The scenes at Allianz compared to the SCG certainly caught the attention of the footy world.
Sharks fans have been called out for filling up fewer than half the seats at Allianz Arena on Friday night as the AFL got one over the NRL with the Sydney Swans playing in front of a packed house at the SCG. Braydon Trindall put on his best performance of the year, alongside a rejuvenated Nicho Hynes, as they defeated the Cowboys in Sydney 26-18.
However, fans were quick to call out the sad scenes at Allianz Stadium for an NRL finals game throughout the contest. The Sharks and Cowboys only managed to draw 19,124 supporters to the ground for the elimination game. While it can be expected there would be fewer North Queensland Cowboys supporters travelling south to Sydney, the turn out for Cronulla fans was disappointing for a must-win game.
There is plenty of debate around whether Cronulla should be able to play their home NRL finals games at Shark Park. The ground only has a capacity of 15,000 and the NRL want more fans to fill out the stadium for the big games.
Although for the NRL finals game against the Cowboys, they only manage a few thousand more at Allianz. The look was poor for the NRL with fans dotted around the large stadium. The fact the Sharks failed to fill half the stadium capacity at Allianz raised eyebrows.
Unfortunately, the NRL’s embarrassment was made worse with the Sydney Swans drawing a capacity crowd of 44,053 for their semi-final against Port Adelaide. The SCG was a sea of red and white with fans flocking to attend the spectacle.
Fortunately for Swans fans, an inspired Sydney team bulldozed their way to a 36-point victory to advance to the AFL grand final at the MCG next week. The Swans have captivated Sydney in 2024 with the club averaging more than 39,000 fans this year in their 13 games at the SCG.
While there are nine Sydney-based team in the NRL, which significantly dilutes the fan base, the spectacle for the Cronulla Sharks was a blight on the game. The code has enjoyed some of its biggest viewership ever in 2024, but the scenes in the NRL finals were embarrassing.
Supporters will now debate whether the Sharks should have played in front of a capacity crowd at Shark Park, even if it holds 4,000 less than what they drew at Allianz. Regardless, both NRL and AFL fans were critical of the situation on Friday night.
