Sydney v Western Sydney - 30,103
Auckland v Melb City - 20,635
Macarthur v Perth - 3,441
Central Coast v Newcastle - 8,165
Wellington v Melb Victory - 8,254

Total: 70,598
Average: 14,120

Solid turnouts last weekend. Thoughts?

All this talk over the Sydney Derby in round 1. We were having this discussion 10 years ago when they kept putting derbies in the first round and the games always sucked. Back then crowd would come to round 1 regardless so the argument against them were stronger.

I think now we are in the position where we do actually benefit from a derby or two in the opening round… we just need those games to not completely suck.

One idea I’ve been thinking about is an approach similar to the AFL, where every single season opens with Richmond Vs. Carlton.. which has become an event in its self which draws crowds.

Our version of that could be say a Sydney Vs. Auckland match up to start the season every year, alternating hosting rights. Instead of wasting one of our prime Sydney derbies, we can MANUFACTURE (SMFC Mike heart attack) a rivalry which feeds into the whole NZ AUS rivalry.

I feel like this is a good medium.

Thoughts??

FT: 98' - Lions 1 vs 2 South Hobart

Stadium: Lions Stadium, Brisbane

Weather: 19.1°C, Patchy rain nearby, Wind: 13 km/h

Fixture Date: 18/10/2026, 06:00 pm AEDT

Referee: Unknown

Lineups not available

###Match Events:

28': ⚽ South Hobart - null

34': ⚽ Lions - null

35': ⚽ South Hobart - null

Match Statistics Unavailable

Last Updated: 18/10/2026, 08:06 pm AEDT

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