All to play for as MCG prepares for huge derby crowd

One of the most keenly anticipated Melbourne derbies in BBL history has players from both sides tipping more than 60,000 to fill the MCG grandstands on Sunday night.

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The match will be played almost 10 years to the day since the famous night the two teams drew an enormous 80,883 people to the 'G, a crowd total that remains competition's high watermark.

A decade on, with the table-topping Melbourne Stars returning home for their first match at the MCG since December 18, and Melbourne Renegades keen to snap a three-game losing streak, the preconditions are there for another big turnout.

"We love the derby. We look forward to it every year," Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis told reporters at Melbourne Airport on Saturday after his side arrived home from Brisbane.

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"From what I'm hearing, we're having 60,000 or hopefully 70,000 at the MCG. We've had one game (at the MCG) since the start of the season (so) I'm sure the fans would be happy to see us.

"We've had a good road trip, or a long road trip, and now we're back at the 'G for a while, which is exciting. Hopefully we string a few games together now and really cement our spot… up at the top of the ladder."

The Stars are sitting pretty with four wins and one loss at the midway point of their campaign, their only defeat coming at the hands of the Max Bryant-inspired Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on Friday night.

For the Renegades, things are getting a little tighter. They won their first match against the Heat in Geelong on December 14 but since then have lost back-to-back games against the Hobart Hurricanes and most recently Sydney Sixers, leaving them second last on the table and hungry to climb their way back into the mid-season logjam.

"They've had a pretty quick start to the tournament," Renegades tyro Jake Fraser-McGurk said of the Stars on Saturday.

"We've had a real slow start. It felt like we've had to start the tournament twice. We had a six, seven-day break, so it was a bit weird having that early in the tournament.

"But we're ready for them. We're mates with them. It is nice to see them playing well … but not for when we're playing against them tomorrow."

Fraser-McGurk, who was a child of the Big Bash era, aged only 13-years-old at the time of that famous 80,883 match in 2016, has made his mark on the Renegades' home turf at Marvel Stadium, but to take control of a match at the MCG in front of a packed house presents a whole different ball game.

"I don't think I really anticipated it (the rivalry) to be as big as it was when I first came in," he said.

"Seeing it firsthand on the bench early in my career, there was like 70,000 out there, and I was a bit taken aback.

"We played in front of 26,000 the other day at Marvel, and we thought that was a lot of people.

"I can't wait to get out there tomorrow. Hope we can get one up and put their season into a little bit of disarray with two losses on the bounce."

In a treat for derby fans, global electronic music icons Rudimental will take to the stage at the MCG during the innings break before reappearing for a post-game show in the stands after the final ball just after 9pm due to an earlier family-friendly start time of 6.05pm.

KFC BBL|15 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	7	5	2	0	0	0.187	0	10
2 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	6	4	2	0	0	1.32	0	8
3 Melbourne Stars Men STA	6	4	2	0	0	1.091	0	8
4 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	6	3	3	0	0	-0.786	0	6
5 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	5	2	3	0	0	0.202	0	4
6 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	5	2	3	0	0	-0.045	0	4
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	5	2	3	0	0	-0.636	0	4
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	6	1	5	0	0	-1.429	0	2

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points