AFL overtaking NRL in QLD

[The Educator]

I always find it interesting that one standpoint can effectively say what it wants about the respective codes and sports and its backers are just making their point, under the guise that ‘it’s an AFL forum.’

Anyone who disagrees is trolling. Are people really that incapable as adults of accepting that there are others who disagree? There are differences of opinion in literally every thread in this website. Yet this one seems absurdly untouchable even if you aren’t actually having a shot at Australian Rules.

Moderators have a job to ensure that people aren’t insulting others personally - something I’ve been guilty of a handful of times, and deliberately just clogging threads for no reason. I don’t believe it’s especially fair to accuse someone of trolling just because they’re not ‘toeing the line’ or essentially because they’re just disagreeing with a consensus

I personally wouldn't call Badger17 a troll. He is clearly a league fan, I am sure he has an afinity with port adelaide. He is deeply biased to rugby league and blind to that, but he's not one of these mouth breathers that wonder over from League unlimted, or a concern troll that has spent 12 sad years posting here. He tries to be reasonable

What I can't take seriously is anyone who wants to assert that the moderation and culture on big footy is somehow hostile to other sports or criticisms of football. Ridiculous call

 

[PhatBoy]

I personally wouldn't call Badger17 a troll. He is clearly a league fan, I am sure he has an afinity with port adelaide. He is deeply biased to rugby league and blind to that, but he's not one of these mouth breathers that wonder over from League unlimted, or a concern troll that has spent 12 sad years posting here. He tries to be reasonable

Fair.

I’m a league fan. I make no effort to hide it. I’m also a very very long term and passionate afl fan. I have never ever understood why anyone would have a ‘problem’ following both. Like I get that people don’t, clearly. Not everything is for everyone. But I don’t understand why someone would find it ‘hard to understand’ that someone could follow both, if that makes sense.

 

[RedV3x]

What I can't take seriously is anyone who wants to assert that the moderation and culture on big footy is somehow

open for discussion !

 

[Angus Young]

I think if it was just to stir reactions it would be criticising the game everyone else follows. I haven’t been right back through the absolute bare bones of the discussion and every single post he’s made but the last dozen or so posts from him he’s not said anything derogatory about the other code.

I’ve made 50,000 posts in this forum, most of them either about cricket or about Geelong/other main board topics, with a bit of league posting. As soon as I made any positive comment about league here it wasn’t treated like a serious post and I was accused of trolling. People need to understand that a contrary view isn’t necessarily contrary just ‘for the sake of it’ or to stir others up.

I follow both games but sorry you are way off if you think anti RL sentiment is even in the same atmosphere as the amount of hatred RL fans have for AFL.

Even here it's not even bad. Go speak to hardcore league fans or visit RL forum for five minutes. Puts me off.

The chip on shoulder is enormous.

 

[RedV3x]

I follow both games but sorry you are way off if you think anti RL sentiment is even in the same atmosphere as the amount of hatred RL fans have for AFL.
Even here it's not even bad. Go speak to hardcore league fans or visit RL forum for five minutes. Puts me off.
The chip on shoulder is enormous.

Unfortunately what you say is true.
Some league fans in Sydney actually used the word "hate" towards AFL.
I fail to see how anyone can hate a sport and it's especially disappointing when it's an Australian product that they're referring to.
I once had a young relative come over to Perth and say that he hated AFL.
I thought to myself - you're not going far here and you've lost my support for starters.
In the 1980s with the Sydney media frequently talked about an "AFL invasion". My public support for the Swans
always came in a round about fashion in public discussion. No saying "I like AFL" but rather, oh, on Sundays
you'll find me at the SCG.......watching the Swans.......it's a great day out........if you're interested you should come.
I'm probably responsible for about 30 people becoming ongoing Swans fans.

I'm happy with the niche that the Sydney Swans have carved out in Sydney and now I'm impressed with mainly young following of the GWS which parallels the youth in the Dockers verses the much older set of WCE members. Much criticism has been leveled at GWS but they have rebounded after initial horrendous treatment in a region that was always known to be challenging and without the support of a Melbourne following as in the case of South Melbourne.

 

[hampton]

As a fan of both codes it's unfortunate to see the 'haters' there's no reason one can't watch more than one sport. Personally I love being able to watch AFL, NRL, EPL and when it's cricket, NFL and basketball season I equally can't get enough. Each to their own.

It's a vocal minority in forums that make it seem like there's a lot of haters but it's just a few individuals.

However with league they've had a 100 years of union actively trying to stamp out their code, even to this day. Additionally it's true that AFL types have looked down on NRL in the past, particularly figures like Mcguire and Sheedy with egotistical rhetoric of 'taking over' NSW and QLD. Very different to the approach of Storm in melbourne for example, who happily co-exist and part of the rich sporting fabric of melbourne without trying to 'take over Victoria'. It rubs them the wrong way which is fair enough. I think AFL have realised that themselves and really backtracked from the 'take over' talk.

However still, In Sydney for example, 99% of the population couldn't give a rats ass about code 'rivalry' and watch what they like. It's a tiny minority of trolls who always end up on an online forum.

 

[GC2015]

Interesting to see members of the NRL media flat out claiming today that the Suns are winning the Gold Coast code war over the Titans. I don't know if I fully believe that at this point in time, but obviously things are going to eventually change if we continue to see seasons where one team is playing finals (hopefully) and the other is being awarded the wooden spoon. Winning is the secret sauce when it comes to these things and it's an area the Suns have really improved in, as opposed to the Titans, who appear to have regressed in that area.

 

[PhatBoy]

It was a strange take, I even think clear r.l trolls are treated with carte blanche on here and given significant trolling time, whilst rarely if ever getting a permanent ban.

When I went over to league unlimited a few years ago I saw anyone that said they watched afl had their account deleted pretty much straight away, it was strange insecure behaviour to say the least.

It’s not a strange take at all. And the other forums are irrelevant. I’m fully aware of how afl is viewed by numerous league fans.

Again you’ve completely missed the point. I’ll say it one more time:

A person putting forward a pro-RL view is not a troll just because it’s a pro-RL view. You don’t have to agree with them. Just respect the fact that they hold the view and aren’t putting it forth merely to piss you off. Chances are your feelings aren’t THAT important, that upsetting you is at the top of someone’s agenda, and they simply are interested in discussing it. That’s what most people use forums for.

 

[pOleK]

Monumental day. 2 QLD sides in finals!

Come a long way in the span of 10 years. Here’s to more success

 

[RedV3x]

Monumental day. 2 QLD sides in finals!

Come a long way in the span of 10 years. Here’s to more success

It's been a while since all states were represented and I think never
has the Victorian representation been so low at three and Melbourne representation at two.

 

[kalex6251]

It’s not a strange take at all. And the other forums are irrelevant. I’m fully aware of how afl is viewed by numerous league fans.

Again you’ve completely missed the point. I’ll say it one more time:

A person putting forward a pro-RL view is not a troll just because it’s a pro-RL view. You don’t have to agree with them. Just respect the fact that they hold the view and aren’t putting it forth merely to piss you off. Chances are your feelings aren’t THAT important, that upsetting you is at the top of someone’s agenda, and they simply are interested in discussing it. That’s what most people use forums for.

are you prosecuting the same argument on those 'irrelevant' forums where anti-AFL sentiment is expressed by the 'numerous' league fans you speak of?

 

[PhatBoy]

are you prosecuting the same argument on those 'irrelevant' forums where anti-AFL sentiment is expressed by the 'numerous' league fans you speak of?

No. Because I don’t actively post on them. Should I start an account on all sports forums and become a crusader for inclusivity just because I have this view on the one forum that I regularly post on?

How does your post address the point.

One more time: someone can make a point from one side of the argument without being a troll, and arcing up at it rather than addressing their point or simply agreeing to disagree, is silly.

 

[Bjo187]

A person putting forward a pro-RL view is not a troll just because it’s a pro-RL view. You don’t have to agree with them. Just respect the fact that they hold the view and aren’t putting it forth merely to piss you off. Chances are your feelings aren’t THAT important, that upsetting you is at the top of someone’s agenda, and they simply are interested in discussing it. That’s what most people use forums for.

I dunno why you randomly picked up this argument months later, but I don't care if someone likes both sports, or even if it's 'occasionally' relevant to mention the other sport, it's when someone is a clear troll that is only on here to tell us how great rugby league is compared to afl or continually bringing the conversation in an afl forum back to rugby league that it's annoying.

It's like the site is used as their own promotions vehicle to get people into r.l. This thread in particular is like moths to a flame for all the r.l trolls on Bigfooty. If they were actually reined in or pissed off back to their own forums it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[GC2015]

It's been a while since all states were represented and I think never
has the Victorian representation been so low at three and Melbourne representation at two.

You can actually go a step further and say all seven cities are represented in this finals series:

Adelaide - Crows
Brisbane - Lions
Geelong - Cats
Gold Coast - Suns
Melbourne - Hawks, Magpies
Perth - Dockers
Sydney - Giants

A truly national finals series at last. Victoria (3) and Queensland (2) are the only states with multiple participants.

 

[Jootube]

And all it took was hundreds of millions of dollars, list allowances, AFL academies, salary cap fudging, and draft concessions
Don't let anyone tell you the ends don't justify the means

 

[shammersting]

I follow both games but sorry you are way off if you think anti RL sentiment is even in the same atmosphere as the amount of hatred RL fans have for AFL.

Even here it's not even bad. Go speak to hardcore league fans or visit RL forum for five minutes. Puts me off.

The chip on shoulder is enormous.

100% Most AFL fans that don’t follow league generally don’t give 2 hoots about it.

 

[GC2015]

This article might be an indication of the change that's currently going on here on the Gold Coast. The city is literally going to be painted red over the next week with bridges/buildings lit up in support of the Suns and a live site with a big screen likely to be constructed for a public viewing party. If anyone remembers differently then let me know, but I don't think this happened in any of the years that the Titans played finals.

Gold Coast buildings will be lit red and Suns training opened to the public as the city’s AFL team prepares to tackle its first finals appearance.

The Suns, fresh from defeating Essendon on Wednesday, have a week to get ready for its first-round clash in Perth with the Fremantle Dockers.
...
The Gold Coast City Council is holding discussions this week about how to show its support for the Suns ahead of the finals.

All council buildings and infrastructure, including bridges, will be lit red on game day, with other days also being looked at.
...
Mayor Tom Tate said council was also considering holding a live site viewing party of the game at either Bundall’s Home of the Arts (HOTA) or Surfers Paradise.

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/gold-coast-suns-finals-city-turns-red-for-historic-freemantle-clash/news-story/ea323ccaa8d2d4ada9ff9f25b90cca5b

 

[Giant YoYo]

This article might be an indication of the change that's currently going on here on the Gold Coast. The city is literally going to be painted red over the next week with bridges/buildings lit up in support of the Suns and a live site with a big screen likely to be constructed for a public viewing party. If anyone remembers differently then let me know, but I don't think this happened in any of the years that the Titans played finals.

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/gold-coast-suns-finals-city-turns-red-for-historic-freemantle-clash/news-story/ea323ccaa8d2d4ada9ff9f25b90cca5b

Sunrise did a segment on this this morning, looked really good. Plenty of supporters shown for the segment. Very heartening.

Good on the GC for coming out to support the Suns and shows the difference once a team is embraced.

 

[Coconut_twirl]

Fair.

I’m a league fan. I make no effort to hide it. I’m also a very very long term and passionate afl fan. I have never ever understood why anyone would have a ‘problem’ following both. Like I get that people don’t, clearly. Not everything is for everyone. But I don’t understand why someone would find it ‘hard to understand’ that someone could follow both, if that makes sense.

I follow the dolphins in the NRL, but Saints are my love. No reason you can’t follow both. Have had a couple of posters in this thread say I’m a league troll, but if you look at my posting history 90% of my posts are on the Saints forum.

I do caution on the AFL popularity in QLD. It’s absolutely growing but it will not take over NRL in my lifetime. Doesn’t mean AFL won’t get a larger slice of the pie over time.

 

[Coconut_twirl]

Monumental day. 2 QLD sides in finals!

Come a long way in the span of 10 years. Here’s to more success

I can’t see either QLD side dropping off significantly over the next decade

 

[GC2015]

Sunrise did a segment on this this morning, looked really good. Plenty of supporters shown for the segment. Very heartening.

Good on the GC for coming out to support the Suns and shows the difference once a team is embraced.

I saw that as well and it really does feel like the local media here have fully embraced this and the locals are following suit. Couldn't believe we were on the front page of the GC Bulletin 4/5 days this week and they even changed their colour scheme to red (it's usually blue) to show support for us. Unreal to see what's possible when the community gets onboard and we're only just getting started!

 

[Giant YoYo]

I saw that as well and it really does feel like the local media here have fully embraced this and the locals are following suit. Couldn't believe we were on the front page of the GC Bulletin 4/5 days this week and they even changed their colour scheme to red (it's usually blue) to show support for us. Unreal to see what's possible when the community gets onboard and we're only just getting started!

It's a stark contrast to the treatment the Giants get here.

It's incredibly hostile and the Swans would rather the Giants not be here.

I don't see the same with the Lions Suns relationship.

 

[RedV3x]

I do caution on the AFL popularity in QLD. It’s absolutely growing but it will not take over NRL in my lifetime.

Depends on what criteria you use. I suspect rl will hang on in the regional areas.

Doesn’t mean AFL won’t get a larger slice of the pie over time.

AFL has been consistently growing from the VFL days, but then to be fair it wasn't that small in the beginning.

 

[GC2015]

It's a stark contrast to the treatment the Giants get here.

It's incredibly hostile and the Swans would rather the Giants not be here.

I don't see the same with the Lions Suns relationship.

Yeah, it's tough slog down there for both the Giants and Swans to get media attention ahead of the NRL clubs. You guys have done incredibly well to participate in so many finals series over the last decade and it's barely made a difference in terms of media coverage (from what I can see). There's always going to be that natural bias towards the NRL with the local Sydney media and obviously the Swans have carved out a niche supporter base for themselves in the eastern suburbs. I suppose all you can do is just keep pounding away year after year and hope that the western Sydney community eventually comes around to embracing the team like the eastern suburbs did with the Swans after several decades.

Being based in a separate city and having our own media cycle (albeit much smaller than Brisbane's) is an obvious advantage for us when compared to the Giants. We're not fighting against the Lions to get media attention from the Gold Coast Bulletin, Nine Gold Coast News, local radio stations etc. Our only real competition for media attention is the Titans and they're having the season from hell with their high profile coach recently getting sacked and a wooden spoon looking very likely. Also, we're not coming up against a historically successful team like the Broncos, who are always going to be very popular in Brisbane. So we've been able to make strides this year because the media are far more inclined to report on a team that's participating in the finals than one that is struggling to be competitive against fellow bottom 4 teams.

As someone who grew up on the Gold Coast and knows how many Aussie rules fans we have in this city who have been waiting for this day, I always thought this was possible because I know I wasn't the only one patiently waiting for it to be socially acceptable to publicly support the game we grew up loving. In years goneby, rugby league people had always brashly claimed that the GC was a 'league heartland' and Aussie rules fans like myself stayed quiet because we didn't have much of a leg to stand on. That has slowly changed over the last decade as the AFL/Suns have put more effort/money into the academy pathway and it's produced a generation of Gold Coasters who are far more inclined to lean towards Aussie rules. It's not uncommon to be walking around local shopping centres on the Gold Coast and see kids wearing their Suns academy gear. It's normal now and no one is making them feel bad for playing/supporting the game like they would have in the past.

I'm really optimistic about the future of Aussie rules in our city. I don't think it's a stretch to suggest we could genuinely become the number 1 sport/team in the next 5-10 years and it's so exciting to see what's happening after just simply qualifying for the finals. I can only imagine what it's going to be like here if we go deepin the finals, make a GF or even win a flag.

 

[The_Wookie]