Fitzroy supporters who do you support now?

[diviak9]

This one is to the old Fitzroy supporters, who do you support now? Do you support the Brisbane Lions? Have you chosen another club? Are you neutral? Do you support Fitzroy in the VAFA?
Do you think the Fitzroy Lions deserve to be in the VFL?


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Rioli2Gunstall]

A mate at work converted to the brissy lions, my mum was fitzroy now a mad hawk supporter thanks to her children.

 

[jarrod_island_doggies]

This one is to the old Fitzroy supporters, who do you support now? Do you support the Brisbane Lions? Have you chosen another club? Are you neutral? Do you support Fitzroy in the VAFA?
Do you think the Fitzroy Lions deserve to be in the VFL?


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Not sure how long this will stay on MB, but I'll reply as if it will. I (mostly) jumped to Richmond straight away, due to family reasons. Still have a soft spot for Brisbane (my second team if you will) and try to get along to an occasional VAFA game to watch the Royboys.

VFL is a tricky one and I'm sure there's plenty of discussion on the Fitzroy board around the merits of the proposal. I'm in the "it'd be nice, but I don't think it's feasible" camp; at least not in the short to medium term. BSO isn't really VFL ready as a home ground for starters...

 

[Roylion]

This one is to the old Fitzroy supporters, who do you support now? Do you support the Brisbane Lions? Have you chosen another club? Are you neutral? Do you support Fitzroy in the VAFA?

Support in the Brisbane Lions in the AFL and Fitzroy in the VAFA. Different competitions and therefore don't clash.

Do you think the Fitzroy Lions deserve to be in the VFL?

Would be nice, but can't see it happening unless there was a large injection of funds and revenue streams to convert Fitzroy from an amateur outfit into a semi-professional / professional side. Finding a VFL standard ground to play home games is also a problem. In its current state the Brunswick Street Oval would be great as a training venue, but not as a VFL ground.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

North Melbourne

 

[kendrick]

I was at the final Melbourne game and we were completey destroyed by Richmond, But i felt Richmond were a very similar team to Fitzroy in that they were a struggling team with alot of tradition and spirit, Plus Richmond made the day all about Fitzroy .. They played the Lions song after the game, There was no celebrating from Richmond... It was a day i will never ever forget, I remember us laying a wreath on the centre circle and everyone was staying on the ground chanting "Oakleys a w***er" , I felt the decision by the AFL and also Fremantle not to allow the final Fitzroy game to be played in Melbourne was also pretty horrible .. Freo had zero chance of making the finals and it would have meant alot of the Fitzroy supporters to see their final ever game played in Melbourne...

I chose to support Richmond, Funnily enough i now live in Brisbane! hahah.. But have been a Richmond member for the last 18 years , So following football religiously since i was born in 81, I had never seen any success of any kind until last year! ..

 

[NetworkNerd]

I was at the final Melbourne game and we were completey destroyed by Richmond, But i felt Richmond were a very similar team to Fitzroy in that they were a struggling team with alot of tradition and spirit, Plus Richmond made the day all about Fitzroy .. They played the Lions song after the game, There was no celebrating from Richmond... It was a day i will never ever forget, I remember us laying a wreath on the centre circle and everyone was staying on the ground chanting "Oakleys a w***er" , I felt the decision by the AFL and also Fremantle not to allow the final Fitzroy game to be played in Melbourne was also pretty horrible .. Freo had zero chance of making the finals and it would have meant alot of the Fitzroy supporters to see their final ever game played in Melbourne...

I chose to support Richmond, Funnily enough i now live in Brisbane! hahah.. But have been a Richmond member for the last 18 years , So following football religiously since i was born in 81, I had never seen any success of any kind until last year! ..

Freo were probably still filthy for the touch up you guys had given them earlier in the year!

 

[halalsnackpack]

I was at the final Melbourne game and we were completey destroyed by Richmond, But i felt Richmond were a very similar team to Fitzroy in that they were a struggling team with alot of tradition and spirit, Plus Richmond made the day all about Fitzroy .. They played the Lions song after the game, There was no celebrating from Richmond... It was a day i will never ever forget, I remember us laying a wreath on the centre circle and everyone was staying on the ground chanting "Oakleys a w***er" , I felt the decision by the AFL and also Fremantle not to allow the final Fitzroy game to be played in Melbourne was also pretty horrible .. Freo had zero chance of making the finals and it would have meant alot of the Fitzroy supporters to see their final ever game played in Melbourne...

I chose to support Richmond, Funnily enough i now live in Brisbane! hahah.. But have been a Richmond member for the last 18 years , So following football religiously since i was born in 81, I had never seen any success of any kind until last year! ..

I think you've got that the wrong way around. I think Freo tried to switch the Rd 21 and Rd 22 games around or something like that but the AFL wouldn't accommodate it.

 

[JPetro83]

Yes, Fitzroy do deserve a team in the VFL

 

[JPetro83]

The early 90s produced some cracking games between the Crows and Fitzroy. I was at the clash at Footy Park in 91 when Jamo kicked the goal after the siren and then again in 93 when the crows won by 1 point.. Fitzroy led by 5 goals during the 3rd qrt before Modra went crazy and got the crows back into the game.
I remember reading on another thread similar to this one and most Fitzroy fans either supported the the "merger" and followed the Brisbane lions, some followed North Melb and a lot gave up supporting a team altogether.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I’m expecting people to say “the Melbourne storm - * the afl”

 

[royboys4eva]

Wasn't the same but I followed the Brisbane Lions and in time I got the passion back. I think personally they have made a concerted effort in the last few years to improve the relationship with ex Fitzroy supporters as they should have done from day dot.

 

[BillyBrainless]

Saw this hanging up in a Collectibles shop in Smith Street once, some pretty impressive names on there. I'm guessing some Roys fan snapped it up pretty quick.

 

[mcgarnacle]

not VFL/AFL, but a similar thing happened in the NSWRL up here in Sydney. Newtown Jets finished up in 1983. I was only young but had already been to a few seasons of home games with my pa. After taking a season hiatus, my pa started following clubs which the coach Warren Ryan who was coach when Newtown made the GF against Parra in '81 was coaching at. First it was Canterbury, then Balmain, then he tailed off. I ended up following Newtown's biggest rival, South Sydney, purely because it was the local team (they took over Newtown's junior district) and my little bro was supporting them.

Interestingly, suburb-wise, Fitzroy is Melbourne's version of Newtown and vice-versa. Gentrification, losing the footy club and all.

 

[NetworkNerd]

Wasn't the same but I followed the Brisbane Lions and in time I got the passion back. I think personally they have made a concerted effort in the last few years to improve the relationship with ex Fitzroy supporters as they should have done from day dot.

Would be a good gesture to wear an old fitzroy style guernsey and run out to the fitzroy theme song for Melbourne games

 

[Briar Gold]

Would be a good gesture to wear an old fitzroy style guernsey and run out to the fitzroy theme song for Melbourne games

they do wear Fitzroy colours in Melbourne

 

[ThirdLegUp]

Well as a bulldog supporter i very much remember that time period, as over the moon as i was that my club survived. I won't forget the pain on Fitzroy supporters faces when their club didn't, very hard to watch.

I only knew one supporter who was hardcore Fitzroy at the time, in recent years we caught up again through mutual friends, turns out she now, many years later, calls herself a Brisbane lions Supporter, but admits she only looks at the scores occasionally, hasn't been to a single game or had a membership since. Football doesn't call to her heart like it once did and so is a casual observer only.

 

[Cincinnatus]

My brother followed them to Brisbane and does to this day with every bit of passion as back then.

My dad moved to Sydney the last year Fitzroy played and so made a fresh start with the Swans. He doesnt have much passion for it these days but he will go to the SCG and watch a game or two.

If Fitzroy had still been around for another few years I have no doubt I would have developed the connection to follow them and who knows where I'd be. Just so happened to pick Adelaide one day given the lack of any local team in Tas. If only I had the foresight to know I'd end up living in Victoria.

It broke my Pa's heart when they merged. He had been the most passionate footy fan I've ever known. He was something of a 'talent scout' (not official, just had lots of connections at the club and was well known and respected in tassie footy) for them in Tasmania and played a role in A Lynch's development. The last 6 years of his life he could not bring himself to follow and watch the Brisbane Lions or the AFL and focussed on local footy.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Know a former player whose entire family started following the Lions post merger and were quite passionate during the glory days. They still turn up to some games in Melbourne.

My great uncle played a few games for them so my gran followed them but I think lost interest after the merger. Mum had followed them a bit and started following the Dogs very casually.

 

[blue harvest]

An interesting topic. I've no idea who I'd support if my team was shafted like that. Not sure I could bring myself to going for a team from another state, also not sure if I could pick a new team. Don't know what I would do.

 

[Established1870]

Someone close who passed away a few years ago was a Roys fan and followed Brisbane post merger. He always said that as long as they acknowledge Fitzroy then that's good for him.

 

[Sauras]

Don't know how any Fitzroy supporter could jump to Richmond after that grub Daphne lead the charge to shaft us to Brisbane. Hope he enjoyed our flags the little weasel campaigner.

 

[boncer34]

I was at the final Melbourne game and we were completey destroyed by Richmond, But i felt Richmond were a very similar team to Fitzroy in that they were a struggling team with alot of tradition and spirit, Plus Richmond made the day all about Fitzroy .. They played the Lions song after the game, There was no celebrating from Richmond... It was a day i will never ever forget, I remember us laying a wreath on the centre circle and everyone was staying on the ground chanting "Oakleys a w***er" , I felt the decision by the AFL and also Fremantle not to allow the final Fitzroy game to be played in Melbourne was also pretty horrible .. Freo had zero chance of making the finals and it would have meant alot of the Fitzroy supporters to see their final ever game played in Melbourne...

I chose to support Richmond, Funnily enough i now live in Brisbane! hahah.. But have been a Richmond member for the last 18 years , So following football religiously since i was born in 81, I had never seen any success of any kind until last year! ..

Roylion didn't Freo offer to play it in Melbourne?

 

[irish]

Brisbane for me. Mourned for a season after the demise of Fitzroy then got onboard

 

[Pessimistic]

Don’t want to sidetrack but I reckon Melbourne hawks would have been a bastard ginger kid no one liked