Why did West Coast have to play in Hobart?

[Craze]

Richmond (and for that matter Collingwood/Essendon/Carlton) don't travel as much as West Coast because 10 of the 18 clubs are based in Melbourne.

If I had my way we'd go to a 17 H&A season, extended finals. Geelong would play all their home games at KP. Interstate clubs would play more games at the MCG (partially offsetting the inequity of the MCG hosting the GF).

The fixture should be put into 3 blocks/periods, and decisions about free-to-air coverage, ground allocation, game time/day locked in only for 6 weeks in advance.

But this will never happen, because of the hit to TV rights and player wages.

 

[Rich01]

I’m glad this thread was started before West Coast got smashed by 7 goals there. Oh wait...

 

[kaiserchief13]

Knew you'd whinge about this lol.
Not sure you have a leg to stand on here though. You are the away team and in this case North have the right to decide where they play home games.

It's hardly a disadvantage playing an away game at an away venue.

The problem is the stadium is not AFL standard as the wind plays too much havoc which results in a massive advantage to North as they play there regularly.

This problem as an away team should be given to every team in the league, not just certain teams, that is the problem

 

[The 747]

As much as the AFL wants to keep us down, we still have 3 AFL era and soon to be 4 premierships.

Things could always be worse e.g. having 1 since 1990

Yeah the evil AFL making you play away games at an away venue. The freaking injustice of it all hey?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Nah, we played Melbourne in Tasmania last season and Melbourne and Richmond the season before (with St Kilda and Richmond in 2015). This season is actually the anomaly in relation to our interstate opponents in Hobart.

I should have remembered that one. It was Gawn v Goldy.
I think it applies more to the Hawks. Generally only get the low drawing vic clubs. Think they've had Saints once but overwhelming majority are Interstate.

 

[Bluelegs]

It's just like Bulldogs vs Port in Ballarat. Port already travel every 2nd week, why can't Dogs be playing another Vic team there? If you want to sell your home game then be prepared to lose the home ground advantage

Wouldn't playing another Victorian team at those grounds give more of an advantage to the home teams?

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

Yeah the evil AFL making you play away games at an away venue. The freaking injustice of it all hey?

The only team to play a grand final at another team's home ground that wasn't the MCG.

How is GMHBA shaping up for finals this year?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

The problem is the stadium is not AFL standard as the wind plays too much havoc which results in a massive advantage to North as they play there regularly.

This problem as an away team should be given to every team in the league, not just certain teams, that is the problem

Do **** off KC. Blaming the wind.
You do realise for over 100 years footy was played outdoors, and often on grounds with not as much wind coverage as today.

BREAKING NEWS: Home team experiences a home ground advantage.

 

[The Filth Wizard]

I should have remembered that one. It was Gawn v Goldy.
I think it applies more to the Hawks. Generally only get the low drawing vic clubs. Think they've had Saints once but overwhelming majority are Interstate.

True with the Hawks and it feels like we used to play them every season there until the Hobart deal.

 

[blue harvest]

As much as the AFL wants to keep us down

Lol what?

 

[kaiserchief13]

Wouldn't playing another Victorian team at those grounds give more of an advantage to the home teams?

I mean as in Bulldogs lose the advantage of the travel factor

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

Lol what?

It was tongue in cheek.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

True with the Hawks and it feels like we used to play them every season there until the Hobart deal.

We were the same. Kardinia and Docklands/Launceston.
Then we got good and developed a rivalry. MCG.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Do **** off KC. Blaming the wind.
You do realise for over 100 years footy was played outdoors, and often on grounds with not as much wind coverage as today.

BREAKING NEWS: Home team experiences a home ground advantage.

As I said no problem with the ground (even though it is not AFL standard and should not be used) just that not every team is forced to play there regularly

 

[Rich01]

The problem is the stadium is not AFL standard as the wind plays too much havoc which results in a massive advantage to North as they play there regularly.

This problem as an away team should be given to every team in the league, not just certain teams, that is the problem

Did they get to train on the ground before the match?

Didn’t hear supporters sooking about it this week.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

It’s an extra hour on the trip ffs.

Its a direct charter flight, it would be maybe 20 minutes extra flying time. That got brought in after Freo's horror 8-hour trip to Lonny.
The lack of MCG games is an issue for non-Vic and small-Vic clubs alike. That is a legitimate complaint, but this would have been at Docklands anyway.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

As I said no problem with the ground (even though it is not AFL standard and should not be used) just that not every team is forced to play there regularly

It is AFL standard. Saying its not based on windy conditions is poppycock.
You are aware not every team is forced to play in Geelong right?

When we get that you may have a chance at getting your request.

 

[projectv]

As I said no problem with the ground (even though it is not AFL standard and should not be used) just that not every team is forced to play there regularly

That's a fair point. It's not like Collingwood or Essendon play there.

Richmond did until a few years ago, but not likely to happen now they're good.

It's almost like the AFL manage their schedule to maximise revenue...

 

[captain blood 17]

Per the title, as we as a club (alongside Freo) travel more then then any other, why did we have to play in Hobart this year?

This isn't just because we lost - many on the West Coast board were expressing the same thing before the game. Richmond, as the reigning premiers, have travelled interstate four times this season. The question I have is why couldn't they forgo one MCG game to play North in Tasmania, rather than us having to travel even more? Why couldn't we have the extra game at the MCG?

Surely, as a national competition, interstate sides should get extra games at the MCG, rather then just adding to the already massive travel load for teams not in Vic?

Why Richmond OP? Why not Essendon, Collingwood, Melbourne or any other MCG tenant?
Don’t worry about what the tigers are doing, worry about what WCE are doing.


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[Ned_Flanders]

As I said no problem with the ground (even though it is not AFL standard and should not be used) just that not every team is forced to play there regularly

How is the ground not AFL standard?

 

[blue harvest]

The only team to play a grand final at another team's home ground that wasn't the MCG.

Princes Park was still our home ground that year and the majority of our home games were there.

 

[captain blood 17]

Tigers played down there a few times, and they draw a good crowd.

I think we played North there last year off memory. OP just needs to unbunch the panties.


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[Brunswick Trap King]

Princes Park was still our home ground that year and the majority of our home games were there.

It was probably another team's home ground. I didn't say which team.

 

[Tas]

Simple.

The AFL won't schedule North/Hawks against Vic clubs in Tasmania.
Lose too many attendees.

We played Carlton there this year, we played Richmond there in 2016, Melbourne last year. Saints and Richmond would like to play us there more frequently but we don't pick which teams we play there.

AFL has this list of games they want to schedule then they try and squeeze in everything else. West Coast and Crows aren't so bad playing in Melbourne anymore, I don't think we have played GC in Tassie yet. It is not like they do us a lot of favours with the scheduling.

 

[telsor]

Why not 2 Vic teams?

2 reasons.

1. The AFL likes big attendances, so given the choice they'll move the (likely) smaller games. (and the host club prefers this too).
2. The sponsors (Tas govt/Hobart council) don't like it because when 2 vic teams play the grounds sell out with locals, so they lose tourism revenue (which is after all, a big part of why they do it).