This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Coach Says Worst NRL Crowd In 17 Years Was 'Big For Us'

You had to be flippering mad to go the footy.
Dressed for the occasion.
Getty Images
Dressed for the occasion.

It rained a lot in Sydney over the weekend. 257mm at latest count, which made for some soggy grounds out there. It was windy as hell too. So windy, in fact, that the Roosters vs Tigers NRL game at Sydney's Allianz was nearly abandoned at the last minute due to advertising signs blowing around.

But they played, and it was't the worst game ever. For the record, the Roosters won 32-18, but the number most people will remember from this match is 3622. That's how many hardy souls turned up to watch the Roosters grab just their third win of the season.

The only thing worse than losing is doing it in front of no fans.
Getty Images
The only thing worse than losing is doing it in front of no fans.

This was the second lowest crowd in the NRL era. The worst came in 1999 when for some reason, the North Queensland Cowboys played the (now defunct) North Sydney Bears at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. We begin our regular Monday weekend sports wrap with some pics of the game, and an upbeat quote from Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who wins our optimist of the week award for this comment:

"I was actually really impressed with the field. I thought the field held up well. It was in good condition to play. There was 3600 supporters here tonight. I think they should all get a medal for turning up today. It was a really easy day to watch it on television. That is big for us."

And the crowd goes wild... all two of them.
Getty Images
And the crowd goes wild... all two of them.

In other NRL news, the Rabbitohs got beaten in golden point by the Gold Coast Titans, which will sadden nobody except Rabbitohs fans, while Andrew Johns has slammed reports he introduced a culture of partying and gambling into Manly. The ladder's here.

There was a raindrop or two in the AFL match played on the Gold Coast between the Suns and Swans, where they also had a crowd snorkel guy. Snorkels, it seems, are the new scarfs.

In other AFL happenings, the GWS Giants have lost two in a row and slip to seventh on the ladder, but their weekend loss to Geelong was a tough high quality encounter which was probably the match of the weekend in any code. Stevie J played a great game against his old club. Sure, he didn't win but he reminded them what they lost. Highlights below.

Cricket! You just about forgot it existed, right? Well Australia is playing the West Indies in the Caribbean and things are going well so far. By the time you read this, we'll likely have chased down their paltry 116. The scorecard's here.

The tennis you've no doubt already read about, but let's pause a moment to consider Novak Djokovic's claim to being the greatest of all time. He's still behind Federer in terms of Slams won (12 to 17), but Federer never held all four majors at once.

Djokovic must now have half an eye on the "golden slam", which is all four Majors in a year plus the Olympic gold medal. Steffi Graf did it in 1988 but no man has come close.

Meanwhile, in a case of adjectival exaggeration, people are calling this celebration "epic". Is anything not epic these days? This was not epic. But it was good fun.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.