WHILST St Helens and Wigan may be wondering where all the spectators are for two teams who are giving terrific entertainment, it is worth looking at the Australian press to see how things are fairing down under.

The average gates for NRL is 14,372 which actually shows an increase on previous seasons but it can hardly match the massive crowds that Aussie Rules can pull in. They have got crowds in excess of 90,000 in Melbourne, 40,000 in Brisbane and 30,000 in Sydney, the latter two being Rugby League hotbeds.

The Australia versus All Blacks Rugby Union game at Stadium Australia pulled in almost 110,000, whilst for the Rugby League Anzac Test at the same Stadium a mere 30,000 were present. Yet Rugby League remains the most watched game on TV in New South Wales and Queensland.

Brisbane Bronco's average crowd is 21,237, well down on the 40,000 it used to get - that support now seems to have gone to the Brisbane Lions AFL Team. In fact, the top four crowd pulling teams are all non Sydney Clubs and Brisbane being the lowest.

As one letter writer in the Brisbane papers said when the Broncos could only get 25,000 for the play-off game against Cronulla: "It would seem that the average League fan would rather watch the game on TV than come to the Cup Match. There is no passion for the game any more, you come to support something you have a passion for".

He may have a point and that could well be the case for Wigan and Saints. The question is how do we get the passion back into these Towns for this great game.

TERRY Wynn MEP.