Rival BBL final bosses Jason Dunstall and Eddie McGuire are talking up a big crowd for Sunday's Marvel Stadium decider.
It will come two days after only 15,000 fans turned up for the Melbourne Renegades' semi-final win over the Sydney Sixers at the same venue.
That poor attendance again highlights the BBL's troubles, with the eighth season marred by waning crowds and TV ratings.
Dunstall and McGuire are confident the domestic T20 competition can rally quickly.
Noting that the number of games will probably stay the same next season, McGuire and Dunstall agree the season should be shorter.
McGuire, the Melbourne Stars president, unsuccessfully lobbied for the final to be moved to their' MCG home.
He and Dunstall, the Renegades chairman, are confident Sunday's crowd will be much healthier than the semi.
"It was disappointing, the crowd last night, no doubt about that," Dunstall said.
"But it's so hard to plan for finals because you don't know where they're going to be.
"The great thing about having the two Melbourne teams is we know we're going to get a good crowd now."
Dunstall also expects a better atmosphere at the smaller venue.
"It would be great at the MCG if we thought we were going to get 80,000," he said.
"But if you're going to get 45-50,000, here it will be jam-packed and the atmosphere will be amazing, whereas the 'G is still half empty."
McGuire, the long-time Collingwood president, and Dunstall, the former football boss at Hawthorn, have solid credentials in sports administration.
They supported Cricket Australia's controversial decision to expand the BBL.
"First of all you must have a bit of a go," McGuire said.
"They probably keep the amount of games, because the TV rights deals have been done, but we might truncate the season, play two games in one day."
Dunstall said he also preferred a BBL game on TV every night, with no gaps.
"People would turn it on regardless ... it was always on in the background," he said.
"Now there are a few days in between games and we're losing a little bit of the momentum we built up."
But their unity vanished when talk turned to Sunday's final.
"Jason has enough silverware at home, I'm just a humble reporter," McGuire said as Dunstall, also one of Hawthorn's greatest players, rolled his eyes.
Asked for the last time he remembered McGuire's humility, Dunstall shot back: "I'm still waiting."
Australian Associated Press
