Do Geelong have the best home ground advantage in the AFL?

[Back One Out]

1) it was not evenly split at all, I was at many of those games. We were Clearly in the minority.
2) for home games we should have more supporters like nearly every other home team. even if it was evenly split (it wasn’t) that’s still unjust to us.
3) it was our home game and we all had to travel down on a bus whereas your players could just travel a couple of suburbs. It should be the other way around. Even an extra hour travel impacts.
4) you have more familiarity with the mcg since it is um your home ground. The fact we have home games at a ground we have less familiarity then our opposition is disgraceful.


the nerve to complain about your one away game in a dozen not being at your home ground is incredible.

You are being a clown

I was not complaining about anything

I was pointing out the discrepancy between Geelong’s home advantage vs Melb teams at KP compared to the relative neutrality of their away games at the MCG (or Marvel) versus those same sides.

Do you understand what a partisan crowd is?

It means 30,000 Geelong fans shoe-horned into a small stadium with just 500 Dees fans in attendance

It means 44,000 Crows fans going nuts at the Adelaide Oval with 2,000 Pies fans scattered around the ground & getting heckled by the locals


40,000 Hawks fans plus 30,000 Cats fans at the MCG is not a partisan Hawthorn crowd, you idiot. (And I’m humouring you with those percentages. I reckon the crowds were more like 50/50, but that’s neither here nor there)

 

[JackFlash]

It's true that Brisbane almost kicked themselves out of the game in the first half, but their skill errors doesn't = Geelong being the better team for most of the game. When Geelong ran out of legs in the last quarter (as they do), the umpires came through for you. I agree with angry Geelong fans on this thread that the umps will need to put in full 4 quarter efforts if you're to compete with most other clubs this year. Not just the last quarter blatant cheating we witnessed last night.
Even so, I don't think anyone would argue that O'Gorman wasn't best on ground for the Cats

I can't comment, i must've been watching another game?

 

[Seeds]

You are being a clown

I was not complaining about anything

I was pointing out the discrepancy between Geelong’s home advantage vs Melb teams at KP compared to the relative neutrality of their games at the MCG (or Marvel) versus those same sides.

Do you understand what a partisan crowd is?

It means 30,000 Geelong fans shoe-horned into a small stadium with just 500 Dees fans in attendance

It means 44,000 Crows fans going nuts at the Adelaide Oval with 2,000 Pies fans scattered around the ground & getting heckled by the locals


40,000 Hawks fans plus 30,000 Cats fans at the MCG is not a partisan Hawthorn crowd, you idiot

Partisan crowds in your favour are fine if you are the home team.

you were getting more home crowd support in all your away games against us. Not home games. But your away games.

hawthorn privilege.

 

[JackFlash]

I’m sure you took all the bad decisions the Cats have got over the years with an admirable stoic silence

Go nuts , slowly come to terms with it over the next few days and bring it up with your mates every few weeks forever

Quite right for Brissy fans to still be in ‘ go nuts ‘ mode


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

Of course, it's happened on numerous occasions, bad decisions, losses in the last seconds of the game, it's only natural to go nuts. But you know what? there was a reason for it all, we didn't do the things required during the game. My bet is Lions fans had also realized that Neale had just 3 possessions to half time!

 

[romeohwho]

Certainly helped us get to the GF last year. I’ll give you that.

 

[Jeff76]

Yep 3 flags in the last 60 years with that home ground advantage.

 

[Back One Out]

Partisan crowds in your favour are fine if you are the home team.

you were getting more home crowd support in all your away games against us. Not home games. But your away games.

hawthorn privilege.

WTF are you on about? The topic of the thread is Geelong’s home ground advantage at Kardinia Park.

I have rightly observed that Kardinia Park is shaped like no other ground - by far the narrowest - which makes it tricky for anyone who hasn’t played there much. This is a definite factor because teams will have played there just once a year... at the most. Other teams won’t have played there for 5 or 10 years!! That’s a far cry from Marvel & MCG where every team will have played there at least twice a year. (Or in Geelong’s case at the MCG, about 8 times a year)

n.b. Geelong also train at Kardinia Park. As the commentators last night said, “Hawkins will have taken THOUSANDS of practise shots from this very position..”
MCG tenants don’t get to train at G. Very rarely... maybe a couple of times per year.

But familiarity vs unfamiliarity with the ground is one thing...

The other point I mentioned is that Geelong enjoys 97% to 100% of the crowd support when they play home games at KP. This is where the biggest advantage lies when people talk about a home ground advantage. A noisy partisan crowd not only gives the home team an emotional lift, but it also sways the umpires. This advantage is reduced when you play in a half full stadium, or when you play in stadium with a 60/40 or 70/30 split of fans making noise for both teams.

Whether Geelong plays 9 or 11 home games at Kardinia Park over the season, they still enjoy a decided home ground advantage with opposition fans locked out. But Geelong fans are able to get into the MCG or Marvel for away games and make plenty of noise for their team (and at the umpires), so it's laughable for any of their fans to feel as though they get a raw deal. (One hour car trip? Puh-lease! )

These are not difficult concepts to understand. I hope I have explained them well enough and you are able to wrap your head around it.

God almighty... I’m saying Geelong have biggest home ground advantage in the AFL. That’s a good thing for guys, is it not?

 

[Grin]

I can't comment, i must've been watching another game?

You must have been

Holding the ball should have been the call: AFL

The Brisbane Lions should have been awarded a free kick in the final minute of their one point loss to Geelong when the Lions’ Zac Bailey tackled Mark Blicavs in the goalsquare.

www.theage.com.au

Now that we've cleared that up: Which teams do you think little Geelong has the character to compete with if say, for example, the umpires weren't cheating like crazy to get you over the line and you weren't playing with the biggest home ground advantage in the AFL. We know so far it's not Adelaide or Brisbane.

 

[ThatsjustDappa]

You must have been

Holding the ball should have been the call: AFL

The Brisbane Lions should have been awarded a free kick in the final minute of their one point loss to Geelong when the Lions’ Zac Bailey tackled Mark Blicavs in the goalsquare.

www.theage.com.au

Now that we've cleared that up: Which teams do you think little Geelong has the character to compete with if say, for example, the umpires weren't cheating like crazy to get you over the line and you weren't playing with the biggest home ground advantage in the AFL. We know so far it's not Adelaide or Brisbane.

Stop crying on the mainboard Grin, its unbecoming of you.....

 

[Grin]

Stop crying on the mainboard Grin, its unbecoming of you.....

Thanks mate. I appreciate you kind thoughts.
It's also nice that we can all agree the the umpires weren't nearly as biased as they'll need to be.

I feel a few of you have really made some progress today towards self awareness

 

[JackFlash]

You must have been

Holding the ball should have been the call: AFL

The Brisbane Lions should have been awarded a free kick in the final minute of their one point loss to Geelong when the Lions’ Zac Bailey tackled Mark Blicavs in the goalsquare.

www.theage.com.au

Now that we've cleared that up: Which teams do you think little Geelong has the character to compete with if say, for example, the umpires weren't cheating like crazy to get you over the line and you weren't playing with the biggest home ground advantage in the AFL. We know so far it's not Adelaide or Brisbane.

It's too abusrd a question, maybe write to Gil and have them play home games in Devonport? Geelong are competitive with every team no matter where the game is played as 2020 proved.

 

[Al Heimer]

Almost as bad as the outrage shown by Richmond supporters in a game that didn't involve their side.
But we should be used to Richmond supporters making every thread on BF about them.
Biggest supporter base of Karen's this place has ever seen

Geelong supporter salt sure makes being a Tiger supporter extra nice.

On SM-J250F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Seeds]

You must have been

Holding the ball should have been the call: AFL

The Brisbane Lions should have been awarded a free kick in the final minute of their one point loss to Geelong when the Lions’ Zac Bailey tackled Mark Blicavs in the goalsquare.

www.theage.com.au

Now that we've cleared that up: Which teams do you think little Geelong has the character to compete with if say, for example, the umpires weren't cheating like crazy to get you over the line and you weren't playing with the biggest home ground advantage in the AFL. We know so far it's not Adelaide or Brisbane.

Please stop trolling this thread. You have been shown countless examples and facts that suggest brisbane were not cheated out of the game including one just 50 seconds earlier. To keep posting and ignore them is trolling.

 

[Boxhead_31]

Geelong supporter salt sure makes being a Tiger supporter extra nice.

On SM-J250F using BigFooty.com mobile app

No worries Karen

 

[Generalissimo]

When the other Melbourne teams were abandoning their traditional home grounds (Optus Oval, Moorabbin, Windy Hill, etc) there was pressure for Geelong to do the same. The club was deep in debt and moving to the G or the Concrete Box would have been a serious cash injection. But Geelong resisted the pressure, got themselves out of the financial doldrums, and stayed at KP. Any home ground advantage we have is not 'cheating'. It's a fair reward for being gutsier than other clubs were at the time.

 

[MrWoollie]

Geelong lost the free kick count again last night. do you guys even watch the game? free kick stats would suggest Geelong has one of the worst home ground umpiring advantages in the comp.

Firstly, Id be happy if my team had a home ground advantage like Geelong. To me, it'd be something to be overjoyed with.

I'm not sure what your problem is here. So Geelong lost a couple of free kick counts at home. So what?

Free kick count on its own is totally meaningless. There is nothing that says it should be even; in a match or over time. It should depend on how your team plays the game.
Take (for example) Richmond and West Coast. I'd argue that Richmond are the better team and would win a game between them 3 times out of 4. But West Coast SHOULD win the free kick 100% of the time. Why? Because of how these teams play the game. WC play a fine weather suited, kick mark, precision style. While Richmond play a physical, attack the ball, put pressure on the man style. It wins matches, but gives away free kicks. And to be honest, given a choice of winning the match or the free kick count, I know which one I'd choose.
Its like Freo under Ross Lyon. They had their most successful era, but the fans used to whinge about losing the free kick count week after week. It's because they played Rugby style ruck and maul rather than AFL. Won a lot of matches, but should never have won a free kick count.
So, free kick count without context... meaningless.

For Geelong and Brisbane, Brisbane play the more bruise free style and are likely to win a lot of free kick counts anyway. Geelong have a more inside style at the moment and will lose the count.

What matters for home ground advantage for Geelong is the total package. The ground is unique. The trip is unique. You don't get to play there very often. Maybe 2 times in 3 years. And the conditions...

The MCG is a venue even interstate teams see a few times a year. Docklands the same. Perth stadium in very MCG like. GC and GWS grounds are basically interchangeable.
Kardinia is different. And different makes it tougher. Ground dimensions are utterly different to any other ground. You have to play it differently. Narrow wing areas compress the sideways options. It's like the old West Ham ground in the EPL. Before they moved they played on a ground that was a few metres narrower than most. Just a few, but it made a world of difference to visiting teams. Even today, the Fulham ground is 3m narrow, and considered as a different world to play at. So Kardinia ground dimensions are very significant for visitors.

It is less of a factor at this time of the year, but in mid winter, Kardinia is the most miserable place in the world to be when that wind blows up from Antarctica and the those squally rain dumps soak you to the bone. Standing around on the terraces in the mid 90's, trying to stay warm and a little bit dry. That place was just misery. And it was the same talking to players of that era. They hated going to Geelong. The ground was different, the changerooms (in those days) were not great and the weather was the worst to play in. The coldest, the gustiest, the swirliest.

That's your home ground advantage. The biggest home ground advantage in the competition. It's real. Embrace it. Be proud of it. I for one would love to have it.

 

[QueenslanderTiger]

Almost as bad as the outrage shown by Richmond supporters in a game that didn't involve their side.
But we should be used to Richmond supporters making every thread on BF about them.
Biggest supporter base of Karen's this place has ever seen

Spoken like a true Karen. Well played.

 

[daniel_4tw]

Pretty big advantage that inflates their ladder position every year. Which is why every year for the last decade they get found out come finals.

Expect another top 2 finish this year only for a week 2 or 3 finals exit.

 

[Vdubs]

Pretty big advantage that inflates their ladder position every year. Which is why every year for the last decade they get found out come finals.

Expect another top 2 finish this year only for a week 2 or 3 finals exit.

Who did we beat in the Prelim last year and where was that game?

 

[Generalissimo]

So, free kick count without context... meaningless.

I think a better metric is "Frees For".

As you point out, if you play a game style in which you give away a lot of frees, you'll lose the differential more often than not.

But over a season you play all the teams- some disciplined, others not so much, some playing a contested inside game, others playing low-contact keepings off. Your own playstyle has less of an impact on the frees your opponents give away.

So if you end up near the bottom of the "Frees For" stat it suggests you're routinely not getting paid frees that are there.

 

[backtozero]

When the other Melbourne teams were abandoning their traditional home grounds (Optus Oval, Moorabbin, Windy Hill, etc) there was pressure for Geelong to do the same. The club was deep in debt and moving to the G or the Concrete Box would have been a serious cash injection. But Geelong resisted the pressure, got themselves out of the financial doldrums, and stayed at KP. Any home ground advantage we have is not 'cheating'. It's a fair reward for being gutsier than other clubs were at the time.

Yeah, real gutsy. The funding you've received to keep upgrading the place is completely unmatched by any other club.

 

[daniel_4tw]

Who did we beat in the Prelim last year and where was that game?

From my view Brisbane didn’t turn up for that game. Kinda like Geelong not turning up for the second half the following week.

 

[Seeds]

Pretty big advantage that inflates their ladder position every year. Which is why every year for the last decade they get found out come finals.

Expect another top 2 finish this year only for a week 2 or 3 finals exit.

So we are all going to ignore stats cos it doesn’t suit our agenda are we?

So explain last year then?

 

[Seeds]

From my view Brisbane didn’t turn up for that game. Kinda like Geelong not turning up for the second half the following week.

You didn’t turn up for a prelim? Wtf?

 

[Back One Out]

When the other Melbourne teams were abandoning their traditional home grounds (Optus Oval, Moorabbin, Windy Hill, etc) there was pressure for Geelong to do the same. The club was deep in debt and moving to the G or the Concrete Box would have been a serious cash injection. But Geelong resisted the pressure, got themselves out of the financial doldrums, and stayed at KP. Any home ground advantage we have is not 'cheating'. It's a fair reward for being gutsier than other clubs were at the time.

Ridiculous post

The Melbourne clubs didn't want to abandon their suburban grounds. They were forced to do so by the AFL head honchos: Ross Oakley, Alan Schwab, Graeme Samuel and Peter Scanlon. When the AFL Commission was founded in 85/86 their two stated aims were to 1) expand the competition nationally and 2) rationalise the number of Melbourne grounds to save on maintenance costs and get them all playing at the MCG and Waverley.

Nothing was going to get in the AFL's way of achieving that aim.

Carlton fought bitterly to keep Princes Park as the no.3 stadium, but the AFL didn't budge. The Pies held out at Victoria Park for as long as they could. Same with the Bulldogs at the Western Oval. But the AFL steadily cut the funding needed to maintain their grounds. They also controlled the fixtures, so the clubs had to do what they were told.

The AFL also offered Hawthorn and St Kilda the carrot of playing home games at Waverley and gave them a good long-term deal to do so... But the AFL sold it from under those 2 clubs once they'd committed to the new stadium at Docklands. Neither club wanted to leave that ground, especially Hawthorn who fought a 2 year battle with the AFL to keep Waverley.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Geelong is not a Melbourne club, so of course they were going to keep training at Kardinia Park and continue to play the majority of their home games there. There was brief talk about them playing home games at Docklands. That was never going to eventuate, especially once their no.1 ticket-holder, Vic premier Steve Bracks pledged to donate millions of dollars of Victorian taxpayers money to upgrade the stadium and bring it up to AFL-standard.

Gutsy, my arse... The Cats make a financial killing from their home games. A gutsy move would've been for the Geelong FC to take out a loan of $100 million to redevelop their stadium themselves instead of relying on their cosy relationships with state government ministers to use the Victorian taxpayers' money