A 17th team added to the AFL.....

[The_Young_Gun]

Yesterday in the age newspaper I saw an article talking about North Melbourne moving to the Gold Coast and that their board was given a 30 day deadline to decide to go with it or not.

If they didn't go through with it, Demitrio said that he would threaten with going through and establishing a 17th club at the Gold Coast in 2010 or later.

Would it be good having a 17th club, or is it a no go zone.

IMO a 17th club established in the next couple of years will muck up the game too much.

 

[Merv]

I don't like the idea for a few reasons.

It will weaken the talent pool

There will be priority picks given, hence lesser ranked players to draft

There will be the uncontracted players rule, ie we could lose Dempsey for example

Another interstate game

 

[Burzum]

Don't they need 75% of AFL clubs to agree to give a 17th license?

I don't think Essendon would agree, given Peter Jackson's comments.

 

[The_Young_Gun]

Yeah, 12 of the clubs have to agree on it.

The only time we should add another club is when the game gets too dull and looses its flare which won't be for a long long time, maybe never.

 

[big_slick]

southport would have to be the 17th team

 

[kouta6]

how does the 17th team get players?

 

[jules101]

southport would have to be the 17th team

Not according to Southport

 

[Burzum]

how does the 17th team get players?

See Merv Neagle's post. Priority picks, and probably a uncontracted players rule.

 

[The_Young_Gun]

It won't be south port or any other VFL, SANFL club.

Dometrio said that the Kangaroo's can take the chance of moving to the goldcoast or the AFL will fund and establish a new club at the Goldcoast instead.

They think there's a real future up at the goaldcoast.

I Don't know what will happen if they do add a new club to the AFL but it will certainly stuff up things for a while.

It might just be Dometrio giving this 17th club stuff to try and bluff the Kangaroo's into moving there.

 

[BomberAce7]

The forgotten word that hasnt been said is MERGE? Would the Kangaroos merge with the likes of Melbourne, Bulldogs or St Kilda? And a new team from the Gold Coast as the new 16th club.

 

[GoDons]

I seriously hope it doesn't happen.

Not because I want North to move, not because I don't think the Gold Coast is an important breading ground for AFL, but because we'll inevitably lose players, and that would be rough.

If I was neutral supporter, I'd be all for it. More teams would lower the standard that little bit which would reduce the 'basketball crap' playing style as it would be more difficult to maintain.

On top of that, it spreads the wings of the AFL, keeps the Kangaroos and continues the tradition of the VFL clubs.

But if it means losing players, it's always going to be a no from me.

 

[The_Young_Gun]

The forgotten word that hasnt been said is MERGE? Would the Kangaroos merge with the likes of Melbourne, Bulldogs or St Kilda? And a new team from the Gold Coast as the new 16th club.

Kevin Bartlet had Dometrio on SEN yesterday to talk about this 17th team thing and the Kangaroo's situation.

He talked about merging clubs and said it was definitly possible but just won't happen, he also said that if the kangaroo's stayed and the AFL went through with the 17th club up at the goldcoast that it won't be established till 2011, mainly because of the AFL TV rights.

But by the looks of it at the moment, the Kangaroo's will stay in Melbourne and the 17th club won't happen for a while at least.

Guess we gotta wait till the kangaroo's have past the deadline and Dometrio has made his decision.

 

[DaSawx]

I think it's a very good idea for the AFL's perspective to have a team there, the area is booming, there are footy fans there, they should establish themselves in the area.

As for us losing players, it would be unfortunate but every club would be in the same boat, we'd have to back our players to want to stay for the club that gave them a chance.

Personally, I reckon the Kangaroos will end up going there unfortunately for them, just my opinion.

 

[GoDons]

Personally, I reckon the Kangaroos will end up going there unfortunately for them, just my opinion.

It's hard to see any other way around it for the Kangaroos.

2007 was the year for their supporters to 'get on board' and turn it around, but it didn't happen. It's hard to see 2008 being any different.

If the AFL want another team on the Gold Coast, and given that they provide the majority of the Kangaroos' funds, you'd think it's going to happen.

It's unfortunate, but it's the way it's got to be.

 

[The_Young_Gun]

The Kangaroo's are a good team at the moment, there troubles started after Wayne Carey left and it all went downstream.

They have no one at their club who is well known in the Football world like a James Hird or Matthew Lloyd. All they had after Carey Left was Glenn Archer and Boomer Harvey and the publicity they got was pretty much nothing anyway.

They need someone at the club that people will be talking about for ever, someone that people will come to the football to see.

They're a bloody good team but the North Melbourne Kangaroo's Footy Club will be forgotten if they move to the GoldCoast.

To be honest I don't think their supporters care. Actually I don't think they have any supporters at all anymore.

 

[smcateer]

The Kangaroo's are a good team at the moment, there troubles started after Wayne Carey left and it all went downstream.

They have no one at their club who is well known in the Football world like a James Hird or Matthew Lloyd. All they had after Carey Left was Glenn Archer and Boomer Harvey and the publicity they got was pretty much nothing anyway.

They need someone at the club that people will be talking about for ever, someone that people will come to the football to see.

They're a bloody good team but the North Melbourne Kangaroo's Footy Club will be forgotten if they move to the GoldCoast.

To be honest I don't think their supporters care. Actually I don't think they have any supporters at all anymore.

When a team is up (as the Roos were in the late ninetys), it needs to capatalise right there and then - as we did around 99-01. 7 years later and the 4WD driving, sandy-haired, young-family types are still floating around the stands at Essendon matches - money in the bank.

What marks a successful team is it's capacity to manage and get the most out of success on the field - Melbourne Storm are a classic example of failure in this respect.

When Cary decided to root his vice captain and best mate's wife, he destroyed any chance of Nth capatalising on that success in a single stroke - pun definitely intended. The sandy-haired ones just don't want their kids looking up to a villian like Cary; the man who f*cked his club all the way to Queensland.

 

[DannyJames13]

I agree with Merv. 16 Teams is enough for now.

As a Gold Coaster for 13 odd years the southport suggestion is interesting. I heard that the a few southport board members were fired after the Kangaroos aligned with Broadbeach instead of Southport.

As a roos supporter I would be fighting like hell to keep my team in its home town. But...

Soccer is growing in Melbourne, Rugby is growing in Melbourne therefore, and I'm really only taking an educated guess, at least two teams will go in Melbourne over the next 20 years.

Right now our economy is pretty decent. There will be another recession. When it comes the teams that are border line struggling then would be very scared

 

[GoDons]

The Kangaroo's are a good team at the moment, there troubles started after Wayne Carey left and it all went downstream.

They have no one at their club who is well known in the Football world like a James Hird or Matthew Lloyd. All they had after Carey Left was Glenn Archer and Boomer Harvey and the publicity they got was pretty much nothing anyway.

They need someone at the club that people will be talking about for ever, someone that people will come to the football to see.

They're a bloody good team but the North Melbourne Kangaroo's Footy Club will be forgotten if they move to the GoldCoast.

To be honest I don't think their supporters care. Actually I don't think they have any supporters at all anymore.

The Kangaroos aren't in the position they're in now because they lack a big name player.

Their problems have arisen from a small supporter base to begin with and poor management. Top players have some degree of pull, but that's minimal.

The Kangaroos have failed to capitalise on onfield success and failed to adequately market themselves to the community. In addition, they have had no such financial initiatives like Essendon have put in place.

They have supporters that care, don't doubt that. I'm sure everyone of them that bought a membership in 2007 cares. They're just as passionate as anyone who bought an Essendon membership. The shame is, there's not enough passionate Roos supporters, but don't lable them extinct.

 

[The_Young_Gun]

Well we'll see which supporters really care next year when the membership count has been released.

If North Melbourne choose to stay in Victoria, they will have to be hoping to get a high amount of memberships sold next year otherwise they will be extinct by the end of 2008 no doubt about that.