Bulldogs poised to overtake Swans as Sydney's biggest crowd-puller

Canterbury are closing in on the Sydney Swans as Sydney's best-attended football team, with the resurgent NRL club attempting to smash its home ground record for a second time this season.
The Bulldogs are hoping to break the record attendance of 65,305 fans at the 32-0 Good Friday win over South Sydney when they host arch rivals Parramatta in the King's Birthday weekend clash on Monday. The blue-and-white army has made its presence felt as coach Cameron Ciraldo's side has rocketed to top spot on the ladder at the halfway point of the season.
The Bulldogs are averaging 29,578 through five home games. It's a figure that would be higher still if Belmore Oval had a larger capacity and if monsoon conditions hadn't resulted in just 10,412 turning up for their last match, a 44-8 loss to the Dolphins.
The Swans are still the gold standard for attracting Sydneysiders, averaging 37,570 fans for home matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground this season – but should the Dogs' crowd on Monday pass 65,000, their average will jump to over 35,000.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon recently took a swipe at the NRL's claim it is the most-watched Australian sport, declaring: 'We only really worry about ourselves, and we measure ourselves on traditional metrics like people turning up to games.'
The AFL remains ahead in this area – although the Bulldogs are closing the gap on the Swans, who slumped to 14th spot following a humiliating 131-41 loss to Adelaide. If both clubs continue on their current trajectories, Canterbury's numbers through the turnstiles could outstrip the Swans' by the end of the season.
'There's no doubt in my mind that Bulldogs fans are the most passionate in Sydney,' said Canterbury chairman Adam Driussi.
'What we've seen this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our Good Friday game against Souths drew 65,000 people, and the overwhelming majority were wearing blue and white. That's the most Bulldogs fans to ever attend a single game – we wouldn't have had that many Bulldogs supporters even at a grand final.