Is Geelong home games at Etihad the biggest league-endorsed rort of recent times?

[Seeds]

Got to move with the standard of the league or move on. If KP could hold 60k then fair enough, but you want to take what has been a showpiece match and turn it into a more of a state league level event?

works fine for interstate derbies.

 

[Seeds]

I'll swap our draw for Geelongs literally every year. It's the best deal in the league that's somehow spun as a negative. IMO it's part of the reason Geelong seems to 'over perform' in the H&ha and underperform once it gets to finals.

If you offered the Eagles 9 genuine home games, maximising the home ground advantage because no other team plays there more than once, plus 7 games at another venue not far away, minimising the disadvantage of the travel because you play there regularly, plus only travel interstate five times and no trips to regional venues? Add some big FTA blockbusters and a great stadium return, they'd bite your hand off. Any club would.

You have the exposure of a big Victorian club, the home ground advantage of an interstate side but the travel factor of a a Victorian one, and a great stadium deal to stay hugely profitable through it. It's the best of all worlds, and the Geelong higher ups know t

interstate teams are well rested before an interstate game because they usually arrive the night before and stay in a nearby hotel. geelong players spend 1.5 - 2 hours either cramped in a car or bus just hours before playing a so called home game against an opponent who is playing at their own home ground in front of all their fans. Dont dismiss the travel factor. Crowd factor is also a massive part of home and away games. it biases the umpires and is a big motivator. geelong supporters are always massively outnumbered in melbourne games, even when we are playing the likes of north and footscray. i have no doubt our lack of home games is why geelong always performs poorly on the free kick differential ladders every year despite regularly finishing top four.

 

[Seeds]

Richmond only gets 10. Maybe I should make a thread about it.

except you get more then 10. your eithad home game is what 10 minutes down the road and still in front of all your home supporters. not to mention you are playing geelong at the mcg. a team from a different city. so really you have 12 home games. yes some of your home games are against neutrals but then so are plenty of your away games so that side of the equation evens out. net result: richmond this year has 12 home games and geelong has 9.

 

[kickazz]

What a great fixture. One away game at Etihad. No home games there.

For all the complaining about not getting 11 home games at KP, who gives a s**t. Plenty of practice at the MCG, plenty of good times at KP

I love it.

 

[SJ]

I'll swap our draw for Geelongs literally every year. It's the best deal in the league that's somehow spun as a negative. IMO it's part of the reason Geelong seems to 'over perform' in the H&ha and underperform once it gets to finals.

If you offered the Eagles 9 genuine home games, maximising the home ground advantage because no other team plays there more than once, plus 7 games at another venue not far away, minimising the disadvantage of the travel because you play there regularly, plus only travel interstate five times and no trips to regional venues? Add some big FTA blockbusters and a great stadium return, they'd bite your hand off. Any club would.

You have the exposure of a big Victorian club, the home ground advantage of an interstate side but the travel factor of a a Victorian one, and a great stadium deal to stay hugely profitable through it. It's the best of all worlds, and the Geelong higher ups know t

I agree with you, it has its perks.

The downside comes in September, relative to every other side in the league.

But it is what it is.

 

[RedVest4]

Give it a rest you sook, you guys get a draw every other club can only dream of
getting every single year.

Every other club dreams of getting just 9 home games? I find that very hard to believe...

Richmond only gets 10. Maybe I should make a thread about it.

Maybe, probably more justification if it was only 9 though...

 

[Underarm]

except you get more then 10. your eithad home game is what 10 minutes down the road and still in front of all your home supporters. not to mention you are playing geelong at the mcg. a team from a different city. so really you have 12 home games. yes some of your home games are against neutrals but then so are plenty of your away games so that side of the equation evens out. net result: richmond this year has 12 home games and geelong has 9.

The only victorian club that plays 11 home games at their home ground is St Kilda.

7 games at the MCG is a huge coup for Geelong. Its the same as carlton, 1 less than Essendon. When you play 30% of your season at the ground you sound a bit silly talking about it being an away venue rather than a Neutral one.

Thr drive from Geelong to The mcg isnt that bad, and crowd figures for geelong games are still strong. All clubs love playing on the MCG as that is where finals are played.

Richmond and Collingwood do play alot of matches at the MCG, this year only 3 of those are against clubs that dont play 7 games there a year though.

 

[yodellinhank]

works fine for interstate derbies.

I haven't been to Adelaide oval and obviously haven't been to Perth stadium. They look very attractive venues though. My issues with kardinia park are that facilities are very poor and access is s**t. It seems that money doesn't go very far for projects in geelong.

To see what they've got for what was spent, i think there was a fair bit of skimming going on with the redevelopment.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

11th year in a row we are playing our home game against hawthorn at hawthorns home ground in hawthorns home city. damn right we are bitching.

Mate - any Cats fan will tell you they are rapt to play the Hawks at the MCG

Because before that Hawthorn use to beat us and beat us and beat us and beat us when the games where played at KP - they had an incredible record at that ground - normally by skinny margins and it use to do my feucken head in

Then when Geelongs home game against the Hawks was moved to the MCG - The Cats won 11 in a row - and have won the past 4 in a row -and you are complaining !!!!!

Hawthorn use to own Geel - when they played them in Geel - dont ever want to play the Hawks ever again at KP .

 

[Alfar]

interstate teams are well rested before an interstate game because they usually arrive the night before and stay in a nearby hotel. geelong players spend 1.5 - 2 hours either cramped in a car or bus just hours before playing

That's an easy fix. You could always send your team down the night before and have them stay in hotels if you legitimately thought spending an hour or so travelling was negatively affecting your squad. The fact is you have the option to do that or come down on match day and travel time is still way less then anything interstate teams have to deal with. Advantage Geelong.

Crowd factor is also a massive part of home and away games. it biases the umpires and is a big motivator.

Yea this is a pretty silly point. I'm sure the umpires are largely unbiased when calling a game but even if there is a very slight advantage with having a big crowd it wouldn't be anything special against Geelong. When Richmond play a home game against any of big Melbourne based clubs we aren't necessarily guaranteed to have the majority of the crowd and therefore we wouldn't get this biased home crowd umpiring you speak of. When Interstate rivals like Freo and West Coast play each other; one of them will be down as the home team on paper but do you think that counts for anything? Do you think they get biased home crowd umpiring?

You get what 9 games at KP where you'll have the crowd advantage? That is probably about even with what the other Victorian based teams get once you consider that they aren't guaranteed to outnumber other Melbourne based teams.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Thr drive from Geelong to The mcg isnt that bad, and crowd figures for geelong games are still strong. All clubs love playing on the MCG as that is where finals are played.

It is on Friday nights. Absolute pain in the arse to get there on time.

 

[telsor]

Richmond only gets 10. Maybe I should make a thread about it.

and many of ours are neutral games against other clubs that have the G as their home ground rather than real home ground advantage.

 

[telsor]

You've got 5 and dont leave Vic at all for the last 7 rounds lol

Is it about time the whinge stopped?

Geelong has literally the best H+A deal of any team in the league.

It's Geelong what would they do with themselves if they didn't whinge?

 

[DangerSloane]

It's Geelong what would they do with themselves if they didn't whinge?

Line up for their dole cheque?

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Hawks only 4 interstate away games? Pretty handy draw yourself.

We should have a fairly tame draw, we finished 12th.

Cats have landed a dream draw after making a prelim. 16 games at either KP or the MCG!

Maybe finally you can stop bitching like a little girl now? 60 pages of persecution complex when you guys have the best setup in the competition. Its tiring.

 

[DangerSloane]

and many of ours are neutral games against other clubs that have the G as their home ground rather than real home ground advantage.

Dont bother mate they dont get it.
Honestly they continue to whinge after having the best H+A deal in the league.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

I'll swap our draw for Geelongs literally every year. It's the best deal in the league that's somehow spun as a negative. IMO it's part of the reason Geelong seems to 'over perform' in the H&ha and underperform once it gets to finals.

If you offered the Eagles 9 genuine home games, maximising the home ground advantage because no other team plays there more than once, plus 7 games at another venue not far away, minimising the disadvantage of the travel because you play there regularly, plus only travel interstate five times and no trips to regional venues? Add some big FTA blockbusters and a great stadium return, they'd bite your hand off. Any club would.

You have the exposure of a big Victorian club, the home ground advantage of an interstate side but the travel factor of a a Victorian one, and a great stadium deal to stay hugely profitable through it. It's the best of all worlds, and the Geelong higher ups know t

Couldn't agree more, its a great setup and good luck to them.

Bizarre that we have a 60 page thread on the main board dedicated to discussing how the poor cats are being rorted...

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

I still think we should play all 11 of our home games at Corio Oval.

s**t draw.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Every other club dreams of getting just 9 home games? I find that very hard to believe...

Maybe, probably more justification if it was only 9 though...

You've gotta be trolling or just stupid.

You get 9 games at a unique ground that is a huge advantage and you get to play 7 games at the MCG.
Yep once again Geelong gets the best most advantageous draw by a absolute mile.

 

[telsor]

Line up for their dole cheque?

It's done electronically these days.

Not to mention they're usually busy working at the club saltiness mines.

 

[DangerSloane]

It's done electronically these days.

Not to mention they're usually busy working at the club saltiness mines.

Reckon thats why they keep changing the stadium name? Just to keep some tradies employed?

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

The above exchange has been simply adorable.

Good to see they've moved past the Grand Final.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Couldn't agree more, its a great setup and good luck to them.

Bizarre that we have a 60 page thread on the main board dedicated to discussing how the poor cats are being rorted...

Yep due to this unless they have a genuinely s**t team they are guaranteed to finish higher on the ladder then what the playing list suggest they should.

 

[Whiskers]

Surely MCG tenants cannot whinge about Geelong or fixtures?
You all play 15 games where finals and the grand final is played.
It's more than double the experience of Geelong at the G and interstate sides play there what? Twice? Even the Etihad tenants don't get the exposure.

The home and away fixture evens out when it comes to travel but it's all about finals.
Pies, tigers and Dees fans should never ever ever complain about anything!

 

[slimdusty4]

1 - bring your stadium up to scratch - the facilities are poor and outdated. the capacity is small, and it's a nightmare to get to.

2 - you can't have your cake and eat it too. happy to host big clubs, and play marquee games at g, but then want everything else too.

3 - you play hawthorn/richmond/collingwood at the g, they don't have an advantage, much like when they play each other - you play them at KP you have a massive advantage. whether you admit it or not geelong fans, you get a much bigger H&A advantage, than EVERY other victorian team.

the other thing that gives neutrals the sihts is this:
With any ground, ANY, in the land, if you want tickets, you're a damn good chance to get them (in some cases you can even get more than 1 in a section), regardless of being interstate, small capacity stadium, or home fan membership base.... any ground except KP.

The "it's our home game" theory goes out the window, when i see the ease at which i can get tickets to adelaide oval, etc.


Maybe it's time to admit the money was spent poorly...