SEARCHING FOR CLUES: Coach Michael Voss during the Lions' big loss to the Kangaroos in Melbourne on Sunday. Source: Getty Images
QUEENSLAND football's senior statesman Graeme Downie has raised concerns over the health of the game as the state's underperforming sides struggle to attract the public's interest.
Downie, chairman during the Brisbane Lions' era of premierships and later the mastermind behind the formation of the Gold Coast Suns, says the "buzz" has gone out of the game in Queensland.
Poor performances last weekend have put the blowtorch on Lions coach Michael Voss, who will coach for his career against Melbourne at the Gabba on Sunday.
And the heat will also go directly on to Suns coach Guy McKenna if Gold Coast lose to GWS in Canberra. "Both teams have been disappointing," Downie said.
"It is not so much where they are on the ladder - it is the way they are playing. Last weekend was a bad weekend for Queensland footy.
"The buzz has gone out of it to some extent. The Lions have been struggling for too many years now and they have lost a lot of support."
The code's showpiece in Queensland, the round 3 Q Clash, attracted a meagre crowd of 12,961 and a national audience of 83,500 viewers on the 7Mate digital channel.
But the AFL insists the code is in great shape in the north, saying participation numbers across the state have increased by nearly 10 per cent in the past two years.
LAND OF LONG DARK CLOUD: The Suns, led by skipper Gary Ablett, trudge from Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
They also argue the Lions and Suns are returning solid figures for 7Mate.
"AFL football is going from strength-to-strength in Queensland," corporate affairs manager James Tonkin said. "The recent Q Clash crowd was on target for more than 18,000 people, but the sustained wet weather unfortunately had a negative impact. Overall, we are very satisfied with AFL crowds and TV (both Foxtel and 7Mate) audiences in the state."
Downie, however, argues the game has been downgraded by the shift to 7Mate. "When it was on the main channel, it had importance, it was relevant," he said. "Now it is like the game has no respect. The TV networks are treating the local teams here as pretty unimportant."
Downie also has major concerns about crowd levels at Metricon Stadium and the Gabba. The Suns' best crowd of the year was in round 1 when 13,832 turned up to watch them beat the Saints. Saturday night's home game against Port Adelaide attracted just 11,332.
The Lions have also had a slow start. Their round 2 clash against Adelaide, a top-four side from last year, attracted just 21,038. Coming off the back of a strong finish to 2012 and a NAB Cup win, it was a letdown.
The corresponding fixture last season against Carlton drew 25,913.
Downie said it was an alarming trend. "Given the maturity of the game here in Queensland now and the quality of our stadiums, the crowds are a real worry," he said.
"The Suns are different, we knew it was going to take time for them to develop but we thought people understood that."
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