Opinion Should Geelong v West Coast be played at GMHBA Stadium next week?

Should the Gee v WCE final be played at GMHBA Stadium?

  • Yes

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.
Oct 16, 2006
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Geelong
Off topic a bit, but sort of related. Why do GWS play home finals at Homebush and not the SCG?

Spotless stadium accomodates the expected crowd.
I would be more interested in what they do for a Richmond or Collingwood away Final v GWS or GC.
However like WCE supporters in here this game should be at the G because our 1st Final was.
You can’t give MCG tenants an advantage and other teams have to travel.
One in all in or nothing.
 
Oct 6, 2011
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Off topic a bit, but sort of related. Why do GWS play home finals at Homebush and not the SCG?
I assume because the capacity of GS
It's not a financial issue for Geelong, the AFL gets the ticket revenue from all finals.
I understand that. Hence my point of providing Geelong with some of the ticket revenue which has come about from a larger venue.
 
Jul 12, 2004
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Collingwood
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Subjectively and given the circumstances: No! it definitely shouldn't as the AFL have set the precedent and stated the Cats must host finals at the MCG, and they can't expect to apply different rules based on which opponents the Cats have.

Objectively and in the grand scheme of things:
Yes! It should be, but all Geelong home finals should be held there. The argument of Big crowds is stupid when you consider the Giants host games at their 24,000 capacity venue. Say if GWS drew a home final against Collingwood or Essendon, then the same people saying the Cats should always play home finals at the G must also surely state that the Giants host finals at the SCG because it can fit more people.
In a perfect world a team who earns the right to host a final should be able to chose where that game is regardless of capacity.
Obviously though the AFL loves their money too much to ever let that happen for Geelong.

If they played Collingwood there is every chance they’d play it at the SCG if it was available
 

mike123

Cancelled
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Sep 13, 2013
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Outside of a 5 year window (2007-2011) Geelong has historically struggled to win matches against the best teams at the MCG over the last 30 years, with Grand Final losses to Hawthorn (1989 & 2008), West Coast (1992 & 1994), Carlton (1995) and a slew of Preliminary Final losses at the MCG.

The 2007-2011 team were the exception to this. They would have (and did) beaten any team on any ground on any day. If Geelong needs a team as good as that to win a premiership, they may be waiting another 50 years!

Geelong's massive home ground advantage means they are almost always in contention to make finals, however once GMHBA no longer becomes a suitable venue in September the Cats become sitting ducks on the wide expanse of the MCG. It seems like the two grounds are just too different to have a game plan which works on both grounds.

Given that the AFL seems reluctant to play finals there anytime in the near future, should Geelong pack up shop and play all their home games at MCG in pursuit of their next premiership?
They shouldn’t scrap games there completely but if I was a Geelong supporter I’d want more home games at the MCG.
 
Oct 16, 2006
7,790
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Melbourne
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Geelong
Do you believe that Hawthorn would have won all four flags if 2008 was at Kardinia Park, 2013 at Subi, 2014 at the SCG, and 2015 at Subi again?

This is what gets me. That 3peat is overexaggerated.
They weren’t that good, lost to eagles but host them anyway.
Struggled to beat average sides like Adelaide, Port Adelaide in prelim finals at the G and cats had Enright and Chapman out in 2013.

Crazy set of circumstances, a very fortunate side who went completely missing after what was their best flag in ‘08 coz there were good sides like cats, saints and pies even swans did them in 2012.
These days they are even worse in finals than us (only side we can beat in a final or after a bye) or not even making them at all.
 
Sep 27, 2005
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You would have easily got one at Kardinia Park because for finals the AFL takes over and they do a proper allocation to the away team. Many thousands would have been set aside for Eagles. In 2013 every Freo member who wanted one got one and the remaining unused Freo allocation was sold to the public.


How much outrage would that cause with the same Cats members that are complaining about loss of home final if they could not get a seat because it went to an eagles member.
 
Aug 14, 2011
44,794
16,853
Trafalgar
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West Coast
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Change the Eagles for Geelong & it is a well worn call of the very lazy amongst the footy media.

Geelong's massive home ground advantage means they are almost always in contention to make finals, however once GMHBA no longer becomes a suitable venue in September the Cats become sitting ducks on the wide expanse of the MCG.

If Freo have to play there everyone has to play there IMHO.
 

Balls In

Brownlow Medallist
May 25, 2018
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How can the Cats claim the MCG isn't their home ground? Its not like its West Coasts home ground. This is about playing on a ground with field dimensions that are unique and therefore advantageous.
 
Sep 17, 2004
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This is what gets me. That 3peat is overexaggerated.
They weren’t that good, lost to eagles but host them anyway.
Struggled to beat average sides like Adelaide, Port Adelaide in prelim finals at the G and cats had Enright and Chapman out in 2013.

Crazy set of circumstances, a very fortunate side who went completely missing after what was their best flag in ‘08 coz there were good sides like cats, saints and pies even swans did them in 2012.
These days they are even worse in finals than us (only side we can beat in a final or after a bye) or not even making them at all.

Lol this again

To be fair the MCC is expecting 55,000 on Friday Night and given the amount of MCC / AFL members and finals series tickets that are thrown around in September they probably would have made more financially from 36,000 at Kardina Park (with Perth type pricing) than they would from 55,000 to 60,000 at the MCG

What stuffs the AFL here is commitments they have with the MCC to supply MCG finals matches
 
Who cares. I'm over the discussion. Reality is, if we can't beat West Coast at the MCG we don't deserve to progress further anyway.

And I'd rather two MCG games in the lead up to a possible Richmond clash anyway.
 
This is what gets me. That 3peat is overexaggerated.
They weren’t that good, lost to eagles but host them anyway.
Struggled to beat average sides like Adelaide, Port Adelaide in prelim finals at the G and cats had Enright and Chapman out in 2013.

Crazy set of circumstances, a very fortunate side who went completely missing after what was their best flag in ‘08 coz there were good sides like cats, saints and pies even swans did them in 2012.
These days they are even worse in finals than us (only side we can beat in a final or after a bye) or not even making them at all.
I get all warm and fuzzy when I read your thoughts on our recent success
 

Diverbelow

Senior List
Mar 4, 2016
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Just proves the AFL care more about bums on seats and revenue than fairness in the competition. The minor prems should get the cattery.
 
Sep 11, 2008
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Melbourne
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Hawthorn
Ticket sales very slow, are Cats fans boycotting? They haven't bothered putting level 4 on sale and pretty much every level 1, 2 and 3 section is still available, lots of them right near the front too.
 
Ticket sales very slow, are Cats fans boycotting? They haven't bothered putting level 4 on sale and pretty much every level 1, 2 and 3 section is still available, lots of them right near the front too.
I know I'm not giving the AFL another cent. I'm well aware of many, many others doing the same.
 
Jul 25, 2019
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Ticket sales very slow, are Cats fans boycotting? They haven't bothered putting level 4 on sale and pretty much every level 1, 2 and 3 section is still available, lots of them right near the front too.

Would say the low sales isnt so much a boycott but fair weather fans ataying away cause they know The Cats are heading for another embarrassing 1997 style straight sets exit..
 
Sep 17, 2004
40,316
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Australia
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Hawthorn
Would say the low sales isnt so much a boycott but fair weather fans ataying away cause they know The Cats are heading for another embarrassing 1997 style straight sets exit..

1997 is a blast from the past! To be fair they were robbed that year in the Semi.

I was thinking more 2014 (and I am aware of Hawthorn’s 2016 and 2018 struggles)
 
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