GWS Giants make bizarre boast about shocking home crowd at AFL season opener against Adelaide Crows

GWS Giants make a BIZARRE boast about shocking home crowd at season opener as club continues to struggle badly for numbers – despite massive financial leg-up from the AFL

  • GWS Giants were seemingly happy with poor crowd
  • Only 8169 fans saw them beat Adelaide Crows
  • GWS’ social media team confirmed the poor numbers
  • NRL match on Sunday in Sydney drew 16,000 plus fans

The GWS Giants have been mocked by footy fans on social media after the team made a bizarre online boast about the crowd number for their season opener on Sunday.

Just 8169 supporters were in attendance at Giants Stadium to see new coach Adam Kingsley’s men beat the Adelaide Crows by 16 points on home turf in a thrilling contest.

It was in stark contrast to the NRL at Belmore – also in Sydney’s west – where the Bulldogs beat the Tigers in front of over 16,000 fans that afternoon.

When the AFL posted an image to Instagram of Giants star Harry Himmelberg taking a speccy during the win accompanied by the words ‘Stick this on your fridge’, one fan wrote, ‘What, with 5 people in the stands?’

That prompted the Giants to respond by bragging ‘8,169 people actually’ with a clapping hands emoji.

The GWS Giants have been mocked by footy fans on social media following a bizarre ‘flex’ surrounding the official crowd number for their season opener on Sunday (pictured, above)

Adam Kingsley's men beat the Adelaide Crows by 16 points on home turf but only 8169 supporters were in attendance (pictured, GWS captain Toby Greene)

Adam Kingsley’s men beat the Adelaide Crows by 16 points on home turf but only 8169 supporters were in attendance (pictured, GWS captain Toby Greene)

Temperatures soared above 34 degrees at Sydney Olympic Park, with the decision by the AFL to hold the first bounce at 1.10pm raising plenty of eyebrows.

With March typically the third-warmest month of the year in Sydney, staging a match with the sun at its peak was baffling.

And given the code has tipped an estimated $200million into the region over the last decade in a failed bid to gain ground on rival sports such as rugby league, Sunday’s woeful turnout would have set off alarm bells.

It didn’t take long for concerned fans to question the relevance of the Giants on numerous social media platforms.

‘How pathetic is that Giants crowd for the first game of the year – move them to Canberra,’ one said. 

‘Is the AFL looking at this crowd for the Giants home game opener?’ asked another.

‘That crowd was embarrassing,’ posted a third. 

GWS entered the AFL competition in 2012, armed with an upgraded stadium, a war chest of funds, draft selections galore, veteran coach Kevin Sheedy and former NRL star Israel Folau as their poster boy.

Brent Daniels of the GiantS finds space against the Crows in their season opening win played in front of a paltry crowd

Brent Daniels of the GiantS finds space against the Crows in their season opening win played in front of a paltry crowd

In their foundation days, $197million was earmarked for the Giants, including a $60 million Skoda Stadium redevelopment, $27million Blacktown complex and $10million training base at Homebush.

While they did make the 2019 AFL Grand Final, the club has not evolved to become a dominant sporting entity in the Harbour City.

This Thursday night in the NRL, the Eels host the Panthers in the ‘Battle of the West’ – which also doubles as a grand final replay.

It’s safe to assume the clash will draw a much bigger crowd than GWS did last Sunday – which speaks volumes given it is a school night.

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