View Full Version : Expansion NRL slams 'interlopers' from AFL
THE AFL has been branded an "arrogant interloper" after it tried to shift a Gold Coast rugby league match.
The match was scheduled to go head-to-head against North Melbourne's next home match at Carrara.
The AFL contacted Fox Sports six weeks ago asking the pay TV channel to prevent a Round 16 NRL clash between the Gold Coast Titans and St George Illawarra being played on the Gold Coast on Saturday, June 28, the same night North Melbourne hosts St Kilda at Carrara.
The NRL schedules its matches in blocks of about six weeks, meaning the time and day a team plays is decided as the season progresses.
Fox Sports rejected the AFL pressure and scheduled the Titans in their preferred hosting timeslot of 5.30pm Saturday, ensuring the two codes will have their first head-to-head Gold Coast tussle on the same night. The Kangaroos match, played 15km up the road, starts at 7.10pm.
The AFL plans to establish a 17th team on the Gold Coast. Revelations of its bid to strong-arm the NRL will do little to foster relations between the warring codes.
NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said: "I just find it unbelievably arrogant that they would do that. I got information that the AFL had contacted Fox Sports to try to make sure the Titans game didn't occur on the same day as the Kangaroos-St Kilda clash.
"The Titans' preferred playing day is Saturday and we weren't going to let them be pushed out of their preferred timeslot by interlopers, which is precisely what they (AFL) are in that region."
AFL spokesman Patrick Keane denied any attempt to tinker with the NRL scheduling.
"I've spoken to the guys who deal with our broadcasters and our CEO Andrew Demetriou. No, we haven't spoken to Fox Sports about what they do for the NRL with the telecasting," he said.
"We had programmed North and St Kilda on that day late last year, so that's all we're in control of. What another sport does has nothing to do with us."
But Annesley said: "I have checked with my sources. I'm not suggesting for a moment that Mr Demetriou knew about it but I have absolutely no doubt it happened."
Annesley said the NRL would not grant the AFL an armchair ride into rugby league's dominant markets in Sydney and southeast Queensland.
He said he was confident the Titans match would outdraw the AFL game, a safe bet given the Kangaroos attracted little more than 6000 at Carrara a fortnight ago, while the Titans have averaged more than 23,000 to their six Gold Coast matches this season.
"There is no doubt we would smash them head-to-head in southeast Queensland," Annesley said.
"The AFL are being aggressive with their push into western Sydney and southeast Queensland, and we're not just going to roll out the red carpet for them. I can assure you, we're not going to give them the clear air they are looking for."
Titans managing director Michael Searle said he was dismayed by the AFL's request.
"I just feel it's disrespectful," Searle said. "Who says the AFL have the power to shift an NRL team? When did they think they were such a powerhouse that they could affect such things in a state where they are a minority sport?
"It's a ridiculous display of arrogance. This will be the first time that the two codes have gone head-to-head so it's going to be a good litmus test to gauge the level of support for AFL on the Gold Coast."
Meanwhile the Southport Sharks yesterday threw their support behind the GC17 bid team, and became the fledgling AFL club's first financial backer by handing over a $150,000 donation.
**Cue AFL contra advertising to churn out a few fluff pieces on the Coast, pronto**
EDIT:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23790160-19742,00.html
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Pretty sure the AFL have pulled the Kangas games from the GC after the abysmal crowd which turned up last time.
Captain Afterworld
1 Jun 2008, 09:57
Can the OP please provide a link to the article.
Pretty sure the AFL have pulled the Kangas games from the GC after the abysmal crowd which turned up last time.
I doubt it. I don't recall the AFL ever changing match locations during a season. 2009 to when the Gold Coast club comes in though, who knows.
As for the "head-to-head" clash obviously the NRL game will outdraw the AFL game. I wouldn't expect the Gold Coast NRL team to be outdrawn by a match between two Melbourne AFL teams one of whom has, rightly or wrongly, acquired the image of 'turning their backs' on the Gold Coast. And as the Gold Coast will be getting an AFL team there is no reason for locals to rock up to this 'neutral' match to "show the AFL we want a team" because they are getting one anyway.
But I'm sure the NRL trolls and the anti-expansionists on here will try and tell us how it's all proof that the AFL's plans will go down the gurgler. I'm also sure those nuffies at League Unlimited will wet their pants at the figures and claim the AFL is doomed whilst ignoring the fact the NRL doesn't even exist in WA or SA and that it's sporadically on the radar in VIC but now I'm ranting a bit...
Seems as though the AFL is sporadic in Qld too mate.
And Adelaide whoopdy do. Who gives a stuff about Adelaide?
We'll have a team in Perth very soon.
I don't mind you lot putting another team in Qld, I just want to see you spend/waste millions on it.
Remember there won't be any Super League war to help you along this time.....good luck!!!!!!!!!!!:p
Heh, listen to them squeal.
I have no issue with what the AFL has done, if this is indeed true. There is no harm in talking with a partner such as Foxtel in order to request something. By the sounds of things, they certainly didn’t get aggressive about it. They asked, they were denied, end of story.
I'm sure the NRL would do the same.
Ice-Wolf
1 Jun 2008, 10:48
Heh, listen to them squeal.
I have no issue with what the AFL has done, if this is indeed true. There is no harm in talking with a partner such as Foxtel in order to request something. By the sounds of things, they certainly didn’t get aggressive about it. They asked, they were denied, end of story.
I'm sure the NRL would do the same.
That's if you can believe the NRL as they're the only ones saying it happened.
Captain Afterworld
1 Jun 2008, 12:14
Seems as though the AFL is sporadic in Qld too mate.
Well let's review the situation in each competition's "frontier states":
AFL
NSW: Swans games all shown live or near live on free-to-air TV. Daytime non-Swans games shown live on free-to-air television. Western Sydney club joining by 2012.
QLD: Lions games all shown live or near live on free-to-air TV. Daytime non-Lions games shown live on free-to-air television. Gold Coast club joining by 2012.
NRL
VIC: Storm games covered by Nine are broadcast after (except for finals) midnight on free-to-air. All other Storm games are not broadcast on free-to-air.
WA: No NRL team.
SA: No NRL team.
I think I know which competition is "sporadic"...
And Adelaide whoopdy do. Who gives a stuff about Adelaide?
You don't think the NRL should have a presence in the nation's 5th largest city?
We'll have a team in Perth very soon.
Doubtful.
I don't mind you lot putting another team in Qld, I just want to see you spend/waste millions on it.
Yeah, because the money in the Swans and Lions was such a miserable failure...
Remember there won't be any Super League war to help you along this time.....good luck!!!!!!!!!!!:p
You trolls still blaming Super League for all your problems? That's sad.
Cousin Jed
1 Jun 2008, 12:26
I have no issue with what the AFL has done, if this is indeed true. There is no harm in talking with a partner such as Foxtel in order to request something. By the sounds of things, they certainly didn’t get aggressive about it. They asked, they were denied, end of story.
I'm sure the NRL would do the same.
That doesn't sell papers or drump up controversy though does it. :p
FWIW I Agree. They also put a request to the NRL to avoid the Lions playing Colllingwood Friday night in Brisbane and Broncos playing NQ the same night earlier this year.
Funkalicous
1 Jun 2008, 12:44
Doesn't really matter. Only hardcore Aussie Rules fans that can stomach the Kangaroos will watch them play anyway. And I don't think the Titans playing down the road will stop them.
Personally I think the NRL want to go head to head so the next day the papers can write about it. They're hell-bent on branding our expansion as a war, so for them this is like a virtual battle. For the AFL, these 2008 games are nothing more than just a contractual obligation.
mediumsizered
1 Jun 2008, 14:28
You have got to love Michael Searle calling the AFL disrespectful. How disrespectful is a team that advertises on their website when the team will be departing the Gold Coast for Sydney this weekend ,& then sneaks the team down on an earlier flight to avoid the handful of fans that were waiting at Sydney Airport to greet their heroes? I'm told that one gentleman drove up to Sydney from Woollongong with his 3 sons (one of whom suffered from Downs Syndrome), with his boys decked out in brand new Titans' guernseys, to greet the players & get some autographs. You can imagine the disappointment experienced by these kids & the other family that had also made their way to Sydney Airport to catch up with the players.
This is what I call disrespectful, Mr Searle. In less than 2 years your team has lost touch with its fans. You are going down the same road as the Broncos, who lost a number of fans in the late '90s (many of whom started following the Brisbane Lions), due to the arrogance of the club towards supporters & the rugby league community, as a whole. Worry about your own backyard, Mr Searle, instead of telling the AFL, GC17 & the AFL community how to run their show.
littleduck
1 Jun 2008, 14:37
You have got to love Michael Searle calling the AFL disrespectful. How disrespectful is a team that advertises on their website when the team will be departing the Gold Coast for Sydney this weekend ,& then sneaks the team down on an earlier flight to avoid the handful of fans that were waiting at Sydney Airport to greet their heroes? I'm told that one gentleman drove up to Sydney from Woollongong with his 3 sons (one of whom suffered from Downs Syndrome), with his boys decked out in brand new Titans' guernseys, to greet the players & get some autographs. You can imagine the disappointment experienced by these kids & the other family that had also made their way to Sydney Airport to catch up with the players.
This is what I call disrespectful, Mr Searle. In less than 2 years your team has lost touch with its fans. You are going down the same road as the Broncos, who lost a number of fans in the late '90s (many of whom started following the Brisbane Lions), due to the arrogance of the club towards supporters & the rugby league community, as a whole. Worry about your own backyard, Mr Searle, instead of telling the AFL, GC17 & the AFL community how to run their show.
You are desperately willing the Titans to fail despite the fact they are hugely successful and the Gold Coast community have embraced them wholeheartedly as their own.
littleduck
1 Jun 2008, 14:38
If it happened its shows supreme arrogance from the AFL, and I dont think anybody can really argue against that.
We'll have a team in Perth very soon.
You already have . it's called the Reds .
And the last official NRL crowd was .........1710
Remember there won't be any Super League war to help you along this time
Official RL excuses
1 .SL stuffed us up completely and we haven't recovered .
2 .We play to our "heartlands"
3 . It's a television game - couch potatoes count as real interested viewers .
4 .The game is popular but the team isn't
5 .It's the Sydney transport system -
6. It's the weather - too hot , too cold or perfect for doing something else .
7. It's the media - too little media , the unfair media ,the negative RL media , too much AFL media .....Our supporters can't read the media (nice pictures though)
8. It's the lack of developement by the NRL ,ARL , NSWRL and BRL.
9. We're facing development from AFL , FFA and Netball .
10. That popular crowd drawing team is down .
11. That unpopular drawing team is dominating .
12. The mergers put people off , merged teams don't represent their region , merged teams are too powerful ..
13. Dropping South Sydney put people off and put more off by coming back and will lose the rest by relocating..
14. When they gonna build big stadiums at (below) .... the crowds will be enormous
a. Lang Park - now built , no excuses..
b. SFS - long time built not used much .
c. Telstra Dome - state of the art boutique stadium not used as too costly (low crowds)
c . Melbourne Olympic Park - latest holy grail for for crowds
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
15. The government won't finance new stadiums .
16 . Our stadiums are too big and look empty deterring more people - never more relevant .
17. When they gonna have double headers , triple headers ...we can then claim the one crowd for both games !
18 . The new pokie tax is gonna kill off the leagues clubs - never more relevant.
19 . We don't have the AFL's draft , management , development , clout , and aggressive approach to expansion ..
20. We don't have a decent game ,(but that's the least of our problems)
21. Sheduled against us was an another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL.......
21. We sheduled a game against another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL......
22 . There was a lot of sport on TV. ........golf , tennis , lawn bowls , motorsports , bowling , darts , WWWWE
23 .There was some good shows on TV .
a. Bloke's World returns
b. Iron Chef
c. Bert's big brother idol lost on celebrity dancing singing skating survivor
24. The report is not valid because it only shows interest not real support like ratings where the person
gets off his butt and ............ sorry where the person changes the channel on the remote .
25 .RU is stealing all our players and it looks like AFL is stealing our players as well and FFA as soon as they expand .
26. The recent WC is grabbing everybody's attention - insert most recent FFA/RU event maybe even the AFL International Cup .
27. The recent RL WC is not grabbing everybody's attention
28. You overlook the fact that 25% of all rounds are Origin-affected. While the focus of the season is on State of Origin football,
club football is adversely affected by the best 34 players either unavailable or backing up after State of Origin.
29. Canberra now supports two clubs .
30. It's a bluff because Canberra are renegotiating their stadium deal.
31. It's a bluff because the AFL want some publicity .
32. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Sydney in isolation - because they are pathetically low .
33. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Melbourne because they have no history there and because they are pathetically low .
34 The crowd looked and felt a lot bigger than the official pathetically low figure .
:thumbsu:cheers
.
Let's have a look at the top 9 cities by population in Australia. Number 10 is the Sunshine Coast. League is number 1 in this area. Granted it has alot of expats from the South which would help AFL.
Let's have a look:
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Perth
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Newcastle
Canberra
Wollongong
Now going by that list I make it league has 7 cities well and truly covered whilst AFL has 5. Perth will eventually come as they have started the process to be returned.
As far as Adelaide, a city with forecasted growth in the next 50 years of virtually zero. You lot can have it. What we lose there we'll make up for with FTA coverage and coverage in NZ and the pacific.
:D:D
Now I can see why the AFL is hurrying their expansion, because after the next TV deal we will be free of the shakles and self interest of News Ltd. So make hay while the sun shines AFL your days are limited. Don't worry Bendigo and Traralgon don't have teams yet;)
cos789, the Reds are not in the NRL yet, so you may want to clarify that.:thumbsu:
mediumsizered
1 Jun 2008, 15:04
You are desperately willing the Titans to fail despite the fact they are hugely successful and the Gold Coast community have embraced them wholeheartedly as their own.
But why are they regularly hiding their players away? This is the second successive week they have kept the players from Sydney-based fans & comes on top of an incident in March when they lied about the non-presence of a certain player at training, only for said player to be spotted in the car park shortly afterwards. This is an area where AFL clubs have it all over privately owned NRL clubs. AFL clubs & the players, know the importance of keeping in touch with the supporters, but just as used to happen with the Broncos (I'm not privy to their activities these days), the Titans are already adopting an aloof attitude.
FWIW, I have no desire to see the Titans fail, because the Gold Coast could not afford another failed franchise. I am more concerned about the hypocrisy of their CEO, who needs to focus on his own backyard, rather than telling the #1 football code in the country, how to do business.
philhawk
1 Jun 2008, 15:06
You have got to love Michael Searle calling the AFL disrespectful. How disrespectful is a team that advertises on their website when the team will be departing the Gold Coast for Sydney this weekend ,& then sneaks the team down on an earlier flight to avoid the handful of fans that were waiting at Sydney Airport to greet their heroes? I'm told that one gentleman drove up to Sydney from Woollongong with his 3 sons (one of whom suffered from Downs Syndrome), with his boys decked out in brand new Titans' guernseys, to greet the players & get some autographs. You can imagine the disappointment experienced by these kids & the other family that had also made their way to Sydney Airport to catch up with the players.
This is what I call disrespectful, Mr Searle. In less than 2 years your team has lost touch with its fans. You are going down the same road as the Broncos, who lost a number of fans in the late '90s (many of whom started following the Brisbane Lions), due to the arrogance of the club towards supporters & the rugby league community, as a whole. Worry about your own backyard, Mr Searle, instead of telling the AFL, GC17 & the AFL community how to run their show.
Actually, do you realise that it was John Cartwright who made the call for the team to travel down to Sydney earlier this week to curb their dismal away record?
Let's have a look at the top 9 cities by population in Australia. Number 10 is the Sunshine Coast. League is number 1 in this area. Granted it has alot of expats from the South which would help AFL.
Let's have a look:
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Perth
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Newcastle
Canberra
Wollongong
Now going by that list I make it league has 7 cities well and truly covered whilst AFL has 5. Perth will eventually come as they have started the process to be returned.
As far as Adelaide, a city with forecasted growth in the next 50 years of virtually zero. You lot can have it. What we lose there we'll make up for with FTA coverage and coverage in NZ and the pacific.
:D:D
You dismiss Adelaide, yet you claim cities less than a third the size as acheivements?
fairdinkum
1 Jun 2008, 15:14
Pretty sure the AFL have pulled the Kangas games from the GC after the abysmal crowd which turned up last time.
The stupidity... mind... boggling...
ringleader
1 Jun 2008, 15:21
Ahhhhh Demetriou is scared of the Titans. He knows no one on the GC cares for AFL.
If it happened its shows supreme arrogance from the AFL, and I dont think anybody can really argue against that.
I, for one, already have.
You are adept at gobbeling up anything the NRL tosses you.
You toe lines better than a tugboat.
cos789, the Reds are not in the NRL yet, so you may want to clarify that.:thumbsu:
The figure quoted was during an NRL game.
There is nothing to clarify. The Reds have been and gone in the NRL. Surely you are aware of this?
Can you get some proof of that mate? As I very much doubt that as being true. So you may want to correct it.:thumbsu:
You dismiss Adelaide, yet you claim cities less than a third the size as acheivements?
Not at all my dear friend. Just we don't need a team there just put the game on at a decent time and that will get a few 100,000 watching it. My list of cities was in reply to an earlier post, so I can see that it looks rather bleak for you AFL lovers for future growth but there is no need for naming calling...after all I hear Bendigo is quite nice in the spring;)
Can you get some proof of that mate? As I very much doubt that as being true. So you may want to correct it.:thumbsu:
Not at all my dear friend. Just we don't need a team there just put the game on at a decent time and that will get a few 100,000 watching it. My list of cities was in reply to an earlier post, so I can see that it looks rather bleak for you AFL lovers for future growth but there is no need for naming calling...after all I hear Bendigo is quite nice in the spring;)
Hang on a sec, you're saying NRL has more teams in key population centres, yet the AFL has no room for future growth? In addition to that, the NRL isn't interested in a city of over a million people - yet still has better growth prospects?
mediumsizered
1 Jun 2008, 15:41
Actually, do you realise that it was John Cartwright who made the call for the team to travel down to Sydney earlier this week to curb their dismal away record?
That would be the same John Cartwright who last week refused to let some Sydney based Titans' fans get an autograph from Scott Prince after the game, instead having him ushered onto the team bus by 2 security 'heavies' & when asked by one of the supporters for an autograph for a couple of kids, bluntly responded in the negative. What makes this worse, is that the supporters in question have known Scotty Prince for a number of years & are now encouraging their kids to follow the Titans because of Prince, but are being treated like crap, by an organisation that behaves more like a bad tempered rock group/celebrity, than a football club.
The Reds have been and gone in the NRL. Surely you are aware of this?
Deary me, you give up so easy, result of playing that characterless game like AFL.
Never heard of the Gold Coast, surely you are aware of them?:D
You seem a little rattled Rob, don't fancy Bendigo? Traralgon's not bad.
Tell me if I am retarded as you put it. Give me 5 cities that AFL can realistically grow in. Remember 20 million to run a team. Traditionally AFL has always monopolised their market.
Now fire away......................
You seem a little rattled Rob, don't fancy Bendigo? Traralgon's not bad.
Tell me if I am retarded as you put it. Give me 5 cities that AFL can realistically grow in. Remember 20 million to run a team. Traditionally AFL has always monopolised their market.
Now fire away......................
Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast. There's a combined market of 6-7 million people right there, all of which are cities with a clear AFL plan and dollars allocated.
What markets can the NRL realistically grow in? Melbourne? Probably not. Years of Storm success and free publicity via News Ltd have seen little impact. Perth? Nope. Adelaide? Definitely no. Maybe Wollongong. I'll concede that. :D
Professor Knowall
1 Jun 2008, 16:09
Why are we bothering with another Searle inspired fabrication from his bottomless bag of dirt. Just note the key part of that article -
THE AFL has been branded an "arrogant interloper" after it tried to shift a Gold Coast rugby league match.
... AFL spokesman Patrick Keane denied any attempt to tinker with the NRL scheduling. "I've spoken to the guys who deal with our broadcasters and our CEO Andrew Demetriou. No, we haven't spoken to Fox Sports about what they do for the NRL with the telecasting," he said.
"We had programmed North and St Kilda on that day late last year, so that's all we're in control of. What another sport does has nothing to do with us."
So in other words its just another desparate BS piece of anti-Australian Football propaganda and lies from Searle and his cronies, getting ever more desperate and devious in there campaign of misinformation and outright lies (straight out of the Goebells book of dirty tricks). Just shows up the lengthes they will go to protect there grubby money making scheme to fleece the Gold Coast residents of their hard earned.
As for 1908 - its all too simple really. The AFL is expanding. The NRL is doing what its lord and master (News Ltd) tell it to do - nothing, just trying just to hang on to its heartland areas that will soon be exposed with a far superior alternative to the N(ews)RL.
And we have no better proof than the fact the RL trolls spend all their waking moments at an AFL expansion site to see they know and fear the truth.
catters05
1 Jun 2008, 16:14
Looks like the best off field man in sport "Brian Cook" looks like heading up to build the Gold Coast team.
This guy helped build the super power West Coast, and turned around the Cats fortunes.
Should be interesting.
Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast. There's a combined market of 6-7 million people right there, all of which are cities with a clear AFL plan and dollars allocated.
What markets can the NRL realistically grow in? Melbourne? Probably not. Years of Storm success and free publicity via News Ltd have seen little impact. Perth? Nope. Adelaide? Definitely no. Maybe Wollongong. I'll concede that.
You've come up with one, the Gold Coast.....anywhere else, come on when the Melbourne clubs go bust in 2020 they'll need somewhere to put them and what about new content for the TV executives ie. new clubs more games greater reach etc.
You are already in Sydney and Brisbane, or are you trying to tell me you can put another team in Brisbane. There's as much chance of that happening as there is another NRL team in Victoria..........please..what was that term again started with r!!
You call me an idiot for ignoring Adelaide and yet you say:
Adelaide? Definitely no
Now who's an..........?
There are plenty of expats in WA, league WILL be there.
Professor Knowall
1 Jun 2008, 17:34
You've come up with one, the Gold Coast.....anywhere else,.......?
West Sydney is locked in (in case you hadn't heard).
Possibles for the future?
Tasmania
Perth (Mandurah?)
Newcastle/Central Coast
Cairns/NT
NZ
Albury/Wodonga
Canberra.
...There are plenty of expats in WA, league WILL be there.
Not at this stage, and very doubtful in the future - unless a Sydney club relocate. The NRL's lord and master, News Ltd, will certainly not allow any new clubs beyond 16 in number. And Perth was a previously a financial disaster last time.
Anyway, the NRL isn't in growth mode, but defence - Its main area of attention is to try and shore up its fragile "heartland" in the western suburbs of Sydney, with the signs looking more and more onimous thats it ready to crumble.
Originally Posted by 1908
You've come up with one, the Gold Coast.....anywhere else,.......?
West Sydney is locked in (in case you hadn't heard).
Possibles for the future?
Tasmania
Perth (Mandurah?)
Newcastle/Central Coast
Cairns/NT
NZ
Albury/Wodonga
Canberra.
Alburury? What didn't you like bendigo? Newcstle????????? NZ???????????:D:D:D Massive corporate support there.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
I really can't be bothered with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1908
...There are plenty of expats in WA, league WILL be there.
Not at this stage, and very doubtful in the future - unless a Sydney club relocate. The NRL's lord and master, News Ltd, will certainly not allow any new clubs beyond 16 in number. And Perth was a previously a financial disaster last time.
Anyway, the NRL isn't in growth mode, but defence - Its main area of attention is to try and shore up its fragile "heartland" in the western suburbs of Sydney, with the signs looking more and more onimous thats it ready to crumble.
Don't believe the News Ltd rubbish. "Fragile" again a ridiculous comment. Not worth bothering with.
Mate, league WILL return to Perth. Are you aware of exactly went wrong last time? No I didn't think you did.:D
But Annesley said: "I have checked with my sources. I'm not suggesting for a moment that Mr Demetriou knew about it but I have absolutely no doubt it happened."
EDIT:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23790160-19742,00.html
He's checked with his sources?
Well i'm convinced.
The person running the game probably doesnt no about it but he's sure it happened. They can't even work up some decent propaganda at the NRL, that's what happens when you let muppets run your code.
littleduck
1 Jun 2008, 19:45
The NRL's lord and master, News Ltd, will certainly not allow any new clubs beyond 16 in number. Why not?
And Perth was a previously a financial disaster last time. you know as well as I do they were victim of the ARL/SL peace deal to re-unite the split competitions. furthermore, you know as well as i do that despite some short-term financial difficulties, the foundation for success existed in Perth in terms of junior participation, a good standard WARL competition, and so it was a tragedy they got chopped. I understand any negativity towards RL in Perth for that reason. Giveth a team then taketh away.
Anyway, the NRL isn't in growth mode, but defence - Its main area of attention is to try and shore up its fragile "heartland" in the western suburbs of Sydney, with the signs looking more and more onimous thats it ready to crumble.Bollocks. The Gold Coast Titans are in their 2nd season and are a recent succesful expansion club. AFL has no equivalent recent succesful expansion club.
The stupidity... mind... boggling...
http://afl.com.au/Fixture/2008ToyotaAFLPremiershipSeason/tabid/11007/default.aspx
I'd apologise for being wrong, but WTF, noone else does.
mediumsizered
1 Jun 2008, 22:42
He's checked with his sources?
Well i'm convinced.
The person running the game probably doesnt no about it but he's sure it happened. They can't even work up some decent propaganda at the NRL, that's what happens when you let muppets run your code.
So Graham Annesley has to resort to the Caroline Wilson method of supporting his statement. You've got to love those 'sources'.
St Specky
1 Jun 2008, 23:04
Any bets the NRL deliberately put this game on the same day as the Kangaroos v Saints.
Glory and Fame
1 Jun 2008, 23:36
This is a total tangent, and may be worthy of a thread of its own; but inherent in this article is a clear difference between the scheduling of the 2 codes.
Both codes release their draws around October the year before. But the AFL's draw has every game with its date and time locked in; and the media schedules for the season are determined then. The NRL release the list of games, but it's not until a few weeks before the game that the date and time of the game are decided - and it's not the NRL's decision. Ch 9 select 2 games for Friday night and one for Sunday afternoon, and Fox Sports decide when the rest of the games are played.
I'd be interested in the view of some rugby league people about this - I suspect it could be a factor (although not the only one or even the main one but one of many factors) why the AFL's crowds are better than the NRL's.
From October the year before we know when our games will be; and can can buy season tickets or book flights for interstate trips etc with certainty of when the games will be. And can give friends, relatives etc a list of quarantined dates when if they want to have a wedding, party or whatever where our presence is required they know when not to have it. NRL fans don't have the ability to do that.
Is this something that NRL fans get pissed off about? Or are they happy with the current system?
This is a total tangent, and may be worthy of a thread of its own; but inherent in this article is a clear difference between the scheduling of the 2 codes.
Both codes release their draws around October the year before. But the AFL's draw has every game with its date and time locked in; and the media schedules for the season are determined then. The NRL release the list of games, but it's not until a few weeks before the game that the date and time of the game are decided - and it's not the NRL's decision. Ch 9 select 2 games for Friday night and one for Sunday afternoon, and Fox Sports decide when the rest of the games are played.
It's now on the list .
Official RL excuses
1 .SL stuffed us up completely and we haven't recovered .
2 .We play to our "heartlands"
3 . It's a television game - couch potatoes count as real interested viewers .
4 .The game is popular but the team isn't
5 .It's the Sydney transport system -
6. It's the weather - too hot , too cold or perfect for doing something else .
7. It's the media - too little media , the unfair media ,the negative RL media , too much AFL media .....Our supporters can't read the media (nice pictures though)
8. It's the lack of developement by the NRL ,ARL , NSWRL and BRL.
9. We're facing development from AFL , FFA and Netball .
10. That popular crowd drawing team is down .
11. That unpopular drawing team is dominating .
12. The mergers put people off , merged teams don't represent their region , merged teams are too powerful ..
13. Dropping South Sydney put people off and put more off by coming back and will lose the rest by relocating..
14. When they gonna build big stadiums at (below) .... the crowds will be enormous
a. Lang Park - now built , no excuses..
b. SFS - long time built not used much .
c. Telstra Dome - state of the art boutique stadium not used as too costly (low crowds)
c . Melbourne Olympic Park - latest holy grail for for crowds
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
15. The government won't finance new stadiums .
16 . Our stadiums are too big and look empty deterring more people - never more relevant .
17. When they gonna have double headers , triple headers ...we can then claim the one crowd for both games !
18 . The new pokie tax is gonna kill off the leagues clubs - never more relevant.
19 . We don't have the AFL's draft , management , development , clout , and aggressive approach to expansion ..
20. We don't have a decent game ,(but that's the least of our problems)
21. Sheduled against us was an another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL.......
21. We sheduled a game against another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL......
22 . There was a lot of sport on TV. ........golf , tennis , lawn bowls , motorsports , bowling , darts , WWWWE
23 .There was some good shows on TV .
a. Bloke's World returns
b. Iron Chef
c. Bert's big brother idol lost on celebrity dancing singing skating survivor
24. The report is not valid because it only shows interest not real support like ratings where the person
gets off his butt and ............ sorry where the person changes the channel on the remote .
25 .RU is stealing all our players and it looks like AFL is stealing our players as well and FFA as soon as they expand .
26. The recent WC is grabbing everybody's attention - insert most recent FFA/RU event maybe even the AFL International Cup .
27. The recent RL WC is not grabbing everybody's attention
28. You overlook the fact that 25% of all rounds are Origin-affected. While the focus of the season is on State of Origin football,
club football is adversely affected by the best 34 players either unavailable or backing up after State of Origin.
29. Canberra now supports two clubs .
30. It's a bluff because Canberra are renegotiating their stadium deal.
31. It's a bluff because the AFL want some publicity .
32. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Sydney in isolation - because they are pathetically low .
33. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Melbourne because they have no history there and because they are pathetically low .
34. The crowd looked and felt a lot bigger than the official pathetically low figure .
35. The Ch 9 and Foxtel shedule NRL games on short notice unlike the AFL that lock the shedule all games in October .
:thumbsu: cheers
philhawk
2 Jun 2008, 01:26
It's now on the list .
Official RL excuses
1 .SL stuffed us up completely and we haven't recovered .
2 .We play to our "heartlands"
3 . It's a television game - couch potatoes count as real interested viewers .
4 .The game is popular but the team isn't
5 .It's the Sydney transport system -
6. It's the weather - too hot , too cold or perfect for doing something else .
7. It's the media - too little media , the unfair media ,the negative RL media , too much AFL media .....Our supporters can't read the media (nice pictures though)
8. It's the lack of developement by the NRL ,ARL , NSWRL and BRL.
9. We're facing development from AFL , FFA and Netball .
10. That popular crowd drawing team is down .
11. That unpopular drawing team is dominating .
12. The mergers put people off , merged teams don't represent their region , merged teams are too powerful ..
13. Dropping South Sydney put people off and put more off by coming back and will lose the rest by relocating..
14. When they gonna build big stadiums at (below) .... the crowds will be enormous
a. Lang Park - now built , no excuses..
b. SFS - long time built not used much .
c. Telstra Dome - state of the art boutique stadium not used as too costly (low crowds)
c . Melbourne Olympic Park - latest holy grail for for crowds
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
15. The government won't finance new stadiums .
16 . Our stadiums are too big and look empty deterring more people - never more relevant .
17. When they gonna have double headers , triple headers ...we can then claim the one crowd for both games !
18 . The new pokie tax is gonna kill off the leagues clubs - never more relevant.
19 . We don't have the AFL's draft , management , development , clout , and aggressive approach to expansion ..
20. We don't have a decent game ,(but that's the least of our problems)
21. Sheduled against us was an another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL.......
21. We sheduled a game against another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL......
22 . There was a lot of sport on TV. ........golf , tennis , lawn bowls , motorsports , bowling , darts , WWWWE
23 .There was some good shows on TV .
a. Bloke's World returns
b. Iron Chef
c. Bert's big brother idol lost on celebrity dancing singing skating survivor
24. The report is not valid because it only shows interest not real support like ratings where the person
gets off his butt and ............ sorry where the person changes the channel on the remote .
25 .RU is stealing all our players and it looks like AFL is stealing our players as well and FFA as soon as they expand .
26. The recent WC is grabbing everybody's attention - insert most recent FFA/RU event maybe even the AFL International Cup .
27. The recent RL WC is not grabbing everybody's attention
28. You overlook the fact that 25% of all rounds are Origin-affected. While the focus of the season is on State of Origin football,
club football is adversely affected by the best 34 players either unavailable or backing up after State of Origin.
29. Canberra now supports two clubs .
30. It's a bluff because Canberra are renegotiating their stadium deal.
31. It's a bluff because the AFL want some publicity .
32. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Sydney in isolation - because they are pathetically low .
33. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Melbourne because they have no history there and because they are pathetically low .
34. The crowd looked and felt a lot bigger than the official pathetically low figure .
35. The Ch 9 and Foxtel shedule NRL games on short notice unlike the AFL that lock the shedule all games in October .
:thumbsu: cheers
You really have nothing better to do, eh?
ParraEelsNRL
2 Jun 2008, 03:04
I'd be interested in the view of some rugby league people about this - I suspect it could be a factor (although not the only one or even the main one but one of many factors) why the AFL's crowds are better than the NRL's.
From October the year before we know when our games will be; and can can buy season tickets or book flights for interstate trips etc with certainty of when the games will be. And can give friends, relatives etc a list of quarantined dates when if they want to have a wedding, party or whatever where our presence is required they know when not to have it. NRL fans don't have the ability to do that.
Is this something that NRL fans get pissed off about? Or are they happy with the current system?
It would help heaps.
RL's real heartlands are in the bush, these people don't get the chance to go to many games as 9 chop and change times and generally play god.
If they could fix this up, the country fans could work out which games they could attend, as it is, not many can drive down, watch a game with the family and get home in the early hours of the morning, or pay money they can't afford on motels, food, petrol and other stuff.
The sooner 9 and news get out of RL and stop ruining it, the better, they both are cancers on sport.
By the time the TV contract signed after the next one comes around, the landscape for watching sport will be completely different, everything these two companies have done to RL over the last 13 years could and should come back to bite both of them on the arse.
Humans have long memories and if 1 of this new generation makes a motza of money and is a huge fan of RL, they could very well decide to do a rupert/packer on these arseclowns.
Australia def needs more FTA and Pay TV stations to get up and running so these 2 networks can't keep their monopoly.
It's now on the list .
You truly are a fukcing knob
Let's have a look at the top 9 cities by population in Australia. Number 10 is the Sunshine Coast. League is number 1 in this area. Granted it has alot of expats from the South which would help AFL.
Let's have a look:
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Perth
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Newcastle
Canberra
Wollongong
Now going by that list I make it league has 7 cities well and truly covered whilst AFL has 5. Perth will eventually come as they have started the process to be returned.
As far as Adelaide, a city with forecasted growth in the next 50 years of virtually zero. You lot can have it. What we lose there we'll make up for with FTA coverage and coverage in NZ and the pacific.
:D:D
It must hurt you that despite all that Aussie Rules is still clearly the number 1 code in the country
:D:D
SwampCreature
2 Jun 2008, 12:59
RL's real heartlands are in the bush, these people don't get the chance to go to many games as 9 chop and change times and generally play god.
This also needs adding to the list cosy
THRILLHO
2 Jun 2008, 13:34
West Sydney is locked in (in case you hadn't heard).
Possibles for the future?
Tasmania
Perth (Mandurah?)
Newcastle/Central Coast
Cairns/NT
NZ
Albury/Wodonga
Canberra.
As Ive said before, Albury / Wodonga is a long way off being able to support a VFL side, let alone an AFL side. The infrastructure just isnt there, neither is the corporate support, nor the population.
Any bets the NRL deliberately put this game on the same day as the Kangaroos v Saints.
They would have been stupid not to. Gives them the chance for a bit of a cheap dig at the AFL. The last time the Roos played on the Gold Coast the Sun-Herald ran with the 6000k crowd figure story and how disappointing it was et cetera. Of course, they conveniently forgot to mention that the St. George and Melbourne game at ANZ on the same night only drew four hundred people more.
:rolleyes:
This also needs adding to the list cosy
It's now ............... on the list
Official RL excuses
1 .SL stuffed us up completely and we haven't recovered .
2 .We play to our "heartlands"
3 . It's a television game - couch potatoes count as real interested viewers .
4 .The game is popular but the team isn't
5 .It's the Sydney transport system -
6. It's the weather - too hot , too cold or perfect for doing something else .
7. It's the media - too little media , the unfair media ,the negative RL media , too much AFL media .....Our supporters can't read the media (nice pictures though)
8. It's the lack of developement by the NRL ,ARL , NSWRL and BRL.
9. We're facing development from AFL , FFA and Netball .
10. That popular crowd drawing team is down .
11. That unpopular drawing team is dominating .
12. The mergers put people off , merged teams don't represent their region , merged teams are too powerful ..
13. Dropping South Sydney put people off and put more off by coming back and will lose the rest by relocating..
14. When they gonna build big stadiums at (below) .... the crowds will be enormous
a. Lang Park - now built , no excuses..
b. SFS - long time built not used much .
c. Telstra Dome - state of the art boutique stadium not used as too costly (low crowds)
c . Melbourne Olympic Park - latest holy grail for for crowds
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
15. The government won't finance new stadiums .
16 . Our stadiums are too big and look empty deterring more people - never more relevant .
17. When they gonna have double headers , triple headers ...we can then claim the one crowd for both games !
18 . The new pokie tax is gonna kill off the leagues clubs - never more relevant.
19 . We don't have the AFL's draft , management , development , clout , and aggressive approach to expansion ..
20. We don't have a decent game ,(but that's the least of our problems)
21. Sheduled against us was an another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL.......
21. We sheduled a game against another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL......
22 . There was a lot of sport on TV. ........golf , tennis , lawn bowls , motorsports , bowling , darts , WWWWE
23 .There was some good shows on TV .
a. Bloke's World returns
b. Iron Chef
c. Bert's big brother idol lost on celebrity dancing singing skating survivor
24. The report is not valid because it only shows interest not real support like ratings where the person
gets off his butt and ............ sorry where the person changes the channel on the remote .
25 .RU is stealing all our players and it looks like AFL is stealing our players as well and FFA as soon as they expand .
26. The recent WC is grabbing everybody's attention - insert most recent FFA/RU event maybe even the AFL International Cup .
27. The recent RL WC is not grabbing everybody's attention
28. You overlook the fact that 25% of all rounds are Origin-affected. While the focus of the season is on State of Origin football,
club football is adversely affected by the best 34 players either unavailable or backing up after State of Origin.
29. Canberra now supports two clubs .
30. It's a bluff because Canberra are renegotiating their stadium deal.
31. It's a bluff because the AFL want some publicity .
32. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Sydney in isolation - because they are pathetically low .
33. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Melbourne because they have no history there and because they are pathetically low .
34. The crowd looked and felt a lot bigger than the official pathetically low figure .
35. The Ch 9 and Foxtel shedule NRL games on short notice unlike the AFL that lock the shedule all games in October
36. Sydney people are doing it tough and just can't afford to go - $30 general entry, I was drinking UDL's at $9 per can
37.RL's real heartlands are in the bush, these people don't get the chance to go to many games as 9 chop and change times and generally play god.
:thumbsu:
cheers .
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
In the interests of fairness, this lie should be removed.
Cheers. :thumbsu:
so the AFL requests that there not be a clash with its predetermined schedule, and all of a sudden in the tiny paranoid league mind it becomes the "arrogant interlopers trying to strong-arm the NRL"
sorry, what did the AFL do to "strong-arm" anybody here? what exactly is arrogant about requesting that the games dont clash???
honestly, this is getting beyond a joke. i cant believe how much these NRL guys are shitting their dacks.
you guys really are just scared out or your little minds, arent ya.
parraeels, ronin, this is a prime example of you guys overreacting because your SHITTING YOURSELVES. this is a nothing story about a scheduling request being made into THE EVIL AFL IS COMING
so as often as you can say that your not scared, but this stuff is just getting ridiculous
Professor Knowall
2 Jun 2008, 19:24
Zero - exactly right!!
And I've noticed a big increase in the fear and hysteria level from the trolls here over the last week or two.
As Ive said before, Albury / Wodonga is a long way off being able to support a VFL side, let alone an AFL side. The infrastructure just isnt there, neither is the corporate support, nor the population.:rolleyes:
Partly true (for now and the next 20 years) but -
They could support a VFL side - but only at the expence of the Ovens & Murray FL, the biggest, richest, most successful regional Football league (e.g over 50,000 atttended lasts years finals series).
Very good infustructure - Lavington Oval is probably the best regional venue in Australia apart from Kardinia and York Parks. It already holds 20,000 (record crowd ober 22,00 for a NAB game), but would obviously need a big makeover for any permanent AFL side in say 20 years+ time.
Population has already surpassed 100,000 and still growing very rapidly (and with Wagga Wagga, Wangarratta, Shepparton, Bendigo and Echuca/Moama within easy driving distance).
Also has a growing corporate base - e.g. Woolworths has its largest national distribution centre there.
I had it at the bottom of the list, so no expectations within 20 years, but after that ... I wouldn't discount it.
BTW - I admit to bias. I did live there for some years.
They would have been stupid not to. Gives them the chance for a bit of a cheap dig at the AFL. The last time the Roos played on the Gold Coast the Sun-Herald ran with the 6000k crowd figure story and how disappointing it was et cetera. Of course, they conveniently forgot to mention that the St. George and Melbourne game at ANZ on the same night only drew four hundred people more.
:rolleyes:
Very true. One thing the Herald Sun will never do is run a negative story on their little darlings.
SwampCreature
3 Jun 2008, 14:43
While i mostly agree with you knowall, i just want to celar up a couple of things, namely that 2020 may still be a big ask for a VFL team. Its almost unkown by the wide media that North had a go and placing a VFL team there about 5 years ago in the Murray Kangaroos, which was just their seconds who played half a dozen home games out of Lavi and the rest in Melbourne. Crowds, interest and sponsorship was poor. It didnt last two seasons.
And are sure about those figuers on the LPO? I was under the impression that it held between 14-18, and filling it was an issue because of the hill... attempts to put another grandstand up behind the other goals have failed for a number of reasons. Anyway, it certaintly would need a lot of work, but yeah, ten years is a long time if they wer fair dinkum.
However, the ground dropped a lot in everyones view when a NAB game was cancelled there 20 min before the bounce. 15k people nearly ran on the ground and jobbed the bloke on the mike.
genghiskhan
3 Jun 2008, 14:52
Zero - exactly right!!
And I've noticed a big increase in the fear and hysteria level from the trolls here over the last week or two.
Partly true (for now and the next 20 years) but -
They could support a VFL side - but only at the expence of the Ovens & Murray FL, the biggest, richest, most successful regional Football league (e.g over 50,000 atttended lasts years finals series).
Very good infustructure - Lavington Oval is probably the best regional venue in Australia apart from Kardinia and York Parks. It already holds 20,000 (record crowd ober 22,00 for a NAB game), but would obviously need a big makeover for any permanent AFL side in say 20 years+ time.
Population has already surpassed 100,000 and still growing very rapidly (and with Wagga Wagga, Wangarratta, Shepparton, Bendigo and Echuca/Moama within easy driving distance).
Also has a growing corporate base - e.g. Woolworths has its largest national distribution centre there.
I had it at the bottom of the list, so no expectations within 20 years, but after that ... I wouldn't discount it.
BTW - I admit to bias. I did live there for some years.
Very true. One thing the Herald Sun will never do is run a negative story on their little darlings.
Can't ever see it holding an AFL team, but country Victoria and southern NSW is definitely an untapped market. Regional Victoria has a population of 1.4 million people, with Geelong the only area represented.
These are the areas where rugby league and soccer should be looking to expand into.
THRILLHO
3 Jun 2008, 20:18
BTW - I admit to bias. I did live there for some years.
High-five! Albury represent!
Also has a growing corporate base - e.g. Woolworths has its largest national distribution centre there
Didnt know that. I work there over uni' holidays, so that's of some interest
- Lavington Oval is probably the best regional venue in Australia
Not sure about that. Over summer it was between LPO and (I think) Narrendera to 'win' an AFL NAB challenge game and the LPO lost out because the ground wasnt in good enough shape.
Anyway, it certaintly would need a lot of work
The rumour is they cant extend the grandstand around towards Centaur Rd because they cant convince the homeowners to sell up. Lol.
already holds 20,000
Anymore than 15-16k and it gets pretty tight.
They could support a VFL side - but only at the expense of the Ovens & Murray FL
No chance. The O&M is an ingrained part of the culture. The VFL side would have to be additional to the O&M competition.
filling it was an issue because of the hill
The hill isnt the issue. The majority of the crowd at the O&M grand final would be perched on that hill, the issue is the inability of the grandstand to extend around towards Centaur Rd.
I dare say there's about four areas in front of Albury/Wodonga, and in reality, the best they could hope for is a VFL side in the next 50 years.
It's now on the list .
Official RL excuses
1 .SL stuffed us up completely and we haven't recovered .
2 .We play to our "heartlands"
3 . It's a television game - couch potatoes count as real interested viewers .
4 .The game is popular but the team isn't
5 .It's the Sydney transport system -
6. It's the weather - too hot , too cold or perfect for doing something else .
7. It's the media - too little media , the unfair media ,the negative RL media , too much AFL media .....Our supporters can't read the media (nice pictures though)
8. It's the lack of developement by the NRL ,ARL , NSWRL and BRL.
9. We're facing development from AFL , FFA and Netball .
10. That popular crowd drawing team is down .
11. That unpopular drawing team is dominating .
12. The mergers put people off , merged teams don't represent their region , merged teams are too powerful ..
13. Dropping South Sydney put people off and put more off by coming back and will lose the rest by relocating..
14. When they gonna build big stadiums at (below) .... the crowds will be enormous
a. Lang Park - now built , no excuses..
b. SFS - long time built not used much .
c. Telstra Dome - state of the art boutique stadium not used as too costly (low crowds)
c . Melbourne Olympic Park - latest holy grail for for crowds
d . Perth MES - now upgraded , latest official nrl crowd count 1710 .
15. The government won't finance new stadiums .
16 . Our stadiums are too big and look empty deterring more people - never more relevant .
17. When they gonna have double headers , triple headers ...we can then claim the one crowd for both games !
18 . The new pokie tax is gonna kill off the leagues clubs - never more relevant.
19 . We don't have the AFL's draft , management , development , clout , and aggressive approach to expansion ..
20. We don't have a decent game ,(but that's the least of our problems)
21. Sheduled against us was an another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL.......
21. We sheduled a game against another big game of .....RU , AFL, AL , NBL , ANL , WNBL......
22 . There was a lot of sport on TV. ........golf , tennis , lawn bowls , motorsports , bowling , darts , WWWWE
23 .There was some good shows on TV .
a. Bloke's World returns
b. Iron Chef
c. Bert's big brother idol lost on celebrity dancing singing skating survivor
24. The report is not valid because it only shows interest not real support like ratings where the person
gets off his butt and ............ sorry where the person changes the channel on the remote .
25 .RU is stealing all our players and it looks like AFL is stealing our players as well and FFA as soon as they expand .
26. The recent WC is grabbing everybody's attention - insert most recent FFA/RU event maybe even the AFL International Cup .
27. The recent RL WC is not grabbing everybody's attention
28. You overlook the fact that 25% of all rounds are Origin-affected. While the focus of the season is on State of Origin football,
club football is adversely affected by the best 34 players either unavailable or backing up after State of Origin.
29. Canberra now supports two clubs .
30. It's a bluff because Canberra are renegotiating their stadium deal.
31. It's a bluff because the AFL want some publicity .
32. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Sydney in isolation - because they are pathetically low .
33. When looking at NRL averages you cannot look at Melbourne because they have no history there and because they are pathetically low .
34. The crowd looked and felt a lot bigger than the official pathetically low figure .
35. The Ch 9 and Foxtel shedule NRL games on short notice unlike the AFL that lock the shedule all games in October .
:thumbsu: cheers
So true, so brutally close to the truth I bet the NRL trolls on here quickly look for the scroll down key for fear just one excuse catches their eye and they cringe in embarassment.
Professor Knowall
3 Jun 2008, 22:32
High-five! Albury represent!
...
:thumbsu: (though its now ex-Albury - but still a frequent visiter there).
Not sure about that. Over summer it was between LPO and (I think) Narrendera to 'win' an AFL NAB challenge game and the LPO lost out because the ground wasnt in good enough shape...
Unfortunately true - but ground surface problems can be fixed (ie Docklands) - for the purposes of this debate, they have at least 20 years or more to fix it!
Narrendera is also a great ground, where the Riverina GF is played (strategically located between Wagga and Griffith), and has had up to 14,000 attend.
... The rumour is they cant extend the grandstand around towards Centaur Rd because they cant convince the homeowners to sell up. Lol...The hill isnt the issue. The majority of the crowd at the O&M grand final would be perched on that hill, the issue is the inability of the grandstand to extend around towards Centaur Rd...
Yes - ATM, there's not sufficient reason to offer the homeowners the big $$$ to sell. But if it ever got the chance to be the home of an AFL club (say in a couple of decades or more time), I think this problem will be very quickly "solved".
... Anymore than 15-16k and it gets pretty tight...
In the previous 2 years, the O&M GF crowd has exceeded 17,000 and still had room for more. Ground info on Austadiums - http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=63
...No chance. The O&M is an ingrained part of the culture. The VFL side would have to be additional to the O&M competition...
I agree - the O&M League is semi-pro (some players earn over 50k p/a) and has an enourmously strong local following, and won't dissapear. What I meant was that this league may/will suffer somewhat in terms of attendances and corporate support if a truly local VFL side - or much moreso, an AFL club - was ever established.
...I dare say there's about four areas in front of Albury/Wodonga, and in reality, the best they could hope for is a VFL side in the next 50 years.
Partly agree - As I did list 4 areas myself before Albury/Wodonga. However, I still believe that they could hope for more than just a VFL side in the next 50 years. Make no mistake, based on growth over the last 10 years, it will be a fairly big place in 50 years time, it's an Australian Football 'heartland' area and still with Wagga Wagga, Wangarratta, Shepparton, Bendigo and Echuca/Moama all within easy driving distance.
Obviously, I can't say it will happen, and definitely not within 20 years - just that I don't think it's impossible further down the track, given its growth and strategic location.
So true, so brutally close to the truth I bet the NRL trolls on here quickly look for the scroll down key for fear just one excuse catches their eye and they cringe in embarassment.
Look cos, a new member of the flock.
Professor Knowall
3 Jun 2008, 23:20
Can't ever see it holding an AFL team, but country Victoria and southern NSW is definitely an untapped market. Regional Victoria has a population of 1.4 million people, with Geelong the only area represented.
These are the areas where rugby league and soccer should be looking to expand into.
Two big problems here -
The main problem is the dominance of Australian Football in country Victoria and southern NSW. You may think its ingrained as part of the culture in Melbourne - but take this from a country boy - its even far more so in country Victoria - very often the hub of the local community. There are still large parts where even soccer isn't played at all (unlike in country NSW, where it has spread widely). As for the rugby codes - forget it, its all but non-exitant - even the large border city of Wodonga, with over 40,000 population, has only one small struggling RL club. Until I moved from Western Victoria to Albury as a teenager, I didn't even know there were 2 separate rugby codes, such is the lack of awareness of it in the bush.
The other problem is a lack of cities with 'critical mass' populations to support fully professional clubs in major national leagues. ATM, Geelong, with #215,000 population, is the only one close.
I know Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley, once had an NSL team, supported by a strong unionised migrant (many English) workforce from the coalfields and power stations, but that was before Kennett came along, broke the union stranglehold, privatised the old state run SEC, and 12,000 of them were sacked, leaving the LaTrobe Valley a basket case for a long while. Morwell has never really recovered and its now reverted back to an Australian Football stronghold like the rest of country Victoria.
ParraEelsNRL
4 Jun 2008, 03:57
So true, so brutally close to the truth I bet the NRL trolls on here quickly look for the scroll down key for fear just one excuse catches their eye and they cringe in embarassment.
I always knew what your feelings towards RL were like deep down inside, but posting at the roar, you can't really get it across, I'm glad I spotted this so next time sir echo goes on with some BS, I can come back here and pull some of your true feeling up and show the guys over there.
genghiskhan
5 Jun 2008, 11:32
Two big problems here -
The main problem is the dominance of Australian Football in country Victoria and southern NSW. You may think its ingrained as part of the culture in Melbourne - but take this from a country boy - its even far more so in country Victoria - very often the hub of the local community. There are still large parts where even soccer isn't played at all (unlike in country NSW, where it has spread widely). As for the rugby codes - forget it, its all but non-exitant - even the large border city of Wodonga, with over 40,000 population, has only one small struggling RL club. Until I moved from Western Victoria to Albury as a teenager, I didn't even know there were 2 separate rugby codes, such is the lack of awareness of it in the bush.
The other problem is a lack of cities with 'critical mass' populations to support fully professional clubs in major national leagues. ATM, Geelong, with #215,000 population, is the only one close.
I know Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley, once had an NSL team, supported by a strong unionised migrant (many English) workforce from the coalfields and power stations, but that was before Kennett came along, broke the union stranglehold, privatised the old state run SEC, and 12,000 of them were sacked, leaving the LaTrobe Valley a basket case for a long while. Morwell has never really recovered and its now reverted back to an Australian Football stronghold like the rest of country Victoria.
I don't think we should always rely upon our personal experiences to justify the state of the world. For example, I didn't know two forms of rugby existed either until I joined a rugby union team and discovered we were doing all these strange things in training, like line outs. Even though I was ignorant, most rugby league and union fans weren't.
The world is a different place to what it was 20 years ago. The internet has really allowed external influences to break down community cultures that keep outsiders out. I'm sure almost everyone knows of the two rugbies in country Victoria today.
As country codes, both soccer and the rugbies could benefit from not needing so many players, which is often a problem for country teams. Also, if the codes get a country image that further helps it. In the past, Geelong used to trade off that country image to get supporters around regional Victoria.
Professor Knowall
5 Jun 2008, 19:21
I... The world is a different place to what it was 20 years ago. The internet has really allowed external influences to break down community cultures that keep outsiders out. I'm sure almost everyone knows of the two rugbies in country Victoria today...
Yeah, true enough - but for many in the bush (not including the sports nuts like us that inhabit this forum) that's about the limit of their knowledge about rugby.
...As country codes, both soccer and the rugbies could benefit from not needing so many players, which is often a problem for country teams. ...
A very good point. In areas of declining rural populations (e.g the North West Vic dryland grainfields, where farms keep getting bigger, thus the rural population keeps thinning), many minor league clubs struggle for numbers - made worse by all insisting on following the example set by the AFL in fielding an expanded 4 man interchange bench. This could provide an opportunity for soccer in the country, if these minor leagues don't get innovative with reducing the required team numbers.
For years, the old VFA had only 16 per side plus 2 on the bench. I think minor country district footy leagues could follow this example, (or even 15 per side) to lessen the burden of trying to find sufficient player numbers.