All eyes on me: A record low crowd witnessed the Giants lose to the Suns at Manuka Oval on Sunday. Photo: Gettty Images
Greater Western Sydney have admitted that a lack of ''local advice'' and little local history played a part in the lowest attendance recorded for an AFL game at Canberra's Manuka Oval.
Only 6832 fans watched the Giants' 44-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday, almost 400 fewer than the previous lowest attendance for an AFL home-and-away fixture at the historic ground.
The North Melbourne-Western Bulldogs game at Manuka in 2004 had held the record after attracting only 7222 spectators.
GWS chief executive David Matthews said that while they had hoped for a bigger crowd, several factors played a part in the low turnout. A four-day weekend around Anzac Day, plus two new AFL clubs playing each other, had caused the tiny attendance.
Only two weeks ago GWS drew their biggest crowd of 11,092 in Canberra when they played St Kilda. They beat the Canberra Raiders in a football codes' battle of the turnstiles by almost 1400 spectators after only 9699 fans turned up to Canberra Stadium to watch them play the Warriors later that day.
''We always talk about what a long-term development proposition the Giants will be … but when we play a side that's only a couple of years old, they're not going to bring many [fans] and our form hasn't been great,'' Matthews said.
''Other factors like an Anzac quasi-long weekend [also hurt us], so we're not overly concerned. We probably felt that's where it was going to end up.
''It wasn't going to be the size of the St Kilda crowd.''
The Giants weren't the only team to draw a small crowd on Saturday; the Brumbies managed only 12,517 spectators for their Super Rugby match against the lowly Western Force.
While not many Canberrans turned up, there was a large contingent from Narrandera to watch Giants debutant Zac Williams, including family and friends who came to watch the 18-year-old in his first AFL game. Williams said the moment he walked out on to the ground and ran through the GWS banner will stay with him forever.
He said it was an ''unbelievable feeling'' as the emotions and nerves surged through him before the first bounce.
''Walking out and seeing that big banner, because I've always watched it on TV and always dreamed of running through the banner with my teammates and hearing the crowd cheering and clapping,'' Williams said.
The Giants play their final Canberra game against the Western Bulldogs on July 6.
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