ATTENDANCE The AFL had a record year in 2005 with total attendance of 6.76 million. The year also saw the highest round average attendance of 285,627 and game average of 35,703. 5/5 The NRL had a similarly record-breaking year with total attendance of 3.28 million. The round average attendance topped 113,000 and game average went above 16,000 for the first time. 3/5 TV AUDIENCE The AFL grand final delivered an average television audience of 3.4 million and a peak of 4.0 million this year. 4/5 The national television audience for the NRL grand final topped 4.13 million viewers in 2005. The match was the most watched television program of the year in Sydney and Brisbane. 5/5 SPONSORSHIP According to sports sponsorship measurement company S-COMM, the average major sponsor exposure value in AFL in 2004 was $2.6 million. The firm's 2005 Sponsorlink study reports unprompted sponsor recall for naming rights sponsor Toyota is 14.4% in the year to date. 4/5 S-COMM reports the average major sponsor exposure value in the NRL in 2004 was $1.5 million. S-COMM's 2005 SponsorLink Survey found unprompted sponsor recall for naming rights sponsor Telstra stands at 20.9% in the year to date. 3/5 INTERNATIONALS Aussie Rules is, well, Aussie, and although ten nations, including Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa officially play the game, it's hardly an international phenomenon. The closest the game gets to a true international is the International Rules series (a cross between AFL and Gaelic football) against Ireland. 1/5 Australia dominates rugby league globally, and it's not hard to see why. While 36 countries officially play the game, most are amateur. Eighteen nations have played in rugby league's World Cup but only two - Great Britain and Australia - have won it, with Australia winning the last six. The Ashes, ANZAC and Tri-Nations tournaments provide more interest, however. 3/5 SLEDGING Classifieds website cracker.com.au hosts a heated debate on AFL vs NRL. Web user "donaldtrump" says in support of AFL: "I know it takes a while for an NRL supporter to come to terms with it, but yes, the AFL is the only sport in the world that you get a point for missing. On the contrary, I'm kinda surprised NRL supporters have the brainpower to work it out." 4/5 On cracker.com.au, "bleedmaroonandwhite" inadvertently proves "donaldtrump's" case: "For those of you that think there is no skill, talent, fit player [sic] in rugby league, you are as ignorant and stupid and braindead as you thnk [sic] league pleyers [sic] are. they [sic] are 2 different types of fitness, jumping and skipping and all that sort of stuff my girlfriend did in primary school, and running hard, tackling, getting tackled and running while two 100kg men are trying to stop you." 1/5 AFL: 18/25 NRL: 15/25
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