Crowd of 37,894 against Melbourne

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Robroy22

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 24, 2012
8,522
15,139
Jindabyne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Central Broken Hill (Magpies)
Yep I agree that the game itself isn't the spectacle it once was. The defensive and "scared" tactical coaches that want to "limit the damage" have bred a generation of foot soldiers too afraid to make a "clanger" and taking the easy (backward) options. The game is so like soccer these days (uncontested chanins of passing, keeping posession, drawing defenses out with multiple cross ground passes etc...) that the scores resemble soccer scores too. (I'm waiting for a nil all draw:confused:)
So paying more to go and watch this tripe takes some resolve. Yet being a supporter means you go what may.
Whilst I enjoy watching the kids coming through, getting back to a more contested (forward looking, attacking) form of footy would do a lot to entice people back to the game. That and a relaxing of the "contact rules" that resemble soccer and netball in their over indulgent conservatism....let the game flow and stop protecting the actors, divers and whingers. Celebrate the hard men of the sport once again.
 
I haven't been to a Pies game this season, but than again living in rural NSW or Darwin doesn't present too many opportunities that I would consider an economic investment. I also understand that for some who do live close to the 'G' it may not be as simple as going every week either due cashola or family reasons.

We each carry our own individual set of circumstances and labeling supporters bandwagoners or otherwise is a little rich I think. Support the club however you want but just do that. Supporters also have the right to knock the club and be disappointed when things aren't going right. This sometimes is a prompt for clubs to take action whether it's on or off the field.

We all support the clubs at different levels one way or another, a bandwagon supporter to me is the guy that changes club each year depending on whoever is winning at the time. I know a few of these and there's on common trait with each of them, they all know very little about football.
 

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Why? How about you support your team instead of having a cry about how they're not winning anymore.

I support them and that's why I am having a cry about them not winning because the lack of motivation the team is showing is unacceptable
 

Trickster

Cancelled
Jul 27, 2014
2,076
2,229
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
New Orleans Saints
So many of these comments resonate with me.

I'm an AFL member but have only been to 3 games this year and 4 out of the past 30 after usually going to between 10-15 games each year (minus finals).

Reasons I don't go as often:

- Circumstances have changed over last 10-20 years. Work commitments etc
- ticketing / reserved seat system riles me as AFL try to extract as much from you as possible (it's basically pay for the privilege of avoiding the pre game crap or get their early and be bored silly for an hour)
- game has been sanitised to death with interpretations, interchange caps, subs, rule changes, etc
- weather (age must be a factor here)
- TV coverage (I actually get more excited watching pre game on TV than attending). Which is interesting because I'm still pumped watching on TV but can't seem to generate enthusiasm when going.

I'm more likely to attend this week knowing the ressies will be on beforehand.

Having said that, I think there needs to be some context around this being the third lowest crowd this century against who we play at the G, when, and how often. We normally only play Mel once on Queens b'day so that's a sizeable crowd guaranteed. We rarely play WB at G so the chances of a low crowd here are gone. So the main Vic teams we play there are generally big enough to warrant a crowd of at 40-50k minimum.

If we play WB, Mel, Stk more often at the G and we had been at the bottom of the ladder more than we have been over the past 15 years, then we would have seen these lower crowds before. I think it's a perfect storm contributing to this too.

I do look at the Port crowds and envy the atmosphere before the game.
 

domus

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 31, 2008
12,309
21,692
Mooroolbark
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Mooroolbark footy club
I agree with a lot of the sentiments expressed here but I think we do tend to view the past through rose coloured glasses. There were many games at Vic Park against reasonable opposition which drew crowds of 17-22,000 back in the 80's and early 90's. There were horrible snoorefests on mudheaps and cold miserable days watching us get flogged.

The good news is that all of this gloom and doom and lack of excitement can be turned on its head with a run of wins early next year. All of a sudden footy is fun and the finals are on the horizon. It is amazing how ones perspective can change in these circumstances. Ask a Richmond fan if they are enjoying the modern game.
 

Robroy22

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 24, 2012
8,522
15,139
Jindabyne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Central Broken Hill (Magpies)
I agree with a lot of the sentiments expressed here but I think we do tend to view the past through rose coloured glasses. There were many games at Vic Park against reasonable opposition which drew crowds of 17-22,000 back in the 80's and early 90's. There were horrible snoorefests on mudheaps and cold miserable days watching us get flogged.


You pick an interesting period of time to call snorefests: Daicos, Millane, Brown, Moore, Carmen....not to mention the '90 flag year when we creamed sides. I agree that Vicci Park could get muddy but then so was everywhere else and that just made Daic's skills even more amazing!

Ask a Richmond fan if they are enjoying the modern game.

Ask the same ones if they enjoyed '67-80 more? Those that saw Tommy Hafey's Tigers would laugh at how they play today!


Hang on while I adjust my rose coloured specks!
 

domus

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 31, 2008
12,309
21,692
Mooroolbark
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Mooroolbark footy club
Ask the same ones if they enjoyed '67-80 more? Those that saw Tommy Hafey's Tigers would laugh at how they play today!


Hang on while I adjust my rose coloured specks!
You mention Daicos,Millane, Brown and Moore as though there very names would prove there were no boring, one sided, poorly attended games back in their day. Well, there were plenty! I loved these blokes and I loved the way the game was played for the most part, but let's not pretend there were not issues with crowds and the standard of games back then. In the mid 80's the media coverage of our game was decreasing alarmingly, along with the crowds. Clubs were broke and facing extinction and it was only when the VFL bit the bullet and went national that things began to turn around.

Those happy Tiger fans you refer to were waving collection cans in 1990 in a desperate effort to save their club from extinction. The drive was called Save Our Skins and Richmond were in big trouble. In the mid 90's the mighty Hawks played in front of ten thousand fans at the MCG. I think they were playing Freo or the Bears.

How quickly we forget.
 

Krueger

Club Legend
Sep 23, 2007
2,172
892
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Protest with your feet, against the style of play and what we have served up over the last few weeks. ....dont go next week v Carlton, I'm not and l'm a paid up member. Unless the club can give some clarification of where we are at as a club and a review of the football department will be undertaken at seasons end, including the coach, l won't attend any further games nor renew my membership. The club says it doesn't settle for mediocrity, but that is been shoved in our faces at the moment. Hope the crowd is below 30k next week.

Pretty much sums it up. The club is a rabble apart from the odd game here or there and ALL of it is self inflicted. Nothing will change though so its steady as we go..... downhill that is.
 

Trickster

Cancelled
Jul 27, 2014
2,076
2,229
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
New Orleans Saints
Protest with your feet, against the style of play and what we have served up over the last few weeks. ....dont go next week v Carlton, I'm not and l'm a paid up member. Unless the club can give some clarification of where we are at as a club and a review of the football department will be undertaken at seasons end, including the coach, l won't attend any further games nor renew my membership. The club says it doesn't settle for mediocrity, but that is been shoved in our faces at the moment. Hope the crowd is below 30k next week.

We lost 3 close games to the 2 best teams and then Port. We then lost Cloke in the opening quarter and still pushed WCE hard in the last quarter. Admittedly the last 2 weeks are disappointing but when you look at these young players who should hit their straps in 2-3 years, we will start beating those teams when we get to the same situation. Throw in some classy recruits and we'll have a very good side.

Of the current team, 15 of the 22 have less than 5 years AFL experience, 11 have 4 or less while 4 are in their first year. The team that played Melbourne were on average 1 year younger than them and had played 18 games fewer.

Hopefully this provides detail of where we are at. If we were doing this with seasoned veterans, then it would be alarm bells but if you take a step back, we're not positioned too badly to challenge from next year and beyond. Throw in guys like Marsh, Freeman, Cox, Reid (if he ever gets fit) and of course Cloke, then I believe we have cause for optimism.
 

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