Your thoughts on GWS

[Mickdog]

I have been waiting for a team in West Sydney for some time now and finally I am going to get it. I wonder who the major signing will be? Will they play all the games at Olympic Park? We know the coach, how will he do? Will they have an emblem if so what will it be?

Exciting times for the game to venture into rugby league heartland. Will they succeed?

 

[Lance Uppercut]

are you going to go for them? Be interesting to know.

I'm a bit ambivalent - I see the logic behind it, but I'm not sure it will succeed. What I will say is that I respect how ambitious it is

 

[Mickdog]

are you going to go for them? Be interesting to know.

I'm a bit ambivalent - I see the logic behind it, but I'm not sure it will succeed. What I will say is that I respect how ambitious it is

I will support them.

 

[Porkaspies09]

ive hear rumours of jarryd hayne i think maybe sining with them, that would be huge. it will be interesting to see how much support GWS will get, and anyway do thy have a name, or are they just GWS.

 

[AG]

Traitor

 

[bighit006]

Just hope for their sake they dont go poaching any league players, doing so would earn them more enemies than fans.

 

[swaneagle24]

"something something tasmania... something something gws will fail... something something"



Very keen for this team to get up!

 

[MRryan]

ive hear rumours of jarryd hayne i think maybe sining with them, that would be huge. it will be interesting to see how much support GWS will get, and anyway do thy have a name, or are they just GWS.

Well I had a look at 9News Sydney via the ninemsn website to see how the Sheedy news reaction played...the lead story was built around the Sheedy story, but the hook was (they even called it "breaking news") that the AFL was chasing the signature of Jarryd Hayne (Hunt style) for a $1.5 million per year deal.

There was nothing on the record from anyone however, pretty bad, speculative journalism, if you would call it that. Althought after seeing this i checked out a youtube highlights video of hayne and s**t he is quite the athlete. He could defenatley make it in AFL if he was given time, and his fan base is rock solid judging by the accumulated comments on the youtube video.
His signing would be a huge boost for the team, although as you say could make a lot of angry rugby league fans furious, LOL

 

[B_GLassi]

ive hear rumours of jarryd hayne i think maybe sining with them, that would be huge. it will be interesting to see how much support GWS will get, and anyway do thy have a name, or are they just GWS.

Not going to happen Im afraid. If you ever hear Weidler announcing something, make sure you know that the opposite is going to happen.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

couldnt care less about west sydney, good luck to them

 

[handy point]

I hope (moreso than the GC) that they prosper, and grow organically, without excess amounts of assistance from the league, and build a long term supporter base. Still would have preferred a Tas team, but I can see why the AFL is going into the GWS region. Just think the timing might be a bit early.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

I posted this on another thread:

IMO this GWS has the reek of disaster all over it.

The GC expansion seems to be continuing apace in a well organised and professional fashion.

This Sydney stuff seems slapdash and crappy. Appointing Sheedy is an excellent example.

It would be a coup in melbourne but nobody up there knows who he is.

And this argument that having two teams creating a rivalry is bogus too.

I've never been to a Storm game coz I don't like league. They could put another team out my front door and I wouldn't go because I don't like rugby league.

Don't see why Sydney folk will be any different.

It will also hurt the Swans more than it benefits them too ... the OP being a case in point.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Will they play all the games at Olympic Park?

Low drawing games at Blacktown... big(ger) drawing games at ANZ Stadium.

What I'm wondering is if the Swans will play at ANZ Stadium like the annual Collingwood game. Would be a bit silly with the Swans playing in rival territory, but I guess its like MCG tenant clubs playing home games at the Dome against non-Victorian opposition. Would Swans fans still go to West Sydney to see them play in a non derby game?

 

[dlanod]

Low drawing games at Blacktown... big(ger) drawing games at ANZ Stadium.

What I'm wondering is if the Swans will play at ANZ Stadium like the annual Collingwood game. Would be a bit silly with the Swans playing in rival territory, but I guess its like MCG tenant clubs playing home games at the Dome against non-Victorian opposition. Would Swans fans still go to West Sydney to see them play in a non derby game?

I'd be surprised if any official games are played at Blacktown. I'd expect the Showgrounds (assuming the redevelopment goes ahead) to be the main stadium, and ANZ Stadium to host the big games. ANZ Stadium to host almost all games if the redevelopment doesn't go ahead. Blacktown is just too difficult to get to.

Regarding Swans playing at ANZ Stadium, do Geelong play home games at the MCG? (A: yes)

 

[kronic]

I think it will be more successful then the GC. Purely because of a greater population and passion. They have had sport in the region for years, while Gold Coast is just gaining its sporting teams. After seeing the nuts from the NRL Grand Final (Eels supporters), I think they'll have some very passionate supporters.

I can't wait to Derby Round in 2012, the Sydney clash, will be interesting.

 

[floppinab]

I posted this on another thread:

IMO this GWS has the reek of disaster all over it.

The GC expansion seems to be continuing apace in a well organised and professional fashion.

This Sydney stuff seems slapdash and crappy. Appointing Sheedy is an excellent example.

I can understand why you could say that, although the Sheedy announcement I find more than appropriate. The issue they've got now is time, they're effectively a year behind the GC and should've have got things in place (a board & club structure, head coach, structure to pull the TAC team together) 9 - 12 months ago, and then build some momentum behind that. This no doubt leads to the impression of "slapdash and crappy", and will continue to look that way unless they can put the above in place quickly and effectively.

I wonder when they will have that club structure together and start really planning for their first season in or are they going to continue being run by AFLNSW @ Moore Park for the next 12 months??? longer???.

A hell of a lot to do in a very short time.

 

[dlanod]

I think it will be more successful then the GC. Purely because of a greater population and passion. They have had sport in the region for years, while Gold Coast is just gaining its sporting teams. After seeing the nuts from the NRL Grand Final (Eels supporters), I think they'll have some very passionate supporters.

I can't wait to Derby Round in 2012, the Sydney clash, will be interesting.

Don't mind the Parra supporters showing up. As long as the Bulldogs supporters stay home.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I'm a bit ambivalent - I see the logic behind it, but I'm not sure it will succeed.

Well, what constitutes success?

And, by extension, what constitutes failure?

If failure is defined as the team sucking so much that it folds, then I can guarantee you that that is not going to happen.

If success is defined as, within the space of 10 years, the team winning the hearts and minds of western Sydney, drawing 40,000 to every home game and maybe winning a flag, then that probably won't happen either.

The reality will be somewhere in between. It will be a long, hard slog, but the AFL will justify its decision on the grounds that it has a second team in the nation's biggest market and a foothold in one of the country's fastest-growing regions.

 

[krusden]

I understand why the AFL are doing it, but I would have waited a little longer for the gold coast to become settled.

Any bets on round one 2012 being GCFC vs. GWS?

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I posted this on another thread:

IMO this GWS has the reek of disaster all over it.

The GC expansion seems to be continuing apace in a well organised and professional fashion.

This Sydney stuff seems slapdash and crappy. Appointing Sheedy is an excellent example.

It would be a coup in melbourne but nobody up there knows who he is.

And this argument that having two teams creating a rivalry is bogus too.

I've never been to a Storm game coz I don't like league. They could put another team out my front door and I wouldn't go because I don't like rugby league.

Don't see why Sydney folk will be any different.

It will also hurt the Swans more than it benefits them too ... the OP being a case in point.

What's the worst that can happen?

The team isn't going to be allowed to fold.

The AFL is going to sink millions of dollars into the area to develop the game, so it's a given that a lot of money is going to be spent.

But when you say "it has the reek of disaster", what kind of outcome are you actually forecasting?

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I understand why the AFL are doing it, but I would have waited a little longer for the gold coast to become settled.

Why?

What effect does the GC side have on the AFL's ability to get the GWS side off the ground?

 

[krusden]

Why?

What effect does the GC side have on the AFL's ability to get the GWS side off the ground?

I would have thought it may have been prudent to launch one new brand, allow it to flourish (and even though i HATE the gold coast idea I think it will flourish) then bring in another brand. Build it up over a longer time period so that the attention of the public is not, ah, diverted as much by two new brands coming in to a comp in quick succession.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I would have thought it may have been prudent to launch one new brand, allow it to flourish (and even though i HATE the gold coast idea I think it will flourish) then bring in another brand. Build it up over a longer time period so that the attention of the public is not, ah, diverted as much by two new brands coming in to a comp in quick succession.

This makes no sense.

There will be one new team in the GC and another new team in GWS.

How does one affect the other?

The fact there's a new team on the GC is not going to diminish the second Sydney side's chances of carving out its own niche in a different market.

 

[sbenno]

This Sydney stuff seems slapdash and crappy. Appointing Sheedy is an excellent example.

It would be a coup in melbourne but nobody up there knows who he is.

I disagree. Sheedy has been all over the AFL expansion thing (although admittedly, more overseas than here), and he knows how a football club should run, and be coached. I think he's been put there more for his ideas and experience rather than his celebrity, which as you say, would be negligible in West Sydney.

 

[damochandler]

i reckon it will be a struggle at first to win over the league fans. they need to have a better home ground than anz stadium. they will lose more money than gain profit from playing all their home games at that stadium. like the gold coast. free agents will be reluctant to go there as well