Hey LV, other than derbys no they weren't filling it up. I have an old one on one magazine which I was quoting the less than 4,000 figure for the Giants from. Tigers and Magic seemed to do alright though, the whole lower bowel filled for some games looking at video, which I'm guessing would make about 7,000 people a game at least? The problem there was too many teams in one city and two teams playing games at a venue far too large which I'm guessing cost a high sum to rent. Then each subsequent merger killed some of the fanbase.
Re Anon, the Hobart v Tigers at the Cage comparison are different eras so not like to like. The Tigers were at the Cage in the mid 2000s, probably the worst era for attendances since the league went professional. The Victoria Giants and Razorbacks were bottoming out at crowds lower than 1,000 people back then. The Wildcats struggling, same with Adelaide, Sydney etc. I think the only team healthy then was Townsville.