Opinion We need to move back to the MCG

[Beerfish]

I would say most voting for the MCG do not live North of the city or do not go every week.

 

[Pweter]

Honestly I don't know.
Long run yes it'll probably be good to play our home games at the G, but in the short term it'll likely cause some pain.
We've performed much, much better at Marvel than the G for years now. At the moment while we are possibly entering a window in which we can do some damage in September I'm not sure altering our home ground advantage is the best move.

Not sure altering our home ground advantage s the best move if we're entering a window?

I'd argue that if we're entering a window then we'd want to play at the MCG as often as possible.

 

[Nifft]

I would say most voting for the MCG do not live North of the city or do not go every week.

There are people living north of the city?

 

[faible]

There are people living north of the city?

There's even a football club there!

Essendon, Victoria - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Essendon (/ɛsəndən/) is an Inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km (5.0 mi) north-west of Melbourne's central business district

 

[Call Me Cake]

In an ideal sense, Marvel would act like a true home ground advantage for us in a sea of Melbourne teams, but since we play the bigger clubs at the MCG due to crowd numbers, and play the smaller clubs of Melb in the stadium they're also residents of, it makes any home ground advantage void. If say, some of the smaller clubs of Melb were not residents of Marvel or played the Pies, Tigers or Hawks there then it'd be advantageous but it ain't the case.

We belong at the MCG and in a way, the smaller tenants of Marvel would benefit more of that by getting a bigger slice of the pie with us out of the way.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

I'd be surprised if they allowed us to do it without Richmond or Hawthorn agreeing to make up games at Marvel so for that reason I doubt it will happen. We're probably stuck at Marvel now.

 

[astrowizzle]

I'd be surprised if they allowed us to do it without Richmond or Hawthorn agreeing to make up games at Marvel so for that reason I doubt it will happen. We're probably stuck at Marvel now.

Take back windy Hill. If the AFL pumped as much money into upgrading it as they have north Melbourne it would be the best stadium in Australia

 

[Happyskeret]

We need to go back to the Emma C G. That’s where the magic happens!

 

[Chief Hopper]

Take back windy Hill. If the AFL pumped as much money into upgrading it as they have north Melbourne it would be the best stadium in Australia

I'd be all for that!

Back to this poll. Apart from our team gaining valuable exp playing on the MCG where finals football is played, it never made much sense to me the move as a fan.
We were continually generating crowds of 70k+ before the Marvel move. It really did smack of the leadership of the club, at the time, looking after the money rather than the supporter interest.
Around 2000 we were likely the biggest club in Australia, by supporter base. Now we poll to be around the 3-4 biggest in Vic. Sure we haven't had great luck in the last 20 years, but I'd say Marvel played a part in stunting our fan base.

 

[Dan26]

Had we not made the worst decision back in 1999 in the modern history of our club, to move away from the MCG, tonight’s game is exactly the type of game we could have culturally adapted to, to win.

It happens every year. Fail in the cold and wet, then get the soft kills at Marvel that do nothing for long-term development.

 

[Phone]

we fail in the hot and dry too

 

[Bunk Moreland]

3–1-3 at the G this year

5-0 at Marvel

 

[windyhill]

Sooks would want a roof on the joint.

 

[windyhill]

Guaranteed win next week. Pissing rain outside, EFC doing the buisness under cover. **** me.

 

[JayJ20]

We really suck at the MCG and that's a problem. We've beaten a bad starting Hawthorn, a Richmond that's out of it and an injury hit Collingwood that brought zero pressure after QT. Comfortably lost to Carlton, Geelong and Melbourne. The Collingwood draw was pretty good.

We're going to struggle winning a final (if we even make it) because we suck playing on the ground where finals are played. I think the MCG vs Marvel debate is over after the Geelong and Melbourne losses.

 

[ant555]

We really suck at the MCG and that's a problem. We've beaten a bad starting Hawthorn, a Richmond that's out of it and an injury hit Collingwood that brought zero pressure after QT. Comfortably lost to Carlton, Geelong and Melbourne. The Collingwood draw was pretty good.

We're going to struggle winning a final (if we even make it) because we suck playing on the ground where finals are played. I think the MCG vs Marvel debate is over after the Geelong and Melbourne losses.

The Carlton game was more poor kicking than sucking at the G .

 

[Inspecta Gadget]

Finals and grand finals not played at marvel. If we're ever going to be successful, may as well get used to playing at the G

 

[ant555]

We play there 8 times this year. 9 times last year Not like it is a situation where it is maybe 1 or 2 . If you not not learn to play the G in 8 or so games every year then you are basically a crap side. Nearly every time we play there it is a 60k plus crowd. Sorry but this is the biggest Furphy thread on BF.

 

[Dan26]

We play there 8 times this year. 9 times last year Not like it is a situation where it is maybe 1 or 2 . If you not not learn to play the G in 8 or so games every year then you are basically a crap side. Nearly every time we play there it is a 60k plus crowd. Sorry but this is the biggest Furphy thread on BF.

It's more than that. It's a cultural thing. When the decision was made back in the late 90's, it was done for financial reasons, because that is something you can measure. But the thing about culture is you can't measure it. It's there intuitively.

I can't put my finger on it, but something changed in the early 2000's when we moved to Marvel. I'm sure others feel it too. I used to be proud in the late 90's to be the biggest and the best. We had the biggest membership, the best crowds, the best everything. Just the cultural mindset of moving away from the biggest and best stadium for money said: "We don't care about being the biggest anymore, we just want security"

That kind of mindset can permeate through the club, without even anyone knowing. And yes I know 8-9 games a year at the MCG is still a lot. But it's not even about that. It's about the message that it sends by electing to play at Marvel. And these 8-9 game at Marvel, particularly the "soft kills" give what I call "win-padding". They just keep us in the hunt every year, and get everyone's hopes up, and yet we learn nothing as evidenced by winning 7 of 25 night games at the MCG.

I repeat, the Bulldogs are the ONLY Marvel team to win a premiership in the last 23 seasons and it was a fluke from 7th.

 

[eth-dog]

It's more than that. It's a cultural thing. When the decision was made back in the late 90's, it was done for financial reasons, because that is something you can measure. But the thing about culture is you can't measure it. It's there intuitively.

I can't put my finger on it, but something changed in the early 2000's when we moved to Marvel. I'm sure others feel it too. I used to be proud in the late 90's to be the biggest and the best. We had the biggest membership, the best crowds, the best everything. Just the cultural mindset of moving away from the biggest and best stadium for money said: "We don't care about being the biggest anymore, we just want security"

That kind of mindset can permeate through the club, without even anyone knowing. And yes I know 8-9 games a year at the MCG is still a lot. But it's not even about that. It's about the message that it sends by electing to play at Marvel. And these 8-9 game at Marvel, particularly the "soft kills" give what I call "win-padding". They just keep us in the hunt every year, and get everyone's hopes up, and yet we learn nothing as evidenced by winning 7 of 25 night games at the MCG.

I repeat, the Bulldogs are the ONLY Marvel team to win a premiership in the last 23 seasons and it was a fluke from 7th.

15 of the past 23 flags have been won by teams that weren't tenants of the Grand Final ground that year. Only Collingwood (2010/23), Hawthorne (2008, 13-15) and Richmond (2017/19) have been the tenants on the GF ground. The Gabba, SCG, Subiaco, Kardinia Park and West Lakes have been the home ground for teams that have won the flag with very different dimensions to the MCG.

You've raised Carlton multiple times. They play the same or very similar amount of games there as we do every year. We basically split MCG and Docklands every year.

 

[Dan26]

You've raised Carlton multiple times. They play the same or very similar amount of games there as we do every year. We basically split MCG and Docklands every year.

And Carlton have been garbage since 2002

 

[eth-dog]

And Carlton have been garbage since 2002

Yeah but you referenced their past 12 months or so as to why we should move back too. So which is it?

We average about 35% of our home and away games at the MCG. That's more than 13 of the past 21 teams that won the flag at the MCG.

 

[Dan26]

Yeah but you referenced their past 12 months or so as to why we should move back too. So which is it?

We average about 35% of our home and away games at the MCG. That's more than 13 of the past 21 teams that won the flag at the MCG.

It’s not about the number of home and away games at the MCG as if there is a perfect number. We play there more than Geelong, but they play in cold, imperfect conditions at Kardinia Park, and consequently they have ALWAYS played well in the wet, even prior to 2007 and this serves them well when they play at the MCG.

It’s more about minimising the games played under a cuddly roof than maximising the games at the MCG, but if you fix the former, then you’ll naturally have 12-14 at the MCG.

Non-marvel Victorian teams have won 14 of the last 17 premierships.

Marvel teams have won 1 and it was a fluke.

I think moving to Marvel was the first domino which caused all the subsequent domino’s to fall in relation to our culture, performance and ambition as a club.

 

[ant555]

Its a Furphy.

 

[windyhill]

We really suck at the MCG and that's a problem. We've beaten a bad starting Hawthorn, a Richmond that's out of it and an injury hit Collingwood that brought zero pressure after QT. Comfortably lost to Carlton, Geelong and Melbourne. The Collingwood draw was pretty good.

We're going to struggle winning a final (if we even make it) because we suck playing on the ground where finals are played. I think the MCG vs Marvel debate is over after the Geelong and Melbourne losses.

Did it rain v haw ? V rich ? V coll ? Back to the nice comfy home this Friday under the roof.