Victoria-centric Crapola Again..

[Sojourner]

Or at least the Brownlow presentation...........

[spell_check]

As a former Victorian, they are all blind sheep over there ... they won't face reality, you can't win with 10 Vic clubs.

Cull two clubs and have a 14 team comp (12 would be better!) and work towards a 26 round H & A season (an even draw with each side meeting home AND away - hence the term 'home and away season').

Victorians will call me a traitor but I actually like to see the SA and WA sides doing well (stuff the northern sides) because it's payback for the past when the Vics pillaged SA and WA clubs and beat them in state games with their own home grown boys.

Very well said. This is in reality the AFL now, not the VFL.

[Dutchy]

Teams in the AFL dont represent states...thats the point your are all missing...

[Benchwarmer]

Mike Fitzpatrick started it!

Sorry Jack Hamilton started it in the 80s and did it the wrong way! LOL

There should have never been more than 12 teams right from the start - there's been too many sides for 20 years now.

[Benchwarmer]

The root of the problem is that there is not enough player talent for 16 decent teams. There will always be a problem in Victoria because there are 10 sides and the talent is diluted by a lack of money for decent interstate recruiting and the spread across 16 sides as opposed to say 14. If there were 8 Victorian based clubs then you would expect to see a better quality of player drafted - therefore more competitive teams and as the AFL mantra goes "a more level playing field".

The issue noted over the weekend was that sides outside of Victoria have more money to spend on their football departments - even as a Carlton supporter, I could handle my side merging if it meant a more powerful side on and off the field.

Funny to see the AFL admit that Victoria is a problem now and it's not a cyclical thing anymore.

[Hondo]

Teams in the AFL dont represent states...thats the point your are all missing...

Can you explain your point better ? Tried to respond but I'm guessing at what you mean ....

[Benchwarmer]

Teams in the AFL dont represent states...thats the point your are all missing...

Can you explain your point better ? Tried to respond but I'm guessing at what you mean ....

I'm not 100% sure either but I reckon he was alluding to where the sides are based and not where the players come from.

[Dutchy]

What im Saying is teams are based in a state, they do not represent their state...I get sick of the 5aa crap that listeners go on about "if the Crows arent playing I want the other SA team to win"....IMagine how boring this state would be if we all loved the SA teams....what if these people lived in Melbourne? would they have 10 teams each weekend?

[Hondo]

What im Saying is teams are based in a state, they do not represent their state...I get sick of the 5aa crap that listeners go on about "if the Crows arent playing I want the other SA team to win"....IMagine how boring this state would be if we all loved the SA teams....what if these people lived in Melbourne? would they have 10 teams each weekend?

OK - think that's partly because a lot of South Australians hate anything to do with Victoria. It's more the satisfaction of seeing a Victorian team lose rather than cheering on the other SA team. Having said that, I don't think that many Power or Crows supporters are happy when the other team wins TBH. I'm not.

Anyway, what's that got to do with the debate about the health of Victorian football? Or did you just want to get it off your chest?

[Dutchy]

If I was a Crows fan there is no way I would want the Power to beat someone...anyone....ever

Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, all seemt o be going OK and the others have plans in place to improve so cant see any real issue to be honest

[Hondo]

Yeah I reckon we are over-playing this 'better facilities' thing. Kangaroos are doing well this year and were the team of the 90s with the facilities they have now. The AFL shouldn't bail out clubs that haven't got their act together off the field. You could have the best gym in the world but if you mess with your draft picks, don't get your structure right, appoint the wrong coach,etc then you'll suffer the consequences.

The Hawks got themselves out to Waverley, kept their draft picks and used them well, got tied in nicely with Tasmania footy and, low and behold, good chance to make the 8 this year.

[Psyber]

What im Saying is teams are based in a state, they do not represent their state...I get sick of the 5aa crap that listeners go on about "if the Crows arent playing I want the other SA team to win"....IMagine how boring this state would be if we all loved the SA teams....what if these people lived in Melbourne? would they have 10 teams each weekend?

I tend to support the Power if they are not up against the Crows, first, because my wife's family are Port supporters and she has a soft spot for them [it's an illness - you have to show pity ], and, second, because as a South Australian living in Victoria I like to stir the locals. I also still feel some state attachment. I still have a BankSA Visa card too, but that is partly because it is an annual-fee-free deal.

[heater31]

What im Saying is teams are based in a state, they do not represent their state...I get sick of the 5aa crap that listeners go on about "if the Crows arent playing I want the other SA team to win"....IMagine how boring this state would be if we all loved the SA teams....what if these people lived in Melbourne? would they have 10 teams each weekend?

I tend to support the Power if they are not up against the Crows, first, because my wife's family are Port supporters and she has a soft spot for them [it's an illness - you have to show pity ], and, second, because as a South Australian living in Victoria I like to stir the locals. I also still feel some state attachment. I still have a BankSA Visa card too, but that is partly because it is an annual-fee-free deal.

obviously there are plenty St George bank branches near you psyber

I will have to admit that I get a small fuzzy feeling when Port notch up a win against a victorian side especially Carlton, Essendon and Collingwood.

The Victorian Administrators of the day have brought these problems upon the administrators of today. In the beginning it was favorable for the Victorian sides but didn't give a thought to the long term effects and now are paying the price. Some clubs need to die a natural death like some of the Rugby League clubs in Sydney

[Benchwarmer]

So so true heater!

Even though I am over 4000km away from my Bluebaggers, I still revel in a loss by Collingwood, Essendon or St. Kilda ... it still warms the cockles of my heart.

The WA sides like to see the other WA side beat a particular team (mainly when it means the beaten team will lose ground and their own side will benefit on the ladder) but not if both sides are doing well ... unless both sides are in the finals and it could mean a Derby Grand Final (like what nearly unfolded last year).

With the benefit of hindsight, the VFL administrators cocked up big time in the 1980s with setting up a national competition, but they had the interests of the 12 VFL clubs at the forefront. With the knowledge that we have nowadays, if we were those administrators it would be done totally differently with 6 Vic-based sides, 2 SA-based sides, 2 WA-based sides, a Brisbane side and a Sydney side with balanced 22-round seasons and IMHO a better playing standard and more even competition.

We won't get an AFL ladder like this unless a little blood gets on some hands!

SANFL - Round 5 1987

[the wonder elephant]

the alf is starting to resemble english county crickrt to many teams and not enough talent ! simple answer reduce the amount of teams the quality of footy gets better i imagine ?

[Hondo]

If I was a Crows fan there is no way I would want the Power to beat someone...anyone....ever

It goes both ways ... there are plenty of Victorians (and some South Australians) who cheer on whoever is playing the Crows.

Look how the Victorians jump on their fellow-Victorian team bandwagons if they are playing a non-Victorian team in a final

[Benchwarmer]

Exactly - the club comes first, then the state.

Personally, I wanted Adelaide to beat St. Kilda to win in 97 and again over North Melbourne in 98 because I can't stand either of those Victorian clubs ... but there was a groundswell of pride and the attitude of "keep the cup in Victoria".

Nowadays, children in Victoria would like to know what the cup looks like - they haven't seen it since 2000

[JK]

nothing incorrect in that article

Even this bit?

"We're not going to survive as a competition if we don't look after the heartland and, in the end, Melbourne is the heartland, Victorian football is the heartland," the former Carlton great said.


Seems to me the competition has never been healthier, certainly in terms of finances anyway ... To me he might aswell have said "The competition is surviving, but not in the manner in which we would like to see it survive"

[doggies4eva]

nothing incorrect in that article

Even this bit?

"We're not going to survive as a competition if we don't look after the heartland and, in the end, Melbourne is the heartland, Victorian football is the heartland," the former Carlton great said.


Seems to me the competition has never been healthier, certainly in terms of finances anyway ... To me he might aswell have said "The competition is surviving, but not in the manner in which we would like to see it survive"

Yes its the heartland alright - it just needs a regular $4m pacemaker to keep it going.

[Hondo]

nothing incorrect in that article

Even this bit?

"We're not going to survive as a competition if we don't look after the heartland and, in the end, Melbourne is the heartland, Victorian football is the heartland," the former Carlton great said.


Seems to me the competition has never been healthier, certainly in terms of finances anyway ... To me he might aswell have said "The competition is surviving, but not in the manner in which we would like to see it survive"

I think there is some huge lobbying going on in Melbourne and now they have Demetriou on-side. Sounds like having 2 Melbourne-based clubs being 0-9 has been the last straw. That plus 8 of the last 10 Premiership teams have been non-Victorian (Crows 2, Eagles 1, Lions 3, Swans 1, Power 1), with similar likely to occur this season.

I don't mind a review of the situation so long as it's not set in stone that 10 clubs have to stay in Melbourne with $$$ provided just to support that Victoria-centric concept, because I don't think that is best for the long-term future of the NATIONAL competition.