Leading Western Australian sports journalist Digby Beacham ranks home ground advantage of three powerhouse sides going into finals.
Beacham joined Mark Stevens on Zero Hanger's The Outer Wing (brought to you by TabTouch) to debut all new segment "Diggers' list." For it's inaugural showing, Beacham ranked Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle on home ground advantage.
Beacham's ranking is based on fan power and enthusiasm as well as stadium capacity and historical precedent.
3. Sydney
The Swans' home ground is the Sydney Cricket Ground, located in the inner eastern suburbs of Sydney, with a capacity of 48,000.
While acknowledging all teams have a high home ground influence, Beacham ultimately placed the Swans at the SCG last on his list.
"Some will says that's ridiculous given what the Swans have achieved at the SCG and when that joint starts rocking they can be very very formidable." says Beacham.
"But I think off what we've seen and what we're about to talk about, Sydney is third for me."
2. Brisbane
In second place, Beacham nominates Brisbane at the Gabba or, as he playfully nicknames it, the Gabbatoir. The Gabba is located just outside of Brisbane CBD and has a capacity of 39,000.
"It's a formidable venue, it's a very daunting ground and it gets very noisy. But it's a ground that gets a little restricted in it's capacity, a bit like the SCG." say Beacham.
Stevens agrees, saying "It's impossible up there to win a final."
1. Fremantle
Taking the first place win for home ground advantage is Fremantle at Optus Stadium. The stadium is located just outside of Perth CBD and has an impressive capacity of 60,000. While Beacham acknowledges that Optus taking first place might shock some people, he stands by Freo and his ranking.
"There's an element of thirst here because the Fremantle fans are still waiting for that maiden premiership." says Beacham.
"When they get to September and hopefully host a couple of finals, Optus stadium is going to be a very, very inhospitable place to play football if you're not wearing purple."
