AFL Hierarchy's disposition towards Hawthorn?

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BOP66

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The reason for this post is just an observation I've made following the '13 & '14 Premierships.
Twice when the cameras have focused on Demetriou in "13 & Gil/Fitzpatrick in '14, both times they didn't look impressed at all. In fact the term a face that has just sucked a lemon look is so apt.
I know the AFL despises us & seeing us successful must be a dagger to their heart, but gee the blatant & obvious disdain is totally unprofessional!
Now granted after the 2012 GF which I've not watched a second of the replay, does anyone know how the fat controller (Demitriou) behaved? I'm sure he would of been a tad happier than he was in '13.
Not that really concerns me, as I love making the AFL look stupid. Go Hawks.
 

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Roddy

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#2
Just watching the end on Youtube now. Just laughing now, in the light of what's happened since (no doubt I'll need to watch this year's afterwards though). First thing I'm noticing is there's many more shots of disconsolate Hawks than there was of equivalent Swans a few weeks ago.

Yep, they seem a lot happier, a lot lighter in mood.
 

Hawkk

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#3
Just watching the end on Youtube now. Just laughing now, in the light of what's happened since (no doubt I'll need to watch this year's afterwards though). First thing I'm noticing is there's many more shots of disconsolate Hawks than there was of equivalent Swans a few weeks ago.

Yep, they seem a lot happier, a lot lighter in mood.
In fairness we were far from embarrassed in 2012. At the end of that telecast Dennis stated that it was one of the best GF's he had watched in 40 odd years
 

Bumpswithagrin

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#4
The reason for this post is just an observation I've made following the '13 & '14 Premierships.
Twice when the cameras have focused on Demetriou in "13 & Gil/Fitzpatrick in '14, both times they didn't look impressed at all. In fact the term a face that has just sucked a lemon look is so apt.
I know the AFL despises us & seeing us successful must be a dagger to their heart, but gee the blatant & obvious disdain is totally unprofessional!
Now granted after the 2012 GF which I've not watched a second of the replay, does anyone know how the fat controller (Demitriou) behaved? I'm sure he would of been a tad happier than he was in '13.
Not that really concerns me, as I love making the AFL look stupid. Go Hawks.
I reckon there's nothing in this. I know people like to focus on the stony faces of the AFL administration after the game but surely they were just trying to look nuetral and serious. If they had been smiling and laughing they no doubt would have riled up all the Swans/Freo supporters. Also, people are focusing on a couple of seconds of footage, for all we know they could have been smiling straight afterwards and just before. I'm not saying we don't get shafted from the AFL on some things but to say Gillon and Mike Fitzpatrick were unhappy we won is just tin foil hat territory IMO.
 

George Zip

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#5
Great thread. I, too, noticed that Fitzpatrick and Mclachlan were wearing the I-just-sucked-a-lemon expression and thought it curious.

If it's partisan-based disdain (Fitzpatrick - Carlton, Mclachlan - St Kilda), it's appallingly churlish and unprofessional, but entirely symptomatic of a shift towards brazenly partisan behaviour amongst the media and AFL power-brokers, the blame for which has to be laid squarely at the feet of Eddie McGuire.

If, however, those sour faces were reflective of concerns about the result in the context of what's best for the code, then it's more understandable, but still firmly in the realm of unprofessional conduct.

But Bumpswithagrin is probably right; it's possible we're reading far too much into it.
 
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BOP66

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The AFL are obviously biased on expansion teams & teams in the non-dominant Aussie Rules footy states winning the flags.
So please don't call me paranoid or along those lines.
Our objective is to win Premierships. I love my club more than the competition as a whole. If we had of been taken over back in 1996 (IT WASN'T A MERGER!) I would be barracking for my local footy team in the burbs.
We were never given hand outs or any concessions when we joined the league, hence horrendous first 30-35 years in the VFL.
Yes we have done it the hard way & I'm glad in a way we did. It just makes it so much sweeter when we salute, because those hard dark times have made us the proud & professional outfit we are now.
 
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#9
I really hate this whole the AFL hates us on this board.

I'm sure they viewed us winning exactly the same as Geelong or Collingwood winning.
I agree with this. It is crap to think that the AFL have it in for Hawthorn in any way. Sure they would like to see the expansion clubs do well, but to say that they actively try to shaft any team is absolute paranoia.
 

arupist

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#10
Great thread. I, too, noticed that Fitzpatrick and Mclachlan were wearing the I-just-sucked-a-lemon expression and thought it curious.
Don't agree with this. I think it was more like Mum-just-confiscated-my-xbox.

I don't really subscribe to this conspiracy theory, though. I don't think these people are normally happy people, so you can expect them to look a bit down.
 

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#11
Don't agree with this. I think it was more like Mum-just-confiscated-my-xbox.

I don't really subscribe to this conspiracy theory, though. I don't think these people are normally happy people, so you can expect them to look a bit down.
Like I said in my post, if you look closely you can see them laughing and joking during the 2012 presentations.
 

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BOP66

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I agree with this. It is crap to think that the AFL have it in for Hawthorn in any way. Sure they would like to see the expansion clubs do well, but to say that they actively try to shaft any team is absolute paranoia.
Hey I just put this out there, as for 2 years running the head honchos have shown the same demeanor when we've won the flag!
I'm not paranoid as I know it's a fact that they make it easier for certain sides- just look at our fixture compared to Sydney's!
Hey I say bring it on AFL. The last 2-3 seasons they've given us hard fixturing & we've done Ok.
 

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#14
To be fair, it makes sense that people genuinely hoped that Freo would take the flag last year. It would've made a great story (less fortunate western expansion club finally gets maiden flag)... As opposed to the 'Hawks have won the big one AGAIN!'

I, like the rest of you, partied like it was 1999 after we dispatched the purple poofs last year... However, I could understand neutral disappointment about the result.

Anywho, I guess they better get their sh1t together as there are no 'charity-flags'. Go Hawks!
 

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#16
I mean, it's not enough that we've been blessed with 4 years of great footy. We just went back 2 back. That should be enough.
But we also
1. Did it in emphatic fashion when we were regarded as underdogs.
2. Did it on the back of a year where we had multiple long term injuries to key players.
3. .....and lost our coach for 5 weeks.
4. Uncovered some major talent in Langford, and great future prospects in Litherland, Ceglar and you could say Hartung. Plus Woodward, Anderson, Whitecross & Sicily waiting in the wings.
5. Just signed a long term key backman that clubs would queue for in Frawley.
6. Had our captain immortalised as a footy great with a second Norm Smith and third premiership medallion.
7.... on top of all those other 'players'...Mitchell, Roughead, Lewis etc who will feature in stories of pride we tell our kids.

and still, there are people who need dredge up rubbish 'us against them' ideas to be happy.
 
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#17
I mean, it's not enough that we've been blessed with 4 years of great footy. We just went back 2 back. That should be enough.
But we also
1. Did it in emphatic fashion when we were regarded as underdogs.
2. Did it on the back of a year where we had multiple long term injuries to key players.
3. .....and lost our coach for 5 weeks.
4. Uncovered some major talent in Langford, and great future prospects in Litherland, Ceglar and you could say Hartung. Plus Woodward, Anderson, Whitecross & Sicily waiting in the wings.
5. Just signed a long term key backman that clubs would queue for in Frawley.
6. Had our captain immortalised as a footy great with a second Norm Smith and third premiership medallion.
7.... on top of all those other 'players'...Mitchell, Roughead, Lewis etc who will feature in stories of pride we tell our kids.

and still, there are people who need dredge up rubbish 'us against them' ideas to be happy.
I think actions speak louder than facial expressions. There is little doubt that they favour the expansion teams and Sydney since they want to impose AFL in non-AFL states. Financial issues aside, it remains odd that we always get such a difficult fixture, even after losing the 2012 GF to Sydney, not just who we play but the consecutive tough games and number of 6 day breaks. I know clubs want high drawing games, but that doesn't explain all our fixture. Then there is the arbirary, frankly unfair compensation we had for Judas leaving, among other free agents we lost compared to other teams.
 

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#18
For the last 3 years we have finished 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 1st. The fixture we get is what it is. As long as GWS are sub-standard, Sydney will always have a easier fixture. We won't be crying when GWS is tearing up the comp. The teams we always play twice due to 'rivalries' have just happened to be good at the moment as well. I'm sure Hawthorn and Geelong wouldn't be upset about getting 2 games against each other every year, drawing 70,000 plus each time. Collingwood as well (although we have had the wood over them, they still have been in the top 5 for majority of the last 5 years).
The six day breaks, the consecutive tough teams... We have to play 5 games a year in Tassie, remember, and those game always feature low crowd drawing (or interstate) teams. I'm sure it makes it a little tougher for the 'fixture master' to get the perfect balance when factoring something like that in.

Finally, the buddy compensation.

There shouldn't be compensation. It's free agency. Our compensation is we have space in our salary cap. If we're good enough, we'll use it lure someone else, or lock in current players who will be up for contract re negotiations in the near future.
 

Hawkk

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#21
For the last 3 years we have finished 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 1st. The fixture we get is what it is. As long as GWS are sub-standard, Sydney will always have a easier fixture. We won't be crying when GWS is tearing up the comp. The teams we always play twice due to 'rivalries' have just happened to be good at the moment as well. I'm sure Hawthorn and Geelong wouldn't be upset about getting 2 games against each other every year, drawing 70,000 plus each time. Collingwood as well (although we have had the wood over them, they still have been in the top 5 for majority of the last 5 years).
The six day breaks, the consecutive tough teams... We have to play 5 games a year in Tassie, remember, and those game always feature low crowd drawing (or interstate) teams. I'm sure it makes it a little tougher for the 'fixture master' to get the perfect balance when factoring something like that in.

Finally, the buddy compensation.

There shouldn't be compensation. It's free agency. Our compensation is we have space in our salary cap. If we're good enough, we'll use it lure someone else, or lock in current players who will be up for contract re negotiations in the near future.
We have to play 4 games in Tasmania, not 5.

Unless you count the BS NAB Cup Challenge
 

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#23
It's funny that Victorian teams generally agree that the AFL favours interstate/expansion teams and would like them to win the flag, and yet if you speak to $ydney, Port, Freo, Adelaide or Weagle supporters, there's apparently a giant conspiracy of "victorian-centric" bias.

Apparently the fact that they need to travel to the other side of the country "every other week" was an unforseen consequence of being on the other side of the country than all the other teams.
 

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I'm not entirely sure whether to take this thread seriously, to be honest.
The amount of people who come here and make supposedly serious posts detailing how Andy D and Gillan plan our draw with maximum 6-day breaks, top 8 opponents and various voodoo dolls of Cyril Rioli being stuck with pins in order to bring us down is, quite frankly, a ******* embarrassment...
 
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