Secret meeting for Kangaroos buyout

[Magpiespower]

Unless you know the facts, and debate this with some sense, shut the f*** up.......sorry to put it so bluntly, but if it was your club Im sure you wouldnt be so flipant...

My club is safe.

And I don't particularly care what happens to a Victorian club.

Considering ten is too many for a national comp.

But keep those blinkers on.

In ten years, you'll be crying on the terraces.

And blaming the AFL.

[THE CHIEF]

How inciteful

[Hondo]

I read an article in BRW recently and it listed the 16 AFL clubs and showed each club's value in $, and profit for last year. The Kangaroos didn't have the worst profit result but were bottom of the list in terms of overall club finances. The Bulldogs and Carlton were also low.

Like Tassie, I believe that the AFL cannot sustain 10 teams in Melbourne in the long-term. It's a throw back to the expanded VFL and supporters in Victoria have arguably been very lucky in that, apart from South Melbourne in 1982 and Fitzroy in 1996, their comp and their teams have remained intact. That's a big contrast to the supporters of state comps in WA, SA and Tas that have had to go through a lot of pain and suffering to build the AFL.

I believe that a 16 team comp is locked in due to the TV rights deal that needs 8 games per week to be viable. I also believe the AFL should and will have more presence outside of Victoria. So the obvious answer is Victorian-based teams relocating. I also believe that a relocation has to be that ... a full-time commitment to a new area so the supporters get to see their new team every second week. I don't agree with playing a small number of games in Canberra or the Gold Coast because I feel it alienates the Melbourne supporters and doesn't do enough to drag the new ones in. However, if Gold Coast experiment works well this season then maybe playing 1/2 home games interstate and 1/2 in Melbourne might be a model for the future.

Maybe we should be discussing the issue without naming clubs to respect the views of their supporters. However, if forced to name a club I naturally look at teams with low financial bases, teams already playing game interstate and teams that have dropped any geographic reference from their name - so I end up with the Kangaroos and the Bulldogs.

[Dutchy]

One thing that is guaranteed is we are around for the next 4 1/2 years and that is plenty of time to keep improving on and off the field and make a sensible decision.

Probably our biggest mistake after 99 was not to "bottom out" like many other clubs to get the draft choices...

and BTW why is the Gold Coast the be all and end all? Who says it would be successful? Say we move up there and ditch allt he Melbourne tradition and then it fails?

My advice - watch the footy show tonight, Brayshaws comments will worth listening to..

The answer to that question is cash Dutchy, the sharks have mountains of the stuff and the AFL would love to have them on board. If the AFL and the Sharks throw a pile of cash in, it will work.

If Brayshaw says something worth listening to then it will be a small miracle.

you seem to listen to all the rumour mongers regarding this subject...how about listening to a board member on the subject and get the truth

[Dutchy]

Unless you know the facts, and debate this with some sense, shut the f*** up.......sorry to put it so bluntly, but if it was your club Im sure you wouldnt be so flipant...

My club is safe.

And I don't particularly care what happens to a Victorian club.

Considering ten is too many for a national comp.

But keep those blinkers on.

In ten years, you'll be crying on the terraces.

And blaming the AFL.

enough said....fool

[Dutchy]

2/ The AFL want a presence on the Gold Coast, having been there a few times recently it really is a 50/50 area between League and AFL due to the expats and the Lions success

This is a serious post, not an attack on North per se, just an outsiders view on the whole 10 clubs in Melbourne/Gold Coast/National competition debate.

Dutchy I won't even pretend to know as much about your club as you do and I freely admit thanks to some influential players in the 90s North Melbourne punched above their weight success wise. If I was a North supporter I'd be pissed off too knowing that my club is apaprantly in the AFLs and the fans of other clubs sights to be moved to the Gold Coast

My reading of the situation is the AFL is concerned that they don't want to repeat a Canberra where they ignored Canberra and RL and RU jumped in capturing the market.

I believe deep down the AFL know that 10 games over 3 years is a token effort comapred to teh NRL setting up a team on the Gold coast, especially as the AFL has pumped money into the Gold Caost stadium they will want a return on their investment.

In short the AFL want a team based on the Gold Coast (Australias biggest population growth area/market) full time, despite Brisbanes reservations, to ensure the Australain Football "brand" is prominant in oune of Australia's biggest population growth areas.

Whilst I concede to you North Melbourne are arguably in their strongest position finacially for the last 10 years, they appear to an outsider, to be the weakest of the clubs financially and market share (membership) in Melbourne.

So as an outsider if I was drawing up a betting market for a club to be relocated of the 10 in Melbourne it would be North, given that the AFL, for all intents and purposes want a club based on the Gold Coast.

In summary it is unlikely Melbourne can support 10 clubs long term, the AFL want a club/franchise, call it what you want, on the Gold Coast. If it is not North who do think it is most likely to be.

Fair call Tassie....

I know exactly why the Roos are playing on the GC, they want to be debt free within 3 years...so how do they achieve this? well when offered $$ to play on the GC they can get extra revenue into the club and wipe off the debt...while helping the AFL at the same time and picking up 1000 members on the GC also...

Once we are in a better financialy position they will reconsider the GC option...they are following the successful Geelong plan

Hondo....Melbourne also fit your criteria, why not bring them up? both Bullies and them are sturggling as much if not more than us....

[blink]

I also believe that a relocation has to be that ... a full-time commitment to a new area so the supporters get to see their new team every second week. I don't agree with playing a small number of games in Canberra or the Gold Coast because I feel it alienates the Melbourne supporters and doesn't do enough to drag the new ones in. .

Great point there Hondo, I think you have summed it up well.

Kangaroos playing games in Canberra and Gold Coast is a quick-fix type solution to their problems, which as Dutchy pointed out has worked to some extent, as their finances are at their strongest point in the last decade. Unfortunately it is not strong enough.

[Dutchy]

"The North Melbourne Football Club board of directors does not have the intention to relocate the club to the Gold Coast," Duff said.

"We have a three-year deal to play 10 games on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast region is yet to prove it can sustain a full-time team in the future, however, we believe that this club can strengthen itself by playing home matches in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast."

"We've said, and I've heard the chairman say, there's no secret agenda to get the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast," Demetriou said.

[mighty_tiger_79]

Dean Laidley at todays training session will inform the boys to pack up to head up to the sunshine state

[Aerie]

"There's no way that a GST will ever be part of our policy. Never ever. It's dead. It was killed by the voters in the last election. Any suggestion that I left the door open is absolute nonsense. I didn't. I never will. The last election killed the GST. It's not part of our policy and it won't be part of our policy at any time in the future." said John Howard in 1995.

[Hondo]

Hondo....Melbourne also fit your criteria, why not bring them up? both Bullies and them are sturggling as much if not more than us....

Fair call .... I'd add Hawthorn to the list too based on the criteria of already playing home games interstate

[Dutchy]

"There's no way that a GST will ever be part of our policy. Never ever. It's dead. It was killed by the voters in the last election. Any suggestion that I left the door open is absolute nonsense. I didn't. I never will. The last election killed the GST. It's not part of our policy and it won't be part of our policy at any time in the future." said John Howard in 1995.

its not the political forum...try again

[smac]

One thing that is guaranteed is we are around for the next 4 1/2 years and that is plenty of time to keep improving on and off the field and make a sensible decision.

Probably our biggest mistake after 99 was not to "bottom out" like many other clubs to get the draft choices...

and BTW why is the Gold Coast the be all and end all? Who says it would be successful? Say we move up there and ditch allt he Melbourne tradition and then it fails?

My advice - watch the footy show tonight, Brayshaws comments will worth listening to..

The answer to that question is cash Dutchy, the sharks have mountains of the stuff and the AFL would love to have them on board. If the AFL and the Sharks throw a pile of cash in, it will work.

If Brayshaw says something worth listening to then it will be a small miracle.

you seem to listen to all the rumour mongers regarding this subject...how about listening to a board member on the subject and get the truth

No, I have listened to Brayshaw and that is where my opinion of him comes from.

If you believe every word that a Board member or AFL executive rolls out at this time then you are deluded Dutchy. I am not attacking your club and apologise if you feel I am - I just reckon the roos have been kidding us all for too long and need to commit to something before someone else takes control (ala Fitzroy). Good luck with your head in the sand if that is the way you want to go about it.

[smithy]

"The North Melbourne Football Club board of directors does not have the intention to relocate the club to the Gold Coast," Duff said.

"We have a three-year deal to play 10 games on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast region is yet to prove it can sustain a full-time team in the future, however, we believe that this club can strengthen itself by playing home matches in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast."

"We've said, and I've heard the chairman say, there's no secret agenda to get the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast," Demetriou said.

Cool, can they try and dish up some decent football rather than the tripe they've showed us the past few years?

[Aerie]

its not the political forum...try again

You can draw your own analogy...

[Dutchy]

"The North Melbourne Football Club board of directors does not have the intention to relocate the club to the Gold Coast," Duff said.

"We have a three-year deal to play 10 games on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast region is yet to prove it can sustain a full-time team in the future, however, we believe that this club can strengthen itself by playing home matches in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast."

"We've said, and I've heard the chairman say, there's no secret agenda to get the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast," Demetriou said.

Cool, can they try and dish up some decent football rather than the tripe they've showed us the past few years?

2 flags in 10 years not good enough for you?

[MW]

"The North Melbourne Football Club board of directors does not have the intention to relocate the club to the Gold Coast," Duff said.

"We have a three-year deal to play 10 games on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast region is yet to prove it can sustain a full-time team in the future, however, we believe that this club can strengthen itself by playing home matches in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast."

"We've said, and I've heard the chairman say, there's no secret agenda to get the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast," Demetriou said.

Cool, can they try and dish up some decent football rather than the tripe they've showed us the past few years?

2 flags in 10 years not good enough for you?

Not to mention all the prelims before that....
It's always astounded me why North Melbourne has struggled for support with such great on-field performances throughout the 90's

[JK]

Dutchman, I don't really know much about whats going on at Arden St., apart from the odd bit I hear in the media, so can you answer these for me:

Do the Kangaroo's still rely on AFL assistance?

If so, with them paying 100% of the cap next year, does this mean the assistance will stop?

[Dutchy]

MW - its a few things, mainly due to the us coming into the comp late after all the super powers were established and being based in a non residential area of Melbourne with limited area to improve the status quo...this is all acknowledged by all clubs and hence the extra funding we get from distributions

[Dutchy]

Dutchman, I don't really know much about whats going on at Arden St., apart from the odd bit I hear in the media, so can you answer these for me:

Do the Kangaroo's still rely on AFL assistance?

If so, with them paying 100% of the cap next year, does this mean the assistance will stop?

refer the above reply, the equalisation fund will always continue...as we dont have the marque games that draw in the big revenue (Pies/Bombers, Carlton/Pies, Bomber/Richmond wich are guaranteed to be played twice a year) leaving us to only play the big drawing clubs in Melbourne once a year (and also travel more than them) this will continue as its only fair...all the clubs agree with this

I think you find the special assistance grants have finished at the Kangas ro will finish this year as the AFL wouldnt allow us to pay 100% while we were getting those funds...will try to find out though