BARASSI LiNE

[Garlic muncher]

Interesting article the other day in the SMH about the Barassi Line, who termed it and how the term was originally based around a WW2 defence plan - The "Barassi Line" was evidently a play on the "Brisbane Line" – an abandoned WWII defence plan to sacrifice all land north of the Queensland capital to any invading Japanese forces.

The bloke who termed the phrase, Ian Turner sounded like he would have been a fun bloke to be around, the fact that he also used Barassi in preference to Smith or Jones or any other famous football name is interesting as well.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/where-d...-of-course-20160225-gn3lbe.html#ixzz41QLn9vbV

My question is, has the Barassi line changed ?, is the line now blurred ?, has it crept north or south or has it leapfrogged some areas and now pockets of football codes lie behind "enemy lines".

 

[kane249]

The lines still there, the AFL just done a better job of setting up outposts in enemy territory than League has.

 

[RUNVS]

I am guessing the term was coined when Barassi was coach of the Swans.

In terms of the map I still think it is accurate but in saying that the AFL is doing quite well inside the NRL zone as the AFL is producing a lot more AFL players inside the NRL zone than they were 25 years ago.

 

[Inferno]

Probably the only movement has been rugby becoming the dominant sport in Canberra, but even then Canberra will be mixed with both sports due to having so many residents from other states who'll stick with their own sport.

The AFL has done a lot better in developing the sport in non traditional areas. It's dominant in Cairns, is on about level pegging with rugby on the Gold Coast and has seen the Swans create a big niche that far exceeds the support of the Storm and Rebels. Besides those exceptions though it's pretty much business as usual regarding the Barassi Line.

 

[RUNVS]

Probably the only movement has been rugby becoming the dominant sport in Canberra, but even then Canberra will be mixed with both sports due to having so many residents from other states who'll stick with their own sport.

The AFL has done a lot better in developing the sport in non traditional areas. It's dominant in Cairns, is on about level pegging with rugby on the Gold Coast and has seen the Swans create a big niche that far exceeds the support of the Storm and Rebels. Besides those exceptions though it's pretty much business as usual regarding the Barassi Line.

I am not even sure of Victoria has produced (born and bred) more than a very small handful of NRL players. It shows that the AFL is growing the game in non heartland areas which is encouraging. It is a slow process but it is working.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I am not even sure of Victoria has produced (born and bred) more than a very small handful of NRL players. It shows that the AFL is growing the game in non heartland areas which is encouraging. It is a slow process but it is working.

Considering we have 4 blokes in the NRL who are West Australian and two from South Australia. NRL's expansion in WA is purely expat Kiwi's (3 of the 4 west aussies playing are born in NZ)

 

[MaddAdam]

I am guessing the term was coined when Barassi was coach of the Swans.

In terms of the map I still think it is accurate but in saying that the AFL is doing quite well inside the NRL zone as the AFL is producing a lot more AFL players inside the NRL zone than they were 25 years ago.

If you'd read the article:

The line was part of a tongue-in-cheek speech the Monash University associate professor delivered (and tweaked) almost annually between 1965 and 1978.

So no, Sydney has nothing to do with it.

 

[Garlic muncher]

Not sure why that article mentions Corowa -Wahgunyah as being on the Barassi Line, because it is not, the Barassi line would start at about Batemans bay head through Canberra and probably West Wyalong and somewhere in between Broken hill and Wilcannia.

 

[Pie eyed]

Interesting article the other day in the SMH about the Barassi Line, who termed it and how the term was originally based around a WW2 defence plan - The "Barassi Line" was evidently a play on the "Brisbane Line" – an abandoned WWII defence plan to sacrifice all land north of the Queensland capital to any invading Japanese forces.

The bloke who termed the phrase, Ian Turner sounded like he would have been a fun bloke to be around, the fact that he also used Barassi in preference to Smith or Jones or any other famous football name is interesting as well.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/where-d...-of-course-20160225-gn3lbe.html#ixzz41QLn9vbV

My question is, has the Barassi line changed ?, is the line now blurred ?, has it crept north or south or has it leapfrogged some areas and now pockets of football codes lie behind "enemy lines".

Thought we were proposing to name a new railway track?

 

[Hawker81]

I am not even sure of Victoria has produced (born and bred) more than a very small handful of NRL players. It shows that the AFL is growing the game in non heartland areas which is encouraging. It is a slow process but it is working.

Rugby league at grassroots would be well behind Union in Victoria. Union at least has a number of schools and universities that play the game. Not sure what league has. Never met anyone in Victoria that plays league at an amateur level, but met plenty that have played Union.

 

[aCunningPlan]

Rugby league at grassroots would be well behind Union in Victoria. Union at least has a number of schools and universities that play the game. Not sure what league has. Never met anyone in Victoria that plays league at an amateur level, but met plenty that have played Union.

This. Union actually does has a presence here in Victoria. Hell I would even guess that American football has a bigger presence here than league.

 

[Garlic muncher]

This. Union actually does has a presence here in Victoria. Hell I would even guess that American football has a bigger presence here than league.

Union has a decent presence in most places, i find it's club culture very similar to footy.

 

[Shane Hird]

The "Barassi Line" is a term which was first used by Ian Turner in his "1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture"[1] to refer to an imagined line in Australia which divides areas where Australian rules football is the dominant winter code of football from those where rugby leagueand rugby union, are the most popular. Overall attendance rates, media coverage and participation are heavily skewed in favour of each sport in its traditional areas and against the sport from the opposite side of the line.[2]

 

[thegreig]

This. Union actually does has a presence here in Victoria. Hell I would even guess that American football has a bigger presence here than league.

Spot on, I know about 6 or so blokes who play gridiron (1 girl) and 4 guys who play Union. Never met anyone who plays league and would go as far as to say I've never even seen a league club.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Nah it's gone a bit backwards. Back in the day, Canberra was a bonafide Aussie Rules town. That's now been lost.

We now just have franchises and a presence in more markets in foreign territory, but less saturation in that border area. You could probably use a pencil to draw the line then and it'd be fair; now you'd have to use the blur tool on paint, blow it up, and then it'd signify it.

 

[harmesy 37]

Not sure why that article mentions Corowa -Wahgunyah as being on the Barassi Line, because it is not, the Barassi line would start at about Batemans bay head through Canberra and probably West Wyalong and somewhere in between Broken hill and Wilcannia.

Exactly.

Corowa has been playing football - Australian football - since the 1890s. If not before. I doubt they have had a rugby/league team there any time in the last 20-30 years. I would put the "border" going through Temora. That means about 1/3 of NSW has Australian football as the dominant code.
There are pockets of resistance, such as in Gundagai, but by and large anything Temora or south is footy country.

 

[Fire]

Corowa is way too far south. I wouldn't pencil it in any lower than Wagga.

More to the point, the AFL is stronger outside its territory than rugby is; this plus the rugby territory is divided.

Also, the northern tip of Queensland is shared territory.

If the AFL put a team in Canberra then the line would go through that city within a generation.

The NRL has a lot of money these days but they don't seem to be investing in their code like the AFL is, even with their change in commission. They'd want to get a move on as the AFL is targeting the kids

 

[boncer34]

I am not even sure of Victoria has produced (born and bred) more than a very small handful of NRL players. It shows that the AFL is growing the game in non heartland areas which is encouraging. It is a slow process but it is working.

Exactly.

The casual NRL fan laughs about the money poured in compared to the number of players produced.

What they fail to realise its 10 times the amount produced by NRL outside their heartlands.

These plonkers seem to think once they slap a team in an area many people will follow. They're gonna be in for a rude shock if they ever start expanding.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

There's a lot more Australian rules fans and players north of the line than rugby league fans and players south of the line. For all the jokes, 4 teams vs 1 team is a pretty big symbol of that.

 

[Footypie32]

In SA we call it the "Blight Line"...

 

[Demonoid]

Corowa is way too far south. I wouldn't pencil it in any lower than Wagga.

More to the point, the AFL is stronger outside its territory than rugby is; this plus the rugby territory is divided.

Also, the northern tip of Queensland is shared territory.

If the AFL put a team in Canberra then the line would go through that city within a generation.

The NRL has a lot of money these days but they don't seem to be investing in their code like the AFL is, even with their change in commission. They'd want to get a move on as the AFL is targeting the kids

Yep Wagga is the southern border. Its produced Wayne Carey and Paul Kelly, but also a few Rugby League players too. Makes sense given its about half way between Melbourne and Sydney.

Eden/Merimbula are full of Vics so I'd have it about there on the east. Again, about halfway to Sydney.

We know Broken Hill is an AFL stronghold - probably anything west and south of Hay I'd say in Aussie Rules territory. I'd almost be tempted to say Griffith but a quick Wikipedia check has revealed a handful of NRL players out of the town - but no AFL/VFL players.

Agree AFL is far stronger outside its heartland than NRL is outside theirs.

With regards to Canberra, the problem here is a highly transient population - although things have slowly been getting better. If things fall through with the GWS you know where they'd be heading...
A lot of the RL support comes from Queanbeyan and surrounding NSW areas. Many NSW and QLD public servants in ACT are big on the brumbies due to their higher socio-economic status.

 

[basashi]

Rugby league has a foothold in WA demonstrated in Affiliated state championships:

Year Champions
1994 Western Australia
1995 Newcastle
1996 Western Australia
1997 Australian Capital Territory
2003 Western Australia
2004 Northern Territory
2005 Western Australia
2006 Western Australia
2007 Western Australia
2008 Western Australia
2009 Victoria
2010 Western Australia
2011 Western Australia
2012 Western Australia
2013 Western Australia
2014 Western Australia
2015 Western Australia

dunno if its all newcomers though. And its a long way from any Syd / Mel line!

 

[Happy Mastenator]

These plonkers seem to think once they slap a team in an area many people will follow. They're gonna be in for a rude shock if they ever start expanding.

They tried the reds in WA and it died. Once the storm reach the end of the Bellamy, slater, Cronk, smith era it will be very interesting to see how they manage if they aren't perennial contenders

 

[Garlic muncher]

Exactly.

Corowa has been playing football - Australian football - since the 1890s. If not before. I doubt they have had a rugby/league team there any time in the last 20-30 years. I would put the "border" going through Temora. That means about 1/3 of NSW has Australian football as the dominant code.
There are pockets of resistance, such as in Gundagai, but by and large anything Temora or south is footy country.

Resistance is futile Captain Hogan, seriously though Batemans Bay would be on the line, a couple of Footy clubs and rugby league clubs, further South the Narooma RL club disbands and reforms regularly, the AF club in Narooma keeps on keeping on, it is little bit blurry because of sea and tree changers but generally has not changed much in 100 years or so.

 

[Garlic muncher]

Yep Wagga is the southern border. Its produced Wayne Carey and Paul Kelly, but also a few Rugby League players too. Makes sense given its about half way between Melbourne and Sydney.

Eden/Merimbula are full of Vics so I'd have it about there on the east. Again, about halfway to Sydney.

We know Broken Hill is an AFL stronghold - probably anything west and south of Hay I'd say in Aussie Rules territory. I'd almost be tempted to say Griffith but a quick Wikipedia check has revealed a handful of NRL players out of the town - but no AFL/VFL players.

Agree AFL is far stronger outside its heartland than NRL is outside theirs.

With regards to Canberra, the problem here is a highly transient population - although things have slowly been getting better. If things fall through with the GWS you know where they'd be heading...
A lot of the RL support comes from Queanbeyan and surrounding NSW areas. Many NSW and QLD public servants in ACT are big on the brumbies due to their higher socio-economic status.

Griffith could actually be s soccer town