Interesting quote on Queensland Football

[Hawkk]

We were right at a moment in history when Australian Football was becoming a real threat to Rugby League. We were getting a real following and I thought at the time we should have grasped the nettle and had a go. I was very hurt at the time that we let the GABBA slip through our fingers. At that stage there was no talk of bringing the dogs (greyhounds) in. They were only introduced when my clubs became suspicious of Clem's offer. So we certainly weren't pushed out. We left on our own accord- and in my opinion it set Aussie Rules in Brisbane back 20 years!

[Coombs,124]



Interesting little quote and surely it throws a spanner into the works of many arguments on here regarding the supposed lack of support Australian Football has had in Queensland.

The quote came from Ted Coombs; (QAFL president 1969) regarding the offer presented by Clem Jones and Sir Gordon Chalk for Aussie Rules to become the only and premier winter tenant at the GABBA in the late 1960's, something they would achieve some 25 years later!

SOURCE; "A superb century-100 years of the GABBA 1895-1995"


Who said Aussie Rules didn't have a following in Brisbane prior to the Lions success.

It was indeed inevitable at that time it was going to grow!

IMHO, it was the QAFL that like the ARL has done in recent years who shot themselves in the foot regarding the development of Aussie Rules up North, there has always been enough support!

[ChrisFooty]

Originally Posted by Hawkk

Ted Coombs; (QAFL president 1969) regarding the offer presented by Clem Jones and Sir Gordon Chalk for Aussie Rules to become the only and premier winter tenant at the GABBA in the late 1960's, something they would achieve some 25 years later!

Who said Aussie Rules didn't have a following in Brisbane prior to the Lions success.

It was indeed inevitable at that time it was going to grow!

IMHO, it was the QAFL that like the ARL has done in recent years who shot themselves in the foot regarding the development of Aussie Rules up North, there has always been enough support!

Sending VFL teams to play in a hostile enviorement like Brisbane in the 1960's when RL was the sport there.

I cannot honestly beleive Aussie rules was anywhere near from taking over RL.
I don't think even 95 % of people in QLD knew the actual rules to Aussie rules footy.

[Hawkk]

No, he was a member of the city council at the time.

Heck the legendary Clem Jones OFFERED the QAFL the a lease FIRST!

It was talking about the popularity of the game as a whole and the QAFL which dropped up because of this. Of course it resulted in a great deal of latent support for Aussie Rules in Brisbane to this day; which has only come out in the last few years.

I take their word over someone that doesn't even live in the state!

North East Victorian vs a legendary Major..um I wonder who I will believe!

[ChrisFooty]

Originally Posted by Hawkk

No, he was a member of the city council at the time.

Heck the legendary Clem Jones OFFERED the QAFL the a lease FIRST!

It was talking about the popularity of the game as a whole and the QAFL which dropped up because of this. Of course it resulted in a great deal of latent support for Aussie Rules in Brisbane to this day; which has only come out in the last few years.

I take their word over someone that doesn't even live in the state!

North East Victorian vs a legendary Major..um I wonder who I will believe!

aUSTRALIAN rules popular in QLD in the 1960's.......like how many people activley followed the VFL there ? like 10 ?

[Hawkk]

Originally Posted by ChrisFooty

aUSTRALIAN rules popular in QLD in the 1960's.......like how many people activley followed the VFL there ? like 10 ?

Do you have any facts to the contray.

It is obvious alot of the groundswell in support for the Lions in recent years can be attributed to a traditional following; often latent by a following non the less, of the game up here.

Trust me, I know people who do.

It's not a foreign concept and that's why I hate it when it is compared to the NSW situation where it has been foreign a number of years and Victoria with Rugby League.

BTW, it must be said that Clem Jones and Gordan Chalk went to the QAFL with this proposal, they wanted to keep them at the ground!

The QAFL shot themselves in the foot big time; Bears style!

[ParraEelsNRL]

Just remember who holds the ground record at the GABBA.

And it isn't the Lions or the Cricket.

[Kildonan]

Originally Posted by ChrisFooty

aUSTRALIAN rules popular in QLD in the 1960's.......like how many people activley followed the VFL there ? like 10 ?

I did. There was a great league, QFL, and an amateur league, and a very large number of junior clubs. Myself and all three of my brothers played juniors.

We all followed VFL teams too. Channel 7 would telecast games live and people would go out with a six pack to a mates place to watch their team play against their mate's team on a Saturday, then go to a QFL match on a Sunday.
Many people we know / knew changed allegiences when the Bears were formed, but more did so after the move back to Brisbane and the amalgamation with Fitzroy.

The problem re: popularity of AFL versus Rugby League had a lot to do with the complexity of the rules of AFL.

[Tezmyster]

Originally Posted by ChrisFooty

aUSTRALIAN rules popular in QLD in the 1960's.......like how many people activley followed the VFL there ? like 10 ?

Sorry to bring up this post from the first page but I had to point something out, the VFL was not the only league going on in Australia at that time. I'm not going to say it wasn't the premier league because I have little doubt it was, all I'm saying is there would have been people in QLD (and other places around Australia) who followed their local AR leagues but couldn't really care less about what was happening in the VFL.

[littleduck]

Originally Posted by Hawkk

No, he was a member of the city council at the time.

Heck the legendary Clem Jones OFFERED the QAFL the a lease FIRST!

the Gabba has always and will always be a cricket. there was no doubt about cricket using the gabba.

and he wasnt just a member of the city council, he was the lord mayor!

It was talking about the popularity of the game as a whole and the QAFL which dropped up because of this.

It didnt drop because of that. Thats nonsense. Read the quote again.

Of course it resulted in a great deal of latent support for Aussie Rules in Brisbane to this day; which has only come out in the last few years.

Rubbish. Of course there was always a local comp, but it had no real "following" beyond its participants. Hell, the results werent even published in the papers.

I take their word over someone that doesn't even live in the state!

North East Victorian vs a legendary Major..um I wonder who I will believe!

Your mis-interpreting the quote badly. It's a simple quote, yet you're tryig to read some pro-Aussie Rules essay into it.

[Hawkk]

Originally Posted by littleduck

the Gabba has always and will always be a cricket. there was no doubt about cricket using the gabba.

and he wasnt just a member of the city council, he was the lord mayor!

I know, quite a famous one to!

I understand, it has always been a cricket ground, but it just shows the respect/popularity the game had at the time, that they were offered permanent winter tenancy at a ground at the time considered Queensland's premier sporting ground.

Bare in mind Rugby League (who used to be the permanent winter tenant at the ground) relocated to Lang Park in the 1950's

Rubbish. Of course there was always a local comp, but it had no real "following" beyond its participants. Hell, the results werent even published in the papers.

The article is explaining that the league and VFL had a rapidly growing supporter base!

Your mis-interpreting the quote badly. It's a simple quote, yet you're tryig to read some pro-Aussie Rules essay into it.

I have my pro-Aussie Rules glasses on, as you have your pro-Rugby League glasses on....Should make for some interesting reading

[littleduck]

Originally Posted by Hawkk

I understand, it has always been a cricket ground, but it just shows the respect/popularity the game had at the time, that they were offered permanent winter tenancy at a ground at the time considered Queensland's premier sporting ground.

It makes no reference to the popularity of Aussie Rules at the time.

Bare in mind Rugby League (who used to be the permanent winter tenant at the ground) relocated to Lang Park in the 1950's

Exactly. They were looking another winter tenant. The only other football code tenant available was Aussie Rules.

The real question is why they didn't accept. I think the answer is they didn't need anything better than suburban park grounds and had nothing to offer the Gabba in terms of fan support, but they should have accepted the offer if they have any foresight and forward planning.

The article is explaining that the league and VFL had a rapidly growing supporter base!

I have my pro-Aussie Rules glasses on, as you have your pro-Rugby League glasses on....Should make for some interesting reading

Where can I read it?

[Fire]

Originally Posted by ChrisFooty

Sending VFL teams to play in a hostile enviorement like Brisbane in the 1960's when RL was the sport there.

I cannot honestly beleive Aussie rules was anywhere near from taking over RL.
I don't think even 95 % of people in QLD knew the actual rules to Aussie rules footy.

QLD was once an AR state. Though it was, form memory, around half a century before the 60's.

AR has never been a foreign concept in QLD.

[ChrisFooty]

Originally Posted by Fire

QLD was once an AR state. Though it was, form memory, around half a century before the 60's.

AR has never been a foreign concept in QLD.

Did you know a NSW men invented aussie rules.....

[Baby Blue]

Originally Posted by ChrisFooty

Did you know a NSW men invented aussie rules.....

No one really knows for sure who invented the game - there are a few credible theories out there. Did Henry Harrison invent it or Tom Wills or was it aborigines?

According to this site, NSW was about to become an aussie rules state 100 years ago.
http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/aussie-rules.htm

[ChrisFooty]

Originally Posted by Baby Blue

According to this site, NSW was about to become an aussie rules state 100 years ago.
http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/aussie-rules.htm

Pure tripe......

If Australian rules football was going so great in sydney in 1910......what the hell happened ?

It just says RU and RL started to recover in the early 1900's to regain suprecemy. It never mentions what happened to australian rules football.

I don't understand this...if NZ, NSW and QLD adopted aussie rules in the early 1900's and was the number one sport, how did it decline to basically non existince football code ?