were…

and does it cost that much? faark, afl is the people’s game, obviously. go, bite me’s son. hope he kicks a bag in his milestone! and camaraderie is a great outcome of youth sport, if not always translated to the seniors games on the teev

30 squid?? really?? i wonder what a-league games tix will cost when we get a side here.

PigDog, you sound like a KRuddn speach writer. The $50 you would spend at a Faiders game trickles down to line the pockets of these thugs that our kids are supposed to look up to. My 8 year old son is about to play his 50th game of AFL footy and is a big fan of some of that codes “stars”. All I can do is hope that he learns about the comradery, honour and dedication that team sports are supposed to promote. I don’t like my chances.

Well, I will be there.
However, I only go occasionally because of the price. $30 is just to much in my opinion – not quite sure why the Raiders can’t see that. How much to see the Aussie Rules/Soccer/Badminton etc when it is town? With people, apparently, up against the wall with the price of petrol (an extra $5 or $6 a week!), I don’t think they can throw this sort of money at entertainment.
Plus, once you add up a couple of drinks (even the soft variety), some chips or such, you are looking at $50 just to go see the footy. I’m an overpaid fat cat public servant with money to burn – I have no idea how working families can afford to go.

Neah.

And again …. No

What she said (No)

No.

I’m a season ticket holder and just about every game has had 11 to 14 thousand there.

Last weekend was freezing bloody cold and I imagine, as others have pointed out, TC had an impact on the people that chose to go.

I personally think it was a bit of a knee jerk for Tongue to make such a plea – unless he was expecting 15 – 20 thousand a game instead of the 11 – 14…

football – meh.

The games I have attended so far this season (vs Melbourne and vs Balmain) were reasonably well attended.

True, last week was a bit too cold and young Todd has left a bad taste in many peoples’ mouths. Perhaps people are also a bit cheesed off with Raiders management in that this latest controversy was in some ways management’s fault too – they could have sorted Todd out some time ago. Just perhaps.

I don’t think the rest of the team are social misfits though. At least not more so than any other professional sportsmen.

Too cold last weekend, I guess.

Plus, I think a lot of fans were over the whole Todd Carney shenanigans too.