Cricket crowd a good effort

SPORT

OVER the last few months of cricket throughout Australia, Test, one-dayers and T20, there has been plenty of talk about crowd numbers, especially in Tasmania. My opinion at first was disappointment at seemingly poor numbers for the Hurricanes and the T20 Australia v England. On reflection taking into account our population the numbers were pretty good. With about half a million statewide compared to Victoria with about 4 million, our per head of population count is pretty good. With the poor timing of midweek games as well that makes Tassie’s contribution better than at first glance. for our own AFL team. Gillon McLachlan like his predecessor continues to ignore Tasmania. Tasmanians have shown they will not travel for three to four hours to watch their team and attendance is at a critical level. New boss Trisha Squires is untested. I agree we should step back to the 60s and 70s, try to resurrect some of the famous clubs we lost and start again, minus the statewide league. The cream of our players will always rise to the top and gain AFL selection.

Make it great again

I WAS never picked at school in any football teams as I could not do the drop kick, but I am sure I would drop kick those administrators who thought up the idea and implemented a statewide competition. Recreate Hobart our capital as the centre for football excellence. Sure, help outlying districts, towns and cities develop, but they should be tributaries from which future champions flow. So do what most Tasmanian footballers want. As the US President would say, “Let’s Make Hobart Great Again” (in football achievements) and as the capital of our proud state Tasmania. opportunity to do something good for the majority of Tasmanians, not for the minority of art loving Mona-inspired few and 3 per cent of the population. We need an Etihad type stadium there so tourists and locals can walk to the football or cricket with ease and no stress. Getting in and out of Bellerive Oval is a nightmare. No amount of free buses will make it better. Please Mr Hodgman take some control of this situation. Let’s not make another huge mistake like we have with developing Bellerive Oval to the degree we have. It is a white elephant and in the wrong place. Ridiculous thinking by a few old men who wanted it near their houses. C’mon Mary Massina, do something for all of us.

Discerning patrons

THE healthy but not sellout crowd at Bellerive on Wednesday night is a sign of the growing maturity of the Hobart market. There was a time when Hobartians would feel compelled to turn up to any mediocre sport, music or arts event on the threat of support it or lose it. While a T20 cricket international is an attraction, it sits well down the list of events that might be presented, such as Test matches, Collingwood v Carlton, the Football World Cup, or perhaps a Rolling Stones concert. That 10,000 people attended is a measure of its drawing power, not bad but not fabulous. Enthusiasm was no doubt tempered by being a work and school night, and very low promotional spend by Cricket Australia. So in other words, it got about what it deserved. Well done, Hobart. Keep being discerning.

Safe water flowing

NOTE to Peter Gutwein: Stick to your day job. TasWater, though not perfect, is delivering safe drinking water to communities that have never had it before. That is not what I would describe as a bargaining chip for the election.

No junk mail, just knock

IN order to gain favour with a voter in the electorate you have nominated to stand in, I suggest you refrain from stuffing letter boxes marked no junk mail with your propaganda leaflets. Try knocking on the door and actually engaging with those whose vote you wish to secure.

Stiletto horror

I WAS really devastated to see that the Duchess of Cambridge found her stiletto heel trapped in a grate when she visited the Essex Addiction Treatment Centre.

Not proud of these values

READER Peter D. Jones has brilliantly exposed the hypocrisy of our “Australian values”(Letters, February 6). We sell military hardware to countries with terrible records on human rights. Should we be proud we are prepared to make blood money? Making money at all cost and inhumane treatment of refugees are not Australian values I am proud of. I know my fellow Australians are much better than this.