The state of the competition

[BigVic]

Another year, another one-sided Grand Final with Subiaco winning.

Fix the WAFL and reform the WAFC. Competition is lacking in parity and competitiveness

 

[Rob]

Or.....just enforce the salary cap.

Subiaco claim to earn less than half the league average in sponsorship, despite winning flag after flag. That screams underreporting of sponsorship income and diverting it to players off the books. Audit it.

 

[Damon_3388]

Would introducing stand-alone West Coast and Fremantle Reserves sides, instead of affiliating with (hijacking) existing clubs, have made for a better league?

I've always viewed the WAFL as the 3rd-best state league, with a bit of a "softer", running-based, "keepings-off", "bruise-free footy" style, at least over the last 15-20 years. Is my perception wrong?

 

[eagleskickass]

I'm a Subiaco fan but it is getting a little ridiculous. Need a competitive league. Not sure what the answer is but something probably needs to change.

 

[Kram]

Or.....just enforce the salary cap.

Subiaco claim to earn less than half the league average in sponsorship, despite winning flag after flag. That screams underreporting of sponsorship income and diverting it to players off the books. Audit it.

Wouldn't policing the salary cap tightly take resources a league on a shoestring budget doesn't have?

 

[thedank]

The WAFC will not be happy until this comp is dead and buried

 

[Rob]

Wouldn't policing the salary cap tightly take resources a league on a shoestring budget doesn't have?

Maybe. But the alternative is what we're seeing now. It's pointless to have a salary cap if there's no effort to enforce it.

I don't think it would necessarily be difficult either. I'm just relying on a few numbers they put in their annual report, but it's pretty bloody obvious where the smoke is. Their membership and gate revenue is roughly average, but their sponsorship and function revenue is hundreds of thousands of dollars behind? That makes zero sense given their on field success.

 

[WillieNillie]

Maybe. But the alternative is what we're seeing now. It's pointless to have a salary cap if there's no effort to enforce it.

I don't think it would necessarily be difficult either. I'm just relying on a few numbers they put in their annual report, but it's pretty bloody obvious where the smoke is. Their membership and gate revenue is roughly average, but their sponsorship and function revenue is hundreds of thousands of dollars behind? That makes zero sense given their on field success.

It also makes zero sense given they have much better facilities then the rest of them when it comes to functions and other means of corporate sponsorship.

The quick answer to the problem is simply to let the Eagles and Peel Thunder use their resources to get up to that level. The second we are allowed to spend properly, we can nick some Subiaco players and that will bring them back to the pack. Im pretty sure Ben Sokol would rather play for West Coast then Subiaco

 

[kid_a]

Would introducing stand-alone West Coast and Fremantle Reserves sides, instead of affiliating with (hijacking) existing clubs, have made for a better league?

I've always viewed the WAFL as the 3rd-best state league, with a bit of a "softer", running-based, "keepings-off", "bruise-free footy" style, at least over the last 15-20 years. Is my perception wrong?

hmmmm, dunno.
I mean for a good 5 year stretch in the inter-league state games the WAFL was routinely beating every other state side, including crushing both the SANFL and the VFL.
I think Subiaco would probably beat any other non AFL or AFL aligned club in the country.

As a competition, in the very sense of the word now though it is a bit of a joke as we all go into each year knowing exactly who will win it, mind you the SANFL was like this in the 2000's with Central Districts.

But the SANFL is a much more well run and professional comp and has been for the majority of this century thus far and the VFL obviously benefits from a bigger talent pool and more AFL listed players being involved.

 

[gaskin]

The WAFC will not be happy until this comp is dead and buried

Pretty much this. They don't seem to have any desire to change things and see the league improve and grow. Hell, even just not scheduling WAFL games so they clash with the AFL (particularly Derbys) might increase the number of supporters attending games.

Until Subi come back to the pack, the league will remain a joke. As a Sowfs fan, it was so disheartening going to the game today knowing we were going to get belted when I should have been going to the game excited and full of nerves.

 

[WillieNillie]

A ton of ex WAFL players going in hard on Twitter about it. Almost everyone alluding to the brown paper mag mischief they get up too as well

 

[thedank]

The quick answer to the problem is simply to let the Eagles and Peel Thunder use their resources to get up to that level. The second we are allowed to spend properly, we can nick some Subiaco players and that will bring them back to the pack. Im pretty sure Ben Sokol would rather play for West Coast then Subiaco

Thats a bandaid fix and will turn the comp into a 3 team domination which is hardly better than the current setup, especially when one is a plastic wafl franchise like the eagles. The $ubi domiance/paperbags will start to wane with all AFL games being played at optus (no cut of the bar) but i fear that it might be too late.

 

[WillieNillie]

Thats a bandaid fix and will turn the comp into a 3 team domination which is hardly better than the current setup, especially when one is a plastic wafl franchise like the eagles. The $ubi domiance/paperbags will start to wane with all AFL games being played at optus (no cut of the bar) but i fear that it might be too late.

3 team domination is a billion times better then 1 team. It's too late. They have too much cash reserves

 

[wolmeister]

3 team domination is a billion times better then 1 team. It's too late. They have too much cash reserves

Only other way is policing the salary cap properly. There is no way they can keep the side they have with the $'s they say are coming in. It's a complete farce.

 

[WillieNillie]

Only other way is policing the salary cap properly. There is no way they can keep the side they have with the $'s they say are coming in. It's a complete farce.

It's too late. You can't go and cancel contracts all of a sudden because you don't like them. The only way to cut them down is to strengthen those around them. Let Eagles and Dockers get some ex AFL players to round out our lists and lets beat them at their own game.

 

[Spearhead]

It's too late. You can't go and cancel contracts all of a sudden because you don't like them. The only way to cut them down is to strengthen those around them. Let Eagles and Dockers get some ex AFL players to round out our lists and lets beat them at their own game.

How on earth does that help the likes of Swans, Perth, EF etc?????

 

[WillieNillie]

How on earth does that help the likes of Swans, Perth, EF etc?????

You can't for now. It will take 10 years to get them back up but you won't get them back up with Subiaco pummelling Souh Freo. I bet every cent I have if Subiaco was playing West Coast the crowd is 30k+ yesterday and not 18

Money needs to be spread around but firstly you need to actually make some money don't you

 

[WillieNillie]

Posted this elsewhere but

To fully grasp the financial differences between the clubs

Subiaco have the highest cash assets with 3.54 million dollars in cash reserves

East Fremantle are in second place, they have 31 000 dollars in cash assets

Everyone else has debt and or is the Eagles who are not allowed to spend the money we have..... unlike someone else

 

[hansie]

How on earth does that help the likes of Swans, Perth, EF etc?????

Stick Subi in the vfl or sanfl? That may help


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[gtrxuone]

There was a thorough investigation into $ubi salary cap a decade ago.When Phil Read+Daniel Chick got interest free loans to start businesses.
The way $ubi recruited players from outside Wa.With rent free accommodation, white good packages. Hire cars,fuel cards +Coles and woolies vouchers. All deemed legitimate outside the $290,000 salary cap.
Subiaco have now played in 13 of the last 17 Grand Finals.Narrowly losing two years in a row to fully loaded Freo\Peel Thunder teams.They could of won 6 flags in a row.Not to mention they have only lost 1 home +away game in two seasons.

 

[Rob]

Posted this elsewhere but

To fully grasp the financial differences between the clubs

Subiaco have the highest cash assets with 3.54 million dollars in cash reserves

East Fremantle are in second place, they have 31 000 dollars in cash assets

Everyone else has debt and or is the Eagles who are not allowed to spend the money we have..... unlike someone else

Where did you get that info?

I'd love to see a copy of the Subi financials.

 

[WillieNillie]

Where did you get that info?

I'd love to see a copy of the Subi financials.

Every club releases their financials, except for Subiaco who just release a annual report. So every clubs cash reserves is listed except for one. In the Subiaco annual report they say they have 3.6 mill in net assets. This is the only news they release, however the thing is they dont ******* own anything, and I mean literally nothing. Everything they owned was in the Subiaco Oval precinct which has been sold off land/building wise. They rent out every facility they use now. Literally only thing they could possibly own is like a few jumpers and football equipment.

When you say you have 3.6 mil in assets and literally have nothing owned. it can only be one other item unfortunately.

 

[WillieNillie]

Where did you get that info?

I'd love to see a copy of the Subi financials.

WAFL’s richest club asks for handouts

Subiaco has urged its supporters for $320,000 in donations as they prepare for a future without the financial bonanza provided by their lucrative Subiaco Oval arrangements.

thewest.com.au

This is a idea also. This report is before they sold the land at Subiaco Oval for 900k. They also received a handout upon Eagles joining the comp that ups it to that 3.5 mill range they have now

 

[WillieNillie]

There was a thorough investigation into $ubi salary cap a decade ago.When Phil Read+Daniel Chick got interest free loans to start businesses.
The way $ubi recruited players from outside Wa.With rent free accommodation, white good packages. Hire cars,fuel cards +Coles and woolies vouchers. All deemed legitimate outside the $290,000 salary cap.
Subiaco have now played in 13 of the last 17 Grand Finals.Narrowly losing two years in a row to fully loaded Freo\Peel Thunder teams.They could of won 6 flags in a row.Not to mention they have only lost 1 home +away game in two seasons.

The biggest hubub everyone has is Subiaco pay travel fees for the players and claim it as some form of club expense. Someone at West Perth nutted down to the fact one particular player received a 50 dollar fuel card to go to training each session. Thing is he walks to training as its 1KM away from where he lives.

 

[Rob]

Every club releases their financials, except for Subiaco who just release a annual report. So every clubs cash reserves is listed except for one. In the Subiaco annual report they say they have 3.6 mill in net assets. This is the only news they release, however the thing is they dont ******* own anything, and I mean literally nothing. Everything they owned was in the Subiaco Oval precinct which has been sold off land/building wise. They rent out every facility they use now. Literally only thing they could possibly own is like a few jumpers and football equipment.

When you say you have 3.6 mil in assets and literally have nothing owned. it can only be one other item unfortunately.

Leasehold improvements might be it. A few AFL clubs pad out their balance sheets with those.

I did note Subi's lack of financials in their annual report. It's almost as if they're hiding something.