AFL overtaking NRL in QLD

NoobPie

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The crowds at the current lot of QLD games is a deadset blight on the game and cast a extremely negative perception of the current game. The fact they refuse to announce crowd numbers is just cringeworthy. Just admit they have 200 people there and accept the failure.

Everything I have heard suggests the crowds are capped due to costs and there are people wanting to get that can't

You are confused
 

NoobPie

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Some people see everything in the hyper-masculine terms of conquest, victory, penetrating overseas markets etc. (including the AFL hierarchy). It's extremely sad.

The AFL has taken a strategic decision to deepen its footprint north of the Barassi line to more unambiguously become the national game. This, in turn, is made on the judgement that the game thriving longer term depends on a deepening national footprint

It seems a pretty sound strategy. I also seems sound to have such a clear, coherent strategy in the first place. It seems all effective organisations have analogous strategies that in turn give them purpose for their energies to coalesce around. What is the alternative?

Calling it "extremely sad" I would suggest is a strange reaction
 

HavUEvaSeenTheRain

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What would it take? For the Victorian economy to collapse and Vics in their hundreds of thousands to move up there.
It’s never going to happen.
Port Douglas is a funny town though and does show what migration can do.
 

Greenac

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It would take a bunch of rednecks to all of a sudden realise that the sport they have been lobbing homophobic slurs at since the beginning of time in fact has fewer homosexual undertones than the NRL does (Richmond notwithstanding). But these are the people that have given us Bob Katter, Pauline Hanson and George Christensen so what hope does AFL really have? The sooner Australia disconnects from that shithole the better
 
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Deroesfromgero
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Mate, there may be some sort of presence in Brisbane but go to any small town in QLD and its GAYFL, aerial ping pong, fairy bullshit. Basically any sort of homophobic slur they can think of. They have some sort of irrational hate of the game.


See thats the mentality of a rugby goon.

1) its aerial - an arial goes on the roof of your house - aerial means its up in the sky - aka above the ground. ie way above your head.

2)This is how you know a rugby meathead coined the term as if you think about ping pong - its not played with grubbers is it? You arent hitting a ping pong ball along the ground like a ten pin bowling ball are you?

Its also an aerial game - you have used the term aerial to separate an aerial sport from another aerial sport.

so many slack jawed rugby lackwits still use the term yet they clearly dont know what it means.

Stick to single syllables and put some bandaids on those knuckles gronks.
 

NoobPie

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Blimey, you actually believe that?

Follow the conversation on this thread.....



Or are all these posters just AFL sleeper agents that were directed to get on bigfooty and make out there were crowd caps when their weren't?
 

Nuggets73

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What would it take?
Could this covid season be the precursor?
Two QLD teams, both competitive, one likely a top 4 team
The Courier Fail owned NRL team being less than garbage
A Grand Final in QLD?
Could the seeds laid be enough?

You’re talking about arguably the rugby league capital of the world ... highly doubt they’ll ever get close to NRL in QLD
 
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This is pretty much spot on. In the city, footy isn’t as far behind as some might think, but country QLD and northern NSW, it’s a completely different story.
Thats because the south east corner (the city areas as you refer to them) are chock full of expat WA, SA and Vicco people!..
 

GC2015

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Is Cairns really the hotbead for Australia Football that I keep hearing?
It would be easy to answer this question in a subjective way but that doesn't really give you the answer you're looking for. Instead, let's look at the evidence. Prior to the establishment of the Suns, footballers from Cairns would occasionally make it to the AFL but would often have to move interstate to make it happen: Troy Clarke (1990/SANFL), Che Cockatoo-Collins (1993/SANFL), Courtenay Dempsey (2005/QAFL), Jarrod Harbrow (2006/TAC Cup), Charlie Dixon (2008/QAFL). Things began to change around 2013-14 when the Suns academy really got going and the relocating of junior prospects in their mid-teens became commonplace. For example, a 16-year-old Jack Bowes relocated to the Gold Coast in late 2014/early 2015 in an attempt to chase the dream of becoming an AFL player and that decision obviously panned out for both parties when Bowes was bid on with a top 10 pick in the 2016 draft. These days with a proper pathway in place through the Suns academy there seems to be constant flow of AFL talent coming out of Cairns on an almost yearly basis:

2016 - #10 draft pick Jack Bowes (Manunda Hawks/Cairns Saints)
2017 - Rookie pick Jacob Heron (Cairns Saints)
2018 - #71 draft pick Caleb Graham (North Cairns Tigers/Cairns Saints)
2020 - Predicted top 10 pick Alex Davies (Manunda Hawks)
2021 - AFL prospect Austin Harris (Cairns Saints)


My understanding is that the local Cairns Aussie rules footy scene is pretty similar to the Gold Coast in that there is a decent following but is still second to rugby league (60/40 split in both cities according to most reports). In fact, the Gold Coast and Cairns are probably the two cities in Queensland that have the largest appetite for Aussie rules footy. Other regional cities like Townsville or Rockhampton have much less interest in Aussie rules and are more in line with Brisbane where rugby league likely has an 80-90% domination in the market. Even some people in Brisbane are unaware of the differing levels of sporting interests throughout the state of Queensland and just naively think every city in QLD is exactly like Brisbane. If you were to measure market penetration through the Lions and Suns you will find the Suns are having a lot more success in their market than Brisbane and it's due to the larger appetite for Aussie rules footy on the Gold Coast (and Cairns):

Brisbane population: 2.4 million
Lions members: 29.5k (0.012% of the population)

Gold Coast population: 620k
Suns members: 14.5k (0.023% of the population)

You'll also find a crowd comparison in years gone by renders similar results. So even though Brisbane is the considerably larger market, Gold Coast (and Cairns by all reports) appear to display a far greater appetite for Aussie rules footy when comparing the analytics. Essentially, Brisbane is going to be a much tougher nut to crack than Gold Coast or Cairns. So, can the AFL win over QLD as a whole? Probably not. Can the AFL win over regional cities like the Gold Coast and Cairns where there is already a good amount of interest? Possibly. The Gold Coast Titans aren't exactly putting up much of a fight at the moment so the Gold Coast market is very much cherry ripe for the picking if either code really put the effort in to ensure their respective club was success on and off the field.
 

megadeth92

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The AFL has taken a strategic decision to deepen its footprint north of the Barassi line to more unambiguously become the national game. This, in turn, is made on the judgement that the game thriving longer term depends on a deepening national footprint

It seems a pretty sound strategy. I also seems sound to have such a clear, coherent strategy in the first place. It seems all effective organisations have analogous strategies that in turn give them purpose for their energies to coalesce around. What is the alternative?

Calling it "extremely sad" I would suggest is a strange reaction

An alternative might be as in Scottish soccer - an organization controlled by votes of club presidents, as was the case with the VFL of the 1970s. I think it was more the ideology and attitude of the expansion into NSW and QLD that was "sad" - the idea that rugby-league sucked and that everyone would quickly become AFL converts, the idea that this was barren empty land just waiting to receive the Greatest Game, the "we are the saviours, we are here now" attitude. (PS I enjoy both games and prefer Aussie Rules over rugby-league so don't think of this as a "code-war" post.)

Another alternative might be fostering the games in the heartlands, eg a team in Tasmania, more money put into grassroots football, getting State of Origin up and running again, getting something like the old Foxtel Cup of 2011 back up and running (but doing it much better).
 

NoobPie

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An alternative might be as in Scottish soccer - an organization controlled by votes of club presidents, as was the case with the VFL of the 1970s.

As far as reverting back to pre-professional send-the-game-broke parochial governance structures can be considered an alternative


I think it was more the ideology and attitude of the expansion into NSW and QLD that was "sad" - the idea that rugby-league sucked and that everyone would quickly become AFL converts, the idea that this was barren empty land just waiting to receive the Greatest Game, the "we are the saviours, we are here now" attitude. (PS I enjoy both games and prefer Aussie Rules over rugby-league so don't think of this as a "code-war" post.)

I think you are confusing your interpretation of events with the actual facts of those events.

The fact is the AFL has had a long sustained and increasingly fruitful strategy of growing into the half of the country it wasn't historically dominant. Saying it had an "ideology and attitude" that "we are the saviours, we are here now" is just some really weird story you have layered over the top


Another alternative might be fostering the games in the heartlands, eg a team in Tasmania, more money put into grassroots football, getting State of Origin up and running again, getting something like the old Foxtel Cup of 2011 back up and running (but doing it much better).

Neither of which are an alternative / mutually exclusive. In fact state of origin is actually becoming more viable with the growth in NSW and QLD

There are now plentiful players where viable -ALL AFL listed - SOO teams can be formed in those states

 

megadeth92

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As far as reverting back to pre-professional send-the-game-broke parochial governance structures can be considered an alternative



I think you are confusing your interpretation of events with the actual facts of those events.

The fact is the AFL has had a long sustained and increasingly fruitful strategy of growing into the half of the country it wasn't historically dominant. Saying it had an "ideology and attitude" that "we are the saviours, we are here now" is just some really weird story you have layered over the top




Neither of which are an alternative / mutually exclusive. In fact state of origin is actually becoming more viable with the growth in NSW and QLD

There are now plentiful players where viable -ALL AFL listed - SOO teams can be formed in those states



So the AFL is not parochial? Don't be ridiculous. The AFL is interested, first and foremost, in the interests of the AFL. Do they care about the WAFL or the SANFL? Did they care about Fitzroy? is it good that in the world of Australian Rules football the AFL has as much power as an Eastern European Communist Party dictator? Is it great that Perth and Adelaide 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds are separated from family and friendship support networks and sent off to QLD and NSW to play in a state where very few people have any interest in the sport? Wasn't it better in the 1960s and 1970s when they could stay in Perth and Adelaide and play in front of fanatical and dedicated WAFL / SANFL crowds averaging 10,000 or 12,000 per game?
 

megadeth92

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Don't forget that a lot of Queensland's state identity is tied up in State of Origin rugby, too.


And, unlike Aussie Rules fans in Perth, they continued to support the QLD State of Origin team after Brisbane Broncos joined the NRL (whereas in Perth support for the WA team declined drastically after the Eagles were formed).
 
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Because the best young athletes in Queensland currently pick rugby league. If they picked Australian rules instead, we'd have more gun players.

Not disputing this. However i've seen from first hand experience how frustrated gun junior leagues players and their families get with the pathway programs. Less spots on a Rugby League list for starters. Also far more scholarships and development deals being handed to Islander kids from overseas. Any gun junior league player who isn't only 'built' to play that sport would be far more likely to convert to Aussie Rules than the other way around if playing at the top level in Australia is their ultimate goal.

Luke Breust is a pretty good example. Was asked to training with St.George and the Sydney Swans I believe.
 
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And, unlike Aussie Rules fans in Perth, they continued to support the QLD State of Origin team after Brisbane Broncos joined the NRL (whereas in Perth support for the WA team declined drastically after the Eagles were formed).
True that - though the AFL was smart to brand it as "West Coast" and not just "Perth".

Also, I don't know what WA is like, but there is a fair divide between FNQ and Brisbane. Beyond that, Brisbane's population makes up something like 40% of the state. Perth's population makes up around 75% of WA.
 

NoobPie

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So the AFL is not parochial? Don't be ridiculous. The AFL is interested, first and foremost, in the interests of the AFL. Do they care about the WAFL or the SANFL? Did they care about Fitzroy? is it good that in the world of Australian Rules football the AFL has as much power as an Eastern European Communist Party dictator? Is it great that Perth and Adelaide 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds are separated from family and friendship support networks and sent off to QLD and NSW to play in a state where very few people have any interest in the sport? Wasn't it better in the 1960s and 1970s when they could stay in Perth and Adelaide and play in front of fanatical and dedicated WAFL / SANFL crowds averaging 10,000 or 12,000 per game?

I don't think you know what "parochial" means
 
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Is it great that Perth and Adelaide 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds are separated from family and friendship support networks and sent off to QLD and NSW to play in a state where very few people have any interest in the sport? Wasn't it better in the 1960s and 1970s when they could stay in Perth and Adelaide and play in front of fanatical and dedicated WAFL / SANFL crowds averaging 10,000 or 12,000 per game?
They can now make a full-time living out of playing a sport they love. That wasn't possible on the old WAFL/SANFL/VFL salaries unless you were a bona fide star. They're also now playing against the best in the whole country, not just the best in their state.

Besides, yes, they could be drafted to QLD or NSW (where, I should add, they'll still play in front of more than 10,000 people)... or, they could get to run out onto the MCG in front of 80,000 screaming idiots.

If I was 18, I know which I'd prefer. Besides, if they become a senior AFL footballer, they can go back to their home state if they really want (i.e. Schache, Kelly, Treloar etc).
 
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As far as reverting back to pre-professional send-the-game-broke parochial governance structures can be considered an alternative
Oh Christ no - please, never, ever, ever.

The 70s and 80s was a shocking period for the VFL, because of this exact issue - too many powerful presidents controlled the game, and so the game's minnows (South Melbourne, StKilda, Fitzroy, Footscray and, to a lesser degree, Melbourne) were, bluntly put, ****ed. Zoned recruitment in particular was a problem - Hawthorn and Carlton had goldmines, other clubs had stuff-all.

In a period from 1967 to 1989, only five clubs won flags - Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond, North and Carlton. Even worse, between 1972 and 1987, only those five clubs plus Collingwood even played off in Grand Finals.

At least the AFL operates in the best interests of the whole AFL, rather than just in the interests of the majority of clubs.
 
Last edited:
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Mate, there may be some sort of presence in Brisbane but go to any small town in QLD and its GAYFL, aerial ping pong, fairy bullshit. Basically any sort of homophobic slur they can think of. They have some sort of irrational hate of the game.

It has to be jealousy surely, honestly cant think of a worse game than League, its just a glorified training drill for a decent game in Union. 83% of the game is just one big bloke running straight at 2 big blokes, tackle, rinse, repeat. I actually feel a bit sorry for the people in NSW and QLD that are stuck with this as there go to game.
 
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