Merge to survive

[Turbo]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

[Moe]

Won't happen, but Bulldogs & North Melbourne should be 2 clubs nominated.

[JK]

In the forseeable future with the TV rights deal demanding 9 games per week, it's not going to happen for any 2 clubs

[gadj1976]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

Turbo I think you're way off the mark here. The AFL is a booming industry, so why would they even contemplate removing one or more teams? If your business is making squillions per year, does it make sense to you to decrease the opportunities to make revenue?

Your comment about the talent pool being thin is valid - and I tend to agree. The talent will get better over time given the amount of opportunities it opens up for young guys.

Also, remember it's getting more difficult to win a premiership. Only 1 in 18 can win it now.

[Turbo]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams may need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

Turbo I think you're way off the mark here. The AFL is a booming industry, so why would they even contemplate removing one or more teams? If your business is making squillions per year, does it make sense to you to decrease the opportunities to make revenue?

Your comment about the talent pool being thin is valid - and I tend to agree. The talent will get better over time given the amount of opportunities it opens up for young guys.

Also, remember it's getting more difficult to win a premiership. Only 1 in 18 can win it now.

Yeah I know it's not going to happen with 2 Melbourne based teams merging but with expansion to new markets eg saints to tassie. North were approached a couple of years ago to move to gold coast is another example.

[Mr66]

What club would want to infect themselves with the suicidal culture of STK?
Just kick them out of the AFL and let the players go out as free agents.

[Rik E Boy]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

In other words, if Carlton can't beat them, join them.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

Turbo I think you're way off the mark here. The AFL is a booming industry, so why would they even contemplate removing one or more teams? If your business is making squillions per year, does it make sense to you to decrease the opportunities to make revenue?

Your comment about the talent pool being thin is valid - and I tend to agree. The talent will get better over time given the amount of opportunities it opens up for young guys.

Also, remember it's getting more difficult to win a premiership. Only 1 in 18 can win it now.

Yeah it's much more difficult to win premierships in the last five years than it was in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

regards,

REB

[Turbo]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

In other words, if Carlton can't beat them, join them.

regards,

REB

Cheers for your lack of anything mr brightside

[stan]

Won't happen, but Bulldogs & North Melbourne should be 2 clubs nominated.

I would agree we seem to happy to jump on the Port Financial shit hole bang wagon, but the Bulldogs and North Melbourne are in the same boat or if not worse off due to there circumstances.

North had there chance, but perhaps a merger is the way to go.

[Hondo]

Turbo I think you're way off the mark here. The AFL is a booming industry, so why would they even contemplate removing one or more teams? If your business is making squillions per year, does it make sense to you to decrease the opportunities to make revenue?

This point is often forgotten when people focus on individual clubs in the low point of their financial or performance cycle. The overall competition makes bucketloads of money so they'll just divvy it up as necessary to keep all 18 clubs going.

I used to be a fan of mergers or removing clubs but now I think it creates more problems and negativity through alienating a supporter base (even a smaller one) than it solves.

The scenario today is completely different to what it was 20 years ago when the competition overall had financial problems.

[Rik E Boy]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

In other words, if Carlton can't beat them, join them.

regards,

REB

Cheers for your lack of anything mr brightside

Turn it up. You copied my thread.

regards,

REB

[Jim05]

Personally i dont want clubs to go and i would have rathered relocation over 2 new sides entering. The Gold Coast Roos and the GWS Dogs would have been my preferred option. We would have had competitive teams up there straight away and not have this embarassment that GC and GWS will be for first 5 years or more. Also wouldnt have these ridiculous concessions and fake drafts.

[Turbo]

Been thinking about st kilda and how they have been so close yet so far from that elusive flag. With the players they've had in the last decade and still not be able to win the big one.
This year they've had scandal, a massive annual loss, and potential salary cap disaster currently. With their aging list surely their window has all but shut.
With 18 teams in the comp from next year surely that is too many. The talent pool in stretched thin.
I reckon some of the Melbourne teams need to merge. St kilda with a history of misery are a prime candidate.

Thoughts?

In other words, if Carlton can't beat them, join them.

regards,

REB

Cheers for your lack of anything mr brightside

Turn it up. You copied my thread.

regards,

REB

Yeah ha ha. We all aspire to be you. Anyway MY thread was a result of discussion with a few mates who are also on this forum.

[Dutchy]

Won't happen, but Bulldogs & North Melbourne should be 2 clubs nominated.

I would agree we seem to happy to jump on the Port Financial shit hole bang wagon, but the Bulldogs and North Melbourne are in the same boat or if not worse off due to there circumstances.

North had there chance, but perhaps a merger is the way to go.

Port have had more handouts that any other AFL team the history of the sport.

Our circumstances? please explain....

[gadj1976]

Won't happen, but Bulldogs & North Melbourne should be 2 clubs nominated.

I would agree we seem to happy to jump on the Port Financial shit hole bang wagon, but the Bulldogs and North Melbourne are in the same boat or if not worse off due to there circumstances.

North had there chance, but perhaps a merger is the way to go.

North are as viable as most other clubs - AND making profit each year. Why merge again?

[Hondo]

Port have had more handouts that any other AFL team the history of the sport.

Our circumstances? please explain....

http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/artic ... alisation/

"A further $48m will be distributed over 2012-14 and be invested into specific initiatives for a selected number of clubs.

Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne will be the biggest immediate beneficiaries, receiving $7m each until 2014.

Melbourne (5.8m), St Kilda (5.7m), Richmond (4.7m) and Port Adelaide (3.9m) were the next on the list."

Note: I don't think a merger or relocation is necessary BTW, just making sure you are aware where the AFL feel the biggest needs are over the next 3 years.

[Dutchy]

We have had this argument many times Hondo.

Port are getting $9m from the AFL, not to mention the $5m from the SANFL and thats on top of the $3.9m that you mention above.

[Hondo]

We have had this argument many times Hondo.

Port are getting $9m from the AFL, not to mention the $5m from the SANFL and thats on top of the $3.9m that you mention above.

I know

But if you ranked the top 4 clubs for handouts over the last 20 years I think NM would be in there somewhere which is why they keep coming up when handouts are discussed.

As said, I don't think NM should relocate or merge and that's not what I thought 5 years ago I admit.

I think it is important to retain and support all existing clubs in any competition even if it means 10 of 18 teams come from one state. We can't change it now so let's support what we have I reckon. NM fans are as important as Collingwood fans even if they are a smaller group.

[Magpiespower]

There won't be another merger in the AFL.

Relocation is always an option but highly unlikely.

Only markets left to pimp are Canberra and Tassie.

Not much in it for clubs to go there at the moment - maybe down the track.

Reakon fifty years from now we'll have a 20-club comp with the AFL's expansion plans bringing in teams from NZ and South Africa.

Sounds crazy now...