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2013 Fixture Discussion

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“Our Victorian members need to be aware the Club requested six games in Melbourne, however, with the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS, as well as the commercial deals of a number of Melbourne clubs to host games interstate - in our case, Melbourne (Darwin - Rd 17) and Hawthorn (Launceston - Rd 14) - the AFL was unable to accommodate this request in this year’s fixture,” Holmes said.

“We’re obviously disappointed with this outcome but understand the changing landscape the AFL now operates under.

“We will continue to lobby the AFL for six games in Melbourne in future years.”

http://www.lions.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/5085/Default.aspx?newsId=150523
 
Just checked out the 2013 fixture and it is a ripper! Very easy draw should see us playing finals in 2013, with a chance real chance at Top 4.
 
Holy shit, the Club's response looks like it could have been written by Adrian Anderson or one of the other goons from the Kremlin.

It shows how much of an aparutus of the AFL we have become. Holmes obviously has little idea about what he is dealing with.

It has made me even more angry. Just parroting lines from the AFL is a complete disgrace. It is the obvious problem when you get in a CEO that has no idea about the passions and heritage behind football clubs.

Basically his comments could almost be seen as endorsing the future breaking of the merger agreement - BECAUSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED.

So one commercial agreement that was induced, facilitated and approved by the AFL - i.e. the merger agreement between Fitzroy and Brisbane gets completely ignorned and thrown away in favour of commercial agreements between Melbourne clubs and interstate venues that were made 16 years down the track???????????????
 

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Holy shit, the Club's response looks like it could have been written by Adrian Anderson or one of the other goons from the Kremlin.

It shows how much of an aparutus of the AFL we have become. Holmes obviously has little idea about what he is dealing with.

It has made me even more angry. Just parroting lines from the AFL is a complete disgrace. It is the obvious problem when you get in a CEO that has no idea about the passions and heritage behind football clubs.

Basically his comments could almost be seen as endorsing the future breaking of the merger agreement - BECAUSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED.

So one commercial agreement that was induced, facilitated and approved by the AFL - i.e. the merger agreement between Fitzroy and Brisbane gets completely ignorned and thrown away in favour of commercial agreements between Melbourne clubs and interstate venues that were made 16 years down the track???????????????

Could NOT agree more mate. That response from Holmes is weak, insipid, lacks leadership & comes across as "Oh well, never mind. Better luck next year"...Yere that agreement is looking pretty shabby at present...5 games in Victoria, Paddle Pop lion on the jumper.
 
Sydney, WCE, Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and Hawthron all in a row does not look good. We may struggle to get many wins out of that lot.
 
Holy shit, the Club's response looks like it could have been written by Adrian Anderson or one of the other goons from the Kremlin.

It shows how much of an aparutus of the AFL we have become. Holmes obviously has little idea about what he is dealing with.

It has made me even more angry. Just parroting lines from the AFL is a complete disgrace. It is the obvious problem when you get in a CEO that has no idea about the passions and heritage behind football clubs.

Basically his comments could almost be seen as endorsing the future breaking of the merger agreement - BECAUSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED.

So one commercial agreement that was induced, facilitated and approved by the AFL - i.e. the merger agreement between Fitzroy and Brisbane gets completely ignorned and thrown away in favour of commercial agreements between Melbourne clubs and interstate venues that were made 16 years down the track???????????????

What are the club's options?
  1. Accept it without question. Go over like a lead balloon, and not the hard rocking type.
  2. Put out a press release reiterating the club's position and pointing the finger at the AFL. What they did.
  3. Legal action against the AFL over the draw? What other options do they have?
All clubs have their hands tied by the draw. The club gets to put in their claims, and obviously they did, but the AFL is the final arbiter. I can understand people getting pissed off at the AFL, but unless you're wanting the club to launch legal action or some such (and any realist could point out the likelihood of this), I don't see what the club could do more than what they have done.

Edit: The thing that pisses me off about the Victorian games is that we play seven Victorian clubs but two of the games are off in Shitsville. How hard would it have been to swap one or two other clubs into an Aurora and/or Darwin slot?
 
Yep - it's horsesh**

Could only have been worse for our Vic fans if they got Meatloaf to sing it.

"Things have changed since the merger agreement" is all well and good, but doesn't excuse us being trotted out to Tasmania and Darwin instead. Either of those "away" games could have been in Melbourne.

While we're being treated like a travelling freak show, why not stick us on a plane to New Zealand too.
 
What are the club's options?
  1. Accept it without question. Go over like a lead balloon, and not the hard rocking type.
  2. Put out a press release reiterating the club's position and pointing the finger at the AFL. What they did.
  3. Legal action against the AFL over the draw? What other options do they have?
All clubs have their hands tied by the draw. The club gets to put in their claims, and obviously they did, but the AFL is the final arbiter. I can understand people getting pissed off at the AFL, but unless you're wanting the club to launch legal action or some such (and any realist could point out the likelihood of this), I don't see what the club could do more than what they have done.


Edit: The thing that pisses me off about the Victorian games is that we play seven Victorian clubs but two of the games are off in Shitsville. How hard would it have been to swap one or two other clubs into an Aurora and/or Darwin slot?

I'll take Option 3. It's in direct breach of the merger agreement.
 
Arguably the easiest draw in the AFL next season; although there is a horror stretch in the middle of the season:

6. Sydney (A)
7. WCE (H)
8. Essen (A)
9. Carl (H)
10. Coll (H)
11. Bye
12. Freo (A)
13. Geel (H)
14. Haw (A)

This group could be 7 of the top 8 for 2013 :eek:

Doubtful we'd start favourite in any of the above matches.....that's not to say we can't win them :thumbsu:
 

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Having Perth, Darwin and Tasmania within the space of a few weeks towards the end of the season could kill off any finals hopes we have at that stage of the year.

The worst part is that we legitimately face the prospect of having no more than three wins (Bulldogs, Suns, Dees) by round 15 :eek: Would Vossy even survive that?

It's very, very tough to be happy with that fixture.
 
I'll take Option 3. It's in direct breach of the merger agreement.

Honestly, in heart of hearts, do you really think that's an option for the club?
 
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/150516/default.aspx

At the other end of the scale, the easiest draw in terms of opponents' win-loss record belongs to the Brisbane Lions, whose 2013 opponents this year won 47.2 per cent of their matches. It helps, in the case of the Lions, that they get two games against Gold Coast, which won just three games in 2012.

Most matches against the bottom four :D ! We were saying with an Adelaide like draw we might make finals, so here it is.
 
Honestly, in heart of hearts, do you really think that's an option for the club?

I reckon Bill Atherton from the Fitzroy Football Club in Melbourne, might be thinking about that right now.

How do we know, under the "AFL changing landscape" crap, that we will only get 4 Victorian games in 2014 ???
 
I reckon Bill Atherton from the Fitzroy Football Club in Melbourne, might be thinking about that right now.

How do we know, under the "AFL changing landscape" crap, that we will only get 4 Victorian games in 2014 ???

I'm not arguing that it's not a problem. I just think the expectation that the club should challenge this legally is just unrealistic.
 

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What are the club's options?
  1. Accept it without question. Go over like a lead balloon, and not the hard rocking type.
  2. Put out a press release reiterating the club's position and pointing the finger at the AFL. What they did.
  3. Legal action against the AFL over the draw? What other options do they have?
All clubs have their hands tied by the draw. The club gets to put in their claims, and obviously they did, but the AFL is the final arbiter. I can understand people getting pissed off at the AFL, but unless you're wanting the club to launch legal action or some such (and any realist could point out the likelihood of this), I don't see what the club could do more than what they have done.


I understand your perspective.

I just completely disagree.

This press release would not fall into either one of these categories. It basically endorses the AFL position, which to me is unacceptable. WHY EVEN HAVE CLUBS IF THEY JUST PARROT THE AFL LINES? Maybe the AFL should just run all the teams instead.

By the way I can think of options for the Lions and the AFL to address the issue.
  1. Publically and repeatedly come out very strongly in the media and to members that it is unacceptable for the AFL to not ensure the merger agreement is upheld. An agreement that they induced, facilitated and endorsed. Do not make excuses. [Lions fans in Melbourne got very little in the agreement and had to give up a hell of a lot. Are we now expected to sit back on our hands and watch what little we got get whittled away year after year and say thank-you for it? To quote Kevin Sheedy don't piss on my neck and tell me its raining.]
  2. Work with Fitzroy Football Club and the AFL to try to ensure the future ongoing guarantee of the merger agreement - possibily through trying to negotiate a new legal agreement that is updated and legally protected.
  3. As a final option if all else fails then yes I would expect the Club to represent its founding articles and legally challenge the AFL to ensure it guarantees the merger agreement that arguably it is ultimately responsible for. The only alternative to this would be for Lions fans in Melbourne to lobby the Fitzroy Football Club to attempt to do this for them.
  4. Of course I don't expect the AFL to do anything about this year's fixture, so the question is what could the Lions do as a peace offering in lieu of this unequivical breach of the merger agreement. In 2005 the Club negotiated to wear the FFC jumper in Melbourne in lieu of only having 5 games in Melbourne. Now we see an even worse scenario of 4 games - I expect something serious to be done about it. We could wear the FFC monogram jumper in 1 or 2 games, but really I am not sure that is good enough. How about we commit to wearing the Fitzroy Lion on our jumpers for all Victorian games in perpetuity? I don't know, I am just thinking off the top of my head.
I am from a family of at least four generations of Lions supporters. Most of us live in Melbourne but some of us live in Brisbane.

I love this Club with a passion, but I expect it at a minimum to fight to maintain its heritage in Melbourne in line with what was required under the merger agreement.

I want to see my Club succeed onfield and off-field. In Brisbane and in Melbourne.

It would be easy to give up and say the way things are heading that is not possible. But it is in my blood. I will never give up on preserving the Lions heritage in Melbourne!
 
That statement from Holmes is embarrasing.

The club will now "over deliver" on the value it provides to Victorian members? Is that an extra scarf or hat?

The club's delivering half a pizza but expect member's to be cool with it because it's at a discount?

Agree completely with Loyal Lion - why should Vic members not take this as a sign of things to come? If "things have changed" is the excuse, then what's going to ever change them back? Games at Optus Oval? Laughable.
 

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2013 Fixture Discussion

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