Where barbs and jibes were once traded, on Wednesday there were only pleasantries and cliches.
The pre-match press conference for the Sydney derby used to highlight the animosity that simmered beneath the surface. Now the routine is indicative of a feud that is at risk of losing its edge.
Fading feeling: Josh Risdon and Michael Zullo at the SCG on Wednesday.Credit:AAP
The representative of Western Sydney was a man from Western Australia; his opposite, dressed in Sky Blue, hails from Brisbane. Neither are longstanding servants of their clubs and they told an audience from Sydney about the city's rivalry.
Wanderers fullback Josh Risdon and Sydney FC's Michael Zullo were all smiles and banalities ahead of a derby that is in danger of losing the feeling and spite that made it memorable.
Which might partly explain why Western Sydney Wanderers supporters aren't making the trip east on Saturday in great numbers.
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As of Wednesday afternoon, Sydney FC had already begun rezoning the away supporters' section to general admission seating following an incredibly low uptake of tickets from Western Sydney Wanderers fans. According to Sydney FC, barely 3000 tickets had been sold by the close of business on Wednesday.
At the derby's peak two years ago, when attendances tipped over the 40,000 mark at Allianz Stadium, the number of tickets sold for allocated Wanderers' sections hovered around 13,000. A late surge this week could see a repeat of that figure but, thus far, the trends suggest it won't come close.
Western Sydney Wanderers told Fairfax Media there will still be a large number of away fans in general admission areas. However, they have pointed towards a hangover affect from the FFA Cup derby three weeks ago as a reason why there will be so few of their 15,252 members travelling compared to previous years.
The venue might also be a factor, given the distance from seat to pitch at the SCG.
Results are another factor. Western Sydney have won just one of the past 14 derby clashes, losing nine times. A hint of fatigue could be creeping in, especially after a disappointing A-League season last year.
That has coincided with a slump in the number of broader Wanderers supporters, according to market research company Roy Morgan. The club experienced a drop of 19.3 per cent in fans in the past year, according to data released on Wednesday. By contrast, their rivals have become the most popular club in the competition.
“Off the field Sydney FC has emerged as Australias most widely supported A-League club with 613,000 supporters – up 11.7 per cent from a year ago following the clubs third premiership last year," Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine said.
While Sydney FC's supporters are set to flock to Moore Park on Saturday night in their usual numbers for a derby, their team is growing less representative of the region its fans hail from. Of their expected starting 11, just two are native to the city, Alex Wilkinson and Alex Brosque.
The remainder of Sydney FC's Australian players hail from cities such as Bundaberg, Gosford, Wollongong, Perth and Brisbane. The only likely starter to have progressed through the club's youth set-up is fullback Rhyan Grant, who was born and raised in Bathurst.
With the richest reserve of talent in Australia, the Wanderers fielded just four locals when they last played Sydney FC in the A-League. Depending on the final starting team, that number could be anywhere from three to six on Saturday night.
An expected crowd of 35,000 will suggest the derby is far from ailing, at least on the surface. However, the initial forecast was for Saturday's match to attract more fans than the all-Sydney AFL final (40,000 supporters).
Old protagonists such as Brendon Santalab, Graham Arnold, Tony Popovic and even Ali Abbas are long gone. The goalkeepers have swapped between the two clubs.
The A-League derby taps into a deep narrative that few other games in Sydney have. More than ever, it's crying out for one of those on show to display that.
Dominic Bossi is a football reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
