Looking to Learn

[DynamiteShifty]

Hey guys,

My name is Matthew often called one of the variations of the name though: Matt, Matty and even Matty J. None of which bothers me. I come to your website after being invited by the Big Footy Western Bulldogs twitter page and I am looking to learn.

But before all that, a little about myself.

I am from Western Sydney and thus have grown up with sport my entire life. I have spent a lot of hours both watching and playing various different sports. Obviously having lived out here I am a huge fan of Cricket and Rugby League (It's a religion and way of life out this way). I have also dabbed in playing in different other sports such as field Hockey, Rugby Union, American Football and indoor soccer. Up until recently I haven't been able to watch those "other sports" as they always seemed dull and boring to me. But lately I haven't learned more and more about these sports, the rules, the plays, the reasons behind the rules and plays and I have been able to watch and even enjoy watching all of these sports.

When it came to Australian Football or the AFL I think I may be one of thousands of potential fans that got away. As a kid I played the sport on a game console and enjoyed it as at the time there was a lack of Rugby League video games available to me personally. I also kicked the Sherrin around on the odd occasion when the sport was introduced through schools even as a once off or a limited time minority sports to fill in time between the "real" or "big" sport seasons of Cricket and Rugby League.

The Sydney Swans had a little appeal to me growing up for whatever reason and the recent actions of both the AFL administration and the GWS Giants have left a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to Australian Football. However and despite all of this I'm reaching into my Australia spirit and am now willing to give it a go. I feel that if I give myself time to learn the game than maybe a little ways down the road I'll be able to start enjoying the sport as I have recently found with American Football, Rugby Union and Soccer.

I'm hoping to be accepted by this board and helped along in my journey and not bagged out about being ignorant about the game or parts of the game or my decisions and thoughts about the game because I'm a newbie.

I have decided for my first step (apart from this one of course) is to pick a team. I know from Rugby League that being a supporter of a club is a personal investment and have decided to pick my AFL team alone. I've read the Wikipedia history of the club I choose and looked at a few Logo and jersey websites on the AFL and have found plenty of similar attributes between this AFL team and my NRL team. Some of you may find this a stupid or silly way of picking a team, one of which I have never been to the area they represent, but I know for me this is the best way.

The AFL club I refer to is the Footscray Bulldogs who I think have more in common with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs than just their nickname. I may be completely wrong am willing to accept that if it turns out to be true but it's also the team I played with all those years ago on a gaming console and this sounds crazy but I already feel attached to this team. It may have a lot to do with the Sydney Swans never appealing to me and the sour taste GWS has left on me that I have picked an Melbourne club.

Wow, I just realised how much I have typed. If anyone reads all of this I hope to get to know many of you over time and am willing to answer any question if anyone has any for me.

Anyways look forward to it all!

 

[DREAM TEAM BUFF]

DynamiteShifty Welcome you have come to the right place to learn more about football.

 

[Stromageddon]

Oh DynamiteShifty you're in for a rough ride over the next couple of years if you follow the Bulldogs. You'd be better of following, say, North Melbourne (Norf) - they wear royal blue and white and are likely to be doing well in the near future. Up to you though.

Anyway, welcome to BigFooty, Aussie Rules and the AFL.

 

[DynamiteShifty]

Oh DynamiteShifty you're in for a rough ride over the next couple of years if you follow the Bulldogs. You'd be better of following, say, North Melbourne (Norf) - they wear royal blue and white and are likely to be doing well in the near future. Up to you though.

Anyway, welcome to BigFooty, Aussie Rules and the AFL.

Thanks for the welcome.

I feel there are more similar features between Canterbury and Footscray clubs.

 

[Stromageddon]

Thanks for the welcome.

I feel there are more similar features between Canterbury and Footscray clubs.

Sounds like you've already got an attachment to the Bulldogs, which is good.

Are you planning on attending any AFL games this year?

 

[DynamiteShifty]

Sounds like you've already got an attachment to the Bulldogs, which is good.

Are you planning on attending any AFL games this year?

I was very much wanting to attend a Bulldog game this year, unfortunately I was told the Bulldogs do not come to Sydney this year (which confuses & annoys to be honest. Every club should have at least one game a year in Sydney while there two Sydney clubs).

My next option was to travel to Melbourne and see my first Canterbury Bulldogs match in Melbourne and catch a Footscray match as well. But it turns out when Canterbury travel to Melbourne, Footscray don't play at all! Very frustrating & my luck must be out.

I'm looking at the possibility of going to a local game on a council park on advise from someone or perhaps going to a game held either by the Swans or the Giants. Although I really dislike the Giants.

 

[Stromageddon]

I was very much wanting to attend a Bulldog game this year, unfortunately I was told the Bulldogs do not come to Sydney this year (which confuses & annoys to be honest. Every club should have at least one game a year in Sydney while there two Sydney clubs).

There's a reason it's called the FIXture. The AFL pretty much design it in such a way that allows the big clubs to get bigger and the small clubs to get smaller. Anyway, Footscray doesn't have a particularly large following, especially outside of Victoria, so a GWS v Bulldogs game would obviously be low drawing, and that's why the AFL have scheduled it to be played in Canberra.

My next option was to travel to Melbourne and see my first Canterbury Bulldogs match in Melbourne and catch a Footscray match as well. But it turns out when Canterbury travel to Melbourne, Footscray don't play at all! Very frustrating & my luck must be out.

I feel you. Well, not really. It's annoying that there are no NRL games in Adelaide though.

I'm looking at the possibility of going to a local game on a council park on advise from someone or perhaps going to a game held either by the Swans or the Giants. Although I really dislike the Giants.

I'd probably go to a Swans game, they are the reigning premiers after all. A Giants game would be pretty poor spectating. Why do you "really dislike" GWS?

 

[DynamiteShifty]

There's a reason it's called the FIXture. The AFL pretty much design it in such a way that allows the big clubs to get bigger and the small clubs to get smaller. Anyway, Footscray doesn't have a particularly large following, especially outside of Victoria, so a GWS v Bulldogs game would obviously be low drawing, and that's why the AFL have scheduled it to be played in Canberra.

Wouldn't all GWS game be low drawing games? (Except for that one game that boost their crowd average)

I'd probably go to a Swans game, they are the reigning premiers after all. A Giants game would be pretty poor spectating. Why do you "really dislike" GWS?[/quote]

A number of reasons, I really don't want to start a shit fight against GWS, the AFL or AFL expansion but for me and the majority of people out this way, the way the club was set up turned me off the club.

They are seen as a club only in existence because the AFL wanted a team in Western Sydney, not because the people of Western Sydney wanted it. I want to support a real club.

Kevin Sheedy and his compete lack of knowledge of Western Sydney while remaining arrogrant about it at the same time annoys me to high hell. After the decision the team was going to be located out here, the club disk try to interact with potential fans until after the name/colours/identity were decided of at least that's the way it felt like.

When the Blacktown Stadium was being built, it was proposed to people of Western Sydney that this was the ground they would play at and train at with some cricket matches. Now they play in the central west mostly & I even heard they were moving their top training squad out of the greater western Sydney area.

The poor attempts at tryig to tie Western Sydney in with AFL history was tiresome and made the club look foolish.

The thought of the majority of AFL fans that I've spoken to that the club has been set up to win a premiership within a few short years of entering the competition (it should be earned no matter how long it takes not set up to happen).

Rightly or wrongly, from the start there was a perception they were built to take on (and some parts suggesting to "rip out he heart of Rugby League) NRL Western Sydney clubs instead of working with them unlike the Melbourne Storm and their interactions with a vast majority of Melbourne AFL clubs and th Sydney Swans who have worked with at least two NRL clubs that I know of.

It might all sound silly but so is everyone's reasons in supporting and hating clubs imo.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Welcome to BF DynamiteShifty!

 

[Scully2Folau]

DynamiteShifty, the Bulldogs are travelling up to Canberra to play the Giants on July 6th. Not ideal I guess, but it's only a day trip.