Opinion AFL 2025 Round 24 - Weekend Wrap & Liked, Learnt, Hated

[Dewyyyyy]

That Mitch Lewis free in the Lions hawks game, where both commentators, say they don't believe the free was there. Is a bit concerning, i thought it was great attack on the footy by Starcevich running back with the flight. made it worse when Lewis kicked truly.

It was but what done him in, was he didn’t actually spoil the ball. Like going up for a realistic mark attempt but not touching the ball, therefore turning it into unrealistic.

 

[Romeoh1]

That Mitch Lewis free in the Lions hawks game, where both commentators, say they don't believe the free was there. Is a bit concerning, i thought it was great attack on the footy by Starcevich running back with the flight. made it worse when Lewis kicked truly.

Wasn’t a free.

 

[Osho]

That Mitch Lewis free in the Lions hawks game, where both commentators, say they don't believe the free was there. Is a bit concerning, i thought it was great attack on the footy by Starcevich running back with the flight. made it worse when Lewis kicked truly.

I thought so too.

 

[chaddy22]

That Mitch Lewis free in the Lions hawks game, where both commentators, say they don't believe the free was there. Is a bit concerning, i thought it was great attack on the footy by Starcevich running back with the flight. made it worse when Lewis kicked truly.

Everybody only remembers the handball out of bounds that cost the Hawks the game and not this decision that could have had the same effect. i think the same thing happened to a Lions forward later on and not paid by the umps.

 

[timokane]

Liked : Pies of 2023 are back
Learnt: Write off Pies at your peril
Hated: cats winning to a bottom 4 team talk about a soft easy ride into september

 

[PhatBoy]

Liked : Pies of 2023 are back
Learnt: Write off Pies at your peril
Hated: cats winning to a bottom 4 team talk about a soft easy ride into september

If we had a hard one you’d be moaning that we had the best tune-up for finals and whinging about how unfair it was, let’s be honest. That’s just how you operate and get your excuses in as early as possible.

 

[SC_Power]

Liked: Finishing the season with a winning recording despite being 4-8, St Kilda actually playing offensive footy for once, FREOOOOOOO!!!!, Western Bulldogs exposing themselves
Learnt: Eveness of the 8 will make top 4 all the more needed, Brisbane's 16 wins and draw carries good fortune as of the 9 other teams who finsihed with this record 8 of them (96' Swans 48'/68' Dons, 52' Cats, 13' Dockers, 15' Eagles, 80' Richmond and 82' Carlton) made the Grand Final with 76' Carlton losing the prelim by a point
Hated: Deliberate call which lost Hawthorn the game, I guess common sense and context isn't taught to umpires

One extra game nowadays

 

[The Goon]

Sorry Suns supporters, but this why people call the club plastic. You are playing for your first ever finals appearance, in a game you are heavily favoured to win, and the stadium is about 1/4 full? And half of those are Essendon supporters? This looks like a club with no widespread community support.

 

[Greendogg5]

Sorry Suns supporters, but this why people call the club plastic. You are playing for your first ever finals appearance, in a game you are heavily favoured to win, and the stadium is about 1/4 full? And half of those are Essendon supporters? This looks like a club with no widespread community support.

Can people just let this team grow its supporter base over time. The numbers are getting better and will continue to. No more or less plastic than the Melbourne teams with over 100 years to grow. Got to start from somewhere

 

[Osho]

Sorry Suns supporters, but this why people call the club plastic. You are playing for your first ever finals appearance, in a game you are heavily favoured to win, and the stadium is about 1/4 full? And half of those are Essendon supporters? This looks like a club with no widespread community support.

Who gives a fk what you think?

 

[Billy ray]

Sorry Suns supporters, but this why people call the club plastic. You are playing for your first ever finals appearance, in a game you are heavily favoured to win, and the stadium is about 1/4 full? And half of those are Essendon supporters? This looks like a club with no widespread community support.

2/3 capacity not 1/4

and prices through the roof

so you can FRO

 

[PhatBoy]

What a f**ken stupid argument. Having a shot at fans because their club doesn’t have a lot of fans.

So what should they do, jump on a bandwagon and support another club ‘because it has fans’?

Oh yeah, great reason to support a team.

I’ll go and start listening to Taylor Swift because she sells heaps of albums.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

What a f**ken stupid argument. Having a shot at fans because their club doesn’t have a lot of fans.

So what should they do, jump on a bandwagon and support another club ‘because it has fans’?

Oh yeah, great reason to support a team.

I’ll go and start listening to Taylor Swift because she sells heaps of albums.

...and stop listening to more obscure musicians because "they don't have enough fans".

 

[Osho]

Mouthwatering finals coming up, all games, with deadset threats in the lower 4. My hierarchy is: brizzy cats pies Crows Hawks freo.

The sad thing is, the season will be over before we know it.

 

[The Goon]

Who gives a fk what you think?

Apparently you do

 

[The Goon]

2/3 capacity not 1/4

and prices through the roof

so you can

2/3 capacity not 1/4

and prices through the roof

so you can FRO

Looking at the footage of that game there is no way that stadium is even close to 1/2 full, 2/3 is just fantasy. 1/4 full is a generous guess.

 

[The Goon]

Can people just let this team grow its supporter base over time. The numbers are getting better and will continue to. No more or less plastic than the Melbourne teams with over 100 years to grow. Got to start from somewhere

A fair point about time, but a team that’s playing for their first finals berth ever with that poor support at the ground? After 14 years?

It looks like a TV team with minimal actual local support. What the reason and who is to fault is well up for debatable, but at the moment? Plastic.

 

[The Goon]

What a f**ken stupid argument. Having a shot at fans because their club doesn’t have a lot of fans.

So what should they do, jump on a bandwagon and support another club ‘because it has fans’?

Oh yeah, great reason to support a team.

I’ll go and start listening to Taylor Swift because she sells heaps of albums.

Well, you completely missed the point.

After 14 years, playing for their first ever finals berth, they can’t get people excited enough to come and watch? This is a massive failure. Who is to blame is up for a lot of debate.

But.

The net result looks like a club with very little local or growing support, created simply for additional tv revenue.

 

[PhatBoy]

Well, you completely missed the point.

After 14 years, playing for their first ever finals berth, they can’t get people excited enough to come and watch? This is a massive failure. Who is to blame is up for a lot of debate.

But.

The net result looks like a club with very little local or growing support, created simply for additional tv revenue.

The Brisbane Bears played for 10. They hosted a qualifying final in that tenth season in 1996 and got 21,000 into the 40,000 capacity Gabba. Against Essendon. The same sized crowd turned up a week later against Carlton. With nobody else around to compete with them in the AFL, and only the Broncos and the abysmal Crushers and Chargers in the NRL in SE Queensland.
A year before that in their 9th season as the Bears made their run to their first ever finals series, winning their last 3 games, at home, to scrape into the top 8 in 8th spot, they got 11,800 there in the final round as they clinched their berth.

And you’re whinging about 17,000 on the Gold Coast on a Wednesday night against a team that hasn’t fired a shot in nearly 4 months, in a non-final, in a stadium with barely half that capacity, and saying that it’s a massive failure?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Sorry Suns supporters, but this why people call the club plastic. You are playing for your first ever finals appearance, in a game you are heavily favoured to win, and the stadium is about 1/4 full? And half of those are Essendon supporters? This looks like a club with no widespread community support.

I don’t think anyone is denying they have a long way to go till they can match the sort of support we see for clubs who have been around for over a century and a half.

I mean, who would have thought?

I for one would be delighted to see the Suns make big inroads in September.

 

[Kapow!!!]

The Brisbane Bears played for 10. They hosted a qualifying final in that tenth season in 1996 and got 21,000 into the 40,000 capacity Gabba. Against Essendon. The same sized crowd turned up a week later against Carlton. With nobody else around to compete with them in the AFL, and only the Broncos and the abysmal Crushers and Chargers in the NRL in SE Queensland.
A year before that in their 9th season as the Bears made their run to their first ever finals series, winning their last 3 games, at home, to scrape into the top 8 in 8th spot, they got 11,800 there in the final round as they clinched their berth.

And you’re whinging about 17,000 on the Gold Coast on a Wednesday night against a team that hasn’t fired a shot in nearly 4 months, in a non-final, in a stadium with barely half that capacity, and saying that it’s a massive failure?

I agree with all your points but...er...the Gabba wasn't even close to 40,000 capacity in 1996. That game was sold out along with the following week vs Carlton and 2 other times in the regular season

 

[Viceregal]

Not sure that judging the Suns on how many came to effectively a dead rubber match on a Wed night is fair... I certainly didn't think the Dons had the chance of the cellulose dog chasing as asbestos cat through hell of winning...

 

[PhatBoy]

I agree with all your points but...er...the Gabba wasn't even close to 40,000 capacity in 1996. That game was sold out along with the following week vs Carlton and 2 other times in the regular season

Fair enough - redevelopment??
I only gave it a fleeting glimpse but it was still listed as having a capacity between 36-40k

 

[Cuzz09]

9 teams joined us in no premiership. 7 more to join in coming weeks.

For all the chest beating there will only be 1 group of happy campers

 

[Kapow!!!]

Fair enough - redevelopment??
I only gave it a fleeting glimpse but it was still listed as having a capacity between 36-40k

Yeah it was a pretty small stadium for a while. If you watch a video of that final in question (and it's a cracking game too might I add, well worth the watch) you'll see the East Brisbane end is a small row of seats covered by what's essentially netting/shadecloth. The Stanley Street end "Clem Jones Stand" is a lot smaller, the stand behind the main road goals is smaller. The old social club took up a great deal of room. Would've been closer to 22k capacity. It was a tiny stadium for the longest time, closer to the WACA in size and appearance.




Gabba circa 96