How the AFL and NRL kick their finals goals

AFL fans will outlay nearly three times the amount NRL supporters pay for finals tickets this month, despite total spending in each code on football-related activities being about the same.

According to a report from research and analysis group IBISWorld, AFL fans will spend $32 million on finals tickets leading to the grand final on September 25 at the MCG, compared with an NRL outlay of $12.6 million, before its season decider at ANZ Stadium, Homebush, a week later on October 3.

Total spending on travel and accommodation ($135 million), bar sales ($134 million), alcohol for home consumption ($64 million), sports betting ($53 million), tickets and consumer durables, such as flat screen TV's and barbecues, through to merchandise ($3.9 million) is similar: AFL $283.8 million and NRL $234 million.

So why the discrepancy with the yield from finals tickets? Both sports have a top eight, nine finals matches and the code administrations, rather than the clubs, set the prices and keep the ticket receipts.

But the AFL adopts a strict commercial approach to the playoffs, while the NRL rewards teams for their performance throughout the season, and fans for their loyalty.

The AFL finals system is designed to produce top-quality, close games, at big stadiums, with ticket prices aimed at the corporate market.

The NRL rewards top teams by scheduling them against lower-ranked teams, allowing them to play at suburban grounds with affordable tickets.

The AFL's first weekend of semi-finals saw a close contest between second-placed Geelong and third-placed St Kilda watched by 64,000 at the MCG, while 42,000 watched Sunday's thriller between the fifth-placed Swans and eighth-placed Carlton at ANZ Stadium, Homebush.

Collingwood's demolition of the Bulldogs, also at the MCG, and the one-sided win of the Dockers against the Hawks at Subiaco Oval in Perth didn't support the AFL's object of close contests, although 66,000 and 42,000, respectively, turned up.

The NRL's final eight system produces the perception of one-sided meetings, with games scheduled according to a team's position on the ladder after 26 rounds: first plays eighth; second versus seventh; third versus six; fourth versus fifth.

Next weekend, minor premier St George Illawarra plays the eighth-placed Sea Eagles at Kogarah; the second-placed Panthers will meet the seventh-placed Raiders at CUA Stadium, Penrith; third-placed Wests Tigers play the sixth-placed Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium and the fourth-placed Titans meet the fifth-placed Warriors at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast.

The NRL allows the home team to choose the venue for the first round of finals, meaning the Dragons have opted to play in front of an 18,000-person sea of red and white at Kogarah, rather than ANZ Stadium with 80,000 seats.

Why wouldn't they? After all, the Dragons hand the gate takings to the NRL, but they can possibly gain a share of Kogarah Council's revenue from food and beverage sales. And they haven't won a premiership since 1979. While Manly fans are notoriously poor travellers, had Sunday's Dragons versus Sea Eagles match been scheduled for the SFS, it's likely the crowd would have doubled to 36,000. At an average ticket price of $40, that's $720,000 the NRL has missed for treating the first round of the semi finals as if it were round 27 of the home and away season.

Wests Tigers, which play at three grounds Leichhardt, Campbelltown and the SFS have opted to play at the 45,500 capacity SFS, despite it also being the home ground of their opponents, the Roosters. Strangely, some fans have accused the club of being "greedy", although it does not gain anything from catering sales and is accommodating the Roosters' season ticket-holders.

The AFL's two games of the second weekend of finals matches will both be played at the MCG, while the NRL allows the winners to play at venues in their home cities.

This means the Titans, Warriors and Raiders could be playing at their home grounds, which have about a quarter of the MCG's capacity.

The AFL's approach to finals football attracts the criticism the code is too much of a business to be a sport while the NRL could be accused of being too much of a sport to be a business.