R23 V Sydney | Sunday 29th March | 5:00pm | RoF

Hmmm... Well, at least there's some options there....

Hmmmm...

I would actually back Dimairo and Blake over Riddenton. The kid has skills but he doesn't strike me as someone who has the physicality to play on the back line in the A-League.

We have been in a similar situation before and our stand-in fullbacks have been targeted, so I hope that, no matter who will play at RB, Ernie gives the RMF some extra defensive duties to give them a hand.

EDIT: Blake not Black!

I'd back Ridenton over Hicks in a back four. CubaDupa might affect crouds too, just realised I'm going to miss Brockaflowersaurus Rex which I was pretty excited for.

Good effort but I doubt the maybe anticipated 10K plus wont happen this time..probably next game.

Bad luck for the Nix to finally have a table topping team and playing great football and then home game time clash with the CWC final. Cricket really is the elephant in the room at the moment. Normally this time of the year is a quiet time sporting wise. No one is into Super Rugby yet. Normally  the big story now would be the table topping Nix.....however its all wall to wall cricket. We could have expected a 11000 croud this Sunday but with the Cricket and Cupa Dupa and rain forecast we might struggle to get 8000.

However not all is lost. We still have plenty of home games....the club just needs to get the good news story out there. Its going to be a great time to be a football fan.....the Nix run to the final. Then the FIFA U20 tournament

This is  nuts to play the phoenix game at this time, and it would be even more so if the Aussies get to the final too. I cant believe TV doesn't want the game started at 3pm as a warm up to the cricket

Has to fit in with Fox sports Australia.

As a broadcaster you would think they would want people watching their event on tv. This game will have the lowest ratings for any a league game this season on both sides of the ditch. An example of a broadcaster who wants to give maximum sponsorship time out is TV3 swapping X Factor from Sunday to Monday & Tuesday even though their target fan base wouldn't even be cricket fans.

Phoenix were away to Perth  simultainously with RWC 2011 Grand Final

So not expecting any scheduling changes.

Except it seems FOX are chasing some money down, and getting bad ratings for a Nix game surely fits that idea for them. "What do we get from the Nix" So who actually knows...

I don't know what Fox has scheduled on before our game, but my guess is that they are refusing to budge because the game is competing with the cricket. Whatever they put up against the cricket is going to get creamed, but they have to put something there and this is scheduled anyway. They might also be banking on a diehard core of fans who will watch football over cricket even if the cricket is the world cup final. Shifting the kickoff time would effectively be telling your viewers to switch to a competitor's channel once the game is done.

I think the answer as to why Fox dont want to change the kickoff time is as simple as looking at their tv guide.. There's no spot from 2-4 or 3-5 where they wont be removing another live sport (or a lengthy cricket buildup) to accomodate the Nix game. 

Fox do have the cricket as well btw

Yeah pretty unrealistic to expect Fox to move a regular season game, that will have probably the lowest viewership of Fox viewers this round regardless, to another time slot. If it were an A-League grand final on at the same time as a CWC final, thats another story ..

Watch cricket on big tv, put football on ipad

Problem solved

dbl post

I really need a lounge/hospo ticket lol

Ok, maybe not "need" but very WANT!

Fox Sports Australia does have the cricket world cup --- I have been watching all the games ---- and they are showing the final live as well.

I was relying on the ACC providing me an update on the cricket via ear buds. Alas, even that isn't going to happen. Heard on How-tacky that the ACC isn't able to commentate the game.

Fantastic Twitter trivia quiz questions from Piney for 4 double passes to the game. Great stuff.

Got to say, this is a pretty hard sell even to me. Of course I will go to the Nix, but when is the next time the Black Caps are going to have a shot at winning the World Cup? Most probably will be quite a wait till the next one. Won't be at all surprised if we only get 6k on Sunday.

How many teams could've realistically been in the WC final?

NZ, Aus, SA, India, Sri Lanka, England (lol), Pakistan?

I would LOVE it if, as a surprise, the Nix played in Black Caps shirts for this game.

Jumping on a bandwagon? ew.

Yes, the more people on the bandwagon the better. Embrace the bandwagon. Welcome people on board.

It is a good thing the cricket is on prime so I can watch the cricket on the TV and nix game on sky go on the laptop. As I will have friends around who only want to watch the cricket I will probably have to mute the laptop. I don't envy anyone who has to make a choice between the live game and the cricket. Because even for me Cricket World Cup Final for the first time > Phoenix game missing 6 players will still be top of the table if we lose.

Fox been an Aussie broadcaster probably thought we had no chance of making the final so thought it better to schedule a NZ game then as opposed to an aussie side against another aussie team... when they'd obviously make the final because they are Australia.

I used to play cricket and watch tests at the Basin and all of that a lifetime ago.

I've become very un-NZed in the last 10-15 years I think.  I don't follow it all now and have no interest - last time I watched there was this chap called Gavin Larsen (dibbly dobbly guy) who was good.

But I'd watch it over yachting or egg ball.

Or rowing

Mahe Drysdale is a national hero though. So ive been told anyway

For me its easy, Football > every other sport. I'll be watching what i can of the final, ive watched all of NZ's games so far, and even racing home shortly to lager up for Oz vs India...

But i just like football more.

Or Americas Cup yatching. Pete Montgomery trying to make it sound like a horse race. 

I like both, but this is the first time I've watched cricket in 4 or 5 years (can admit i'm just jumping on the bandwagon)

Am pleased that there is a lot of cross-code love going on, though; none of this code wars crap. Feel like football and cricket cross over quite often in terms of player bases. Both are sports more focused on skill than brawn.

Like Cricket ,  LOVE football so Phoenix comes first for me this Sunday then I'll race home for the back end of the cricket.

Predicting a 3-1 win. Smeltz for $ydney.Krishna , A-Rod and Siggy for us.

Fox are broadcasting this game as they do every A league game. The draw was done by the FFA not Fox Sports.

No 2nd game scheduled Sunday it is on Monday.

Such a bloody shame about the cricket.

Club is absolutely flying, playing at home for the first time in a while, deserve a big croud.

Those on the fence will no doubt side with the cricket over the Nix.

Deserve 12k+, will probably get the average.