The case for watching the early game

The best seats, the shortest queue and a level of play that has a habit of surprising people who only ever turn up for the main event.

The early game is the one most people skip. It is inconvenient, it is often the younger or less established side, and the main event is the reason the ticket was bought. It is also, fairly regularly, the better game.

Part of that is the absence of caution. Teams lower down the schedule tend to play with less to protect, which makes for a messier and considerably more entertaining afternoon than a tight contest between two sides who both know what a loss would cost them.

Part of it is simple proximity. Turn up early and the building is a fraction full, which means seats close enough to hear the coaching, the bench and the reaction to a call that did not go your way.

It costs an extra hour. On the evidence of most weekends, it is the best value on the schedule.