In part two of our Q&A, Wire chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick focuses on matters off the field...

MT: I guess with all the work you guys do in marketing and social media, the on-field product has to compliment that doesn’t it? Ultimately, people won’t come back if they’re not liking what they see on the pitch?

KF: How we position ourselves in terms of marketing and social media will continue regardless of what happens on the field.

At the end of the day, though, the on-field performance is our product and that has to be aligned with our marketing.

It will impact commercially in terms of attendance of course if things aren’t going well, but we’ll carry on with our marketing.

MT: The crowd for the semi-final (5,627) – did that really shock you?

KF: I wasn’t shocked but I was really disappointed.

We were tracking the sales numbers day by day and we had an inkling it was going to be a poor turnout.

It’s important that we raise this – Super League set the prices and it is a Super League fixture per say, so it’s not included in a season ticket.

That has to be looked at and we’ve raised this concern to Super League.

It was there for everyone to see – it didn’t present well on Sky and we’ve put out a survey to get some hard data to present to Super League and tell them what the fans are saying.

It was one of the best viewing figures for a Thursday night game for months and the way it presented was not great.

We had a look at incorporating it into season tickets but it was a Super League fixture, so we were limited in what we could do.

That was reflected at Wigan the following night as well – their attendance wasn’t great either. It’s something Super League has to look at.

MT: If I wasn’t sat here doing this job, I’d be a paying punter like everybody else. My in-laws are fans too. Sell them a season ticket, sell me a season ticket…

KF: In terms of the on-field talent, we’ve had success.

We’ve recruited a marquee talent in Blake Austin and we’re complimenting him with another – we’ll have two of the best half-backs in world rugby league.

We’ll play a more expansive game and ask more questions on the field.

In terms of the matchday experience in Super League, we are by far the best in Super League.

When you come to the Halliwell Jones, it’s much more than a rugby league game.

You will make memories here – our slogan for our marketing campaign is “Memories Are Made Here.”

Without question, you’ll be walking away from the Halliwell Jones thinking “wow, what an experience that was” – whether that’s because of our top-line players or the matchday experience.

Right across the business, the standard will raise significantly.

If you missed part one of our Q&A, check it out here