AFL respect in Sydney

[footyhead]

The AFL will seriously loose credibility in Sydney (and there will be a trickle down effect to the Swans) should interstate teams who have earned a home final be forced to play @ the MCG.
There is only one thing that the Sydney public and press hate as much as they love a winner :
A Ruse or having a lie thrust upoun them!

That is what the AFL is trying to do at the moment with it's national audience.
It is pandering to too many interests at the expence of the image and fairness of the competition, and mark my words they will pay for it in a prolonged period of stagnated Growth and Media coverage in Sydney.
Check out the AFL sub heading at SMH.com.au - there is nothing there (unless you go to realfooty.com)
When will the afl and footyfans in genral learn that the fight for a national competition can be won, but as yet has not been and probabley never will if this self interested perhoicialisim and small minded economics is allowed to ruin the fabric of the competition ?
I really fear for the long term stance of our wonderfull game.

[NMWBloods]

I don't think the Sydney public gives a toss whether interstate teams get a home final or play at the MCG.

[jixygirl]

I don't know what Sydneysiders think about the problem with interstate finals but I know that Melbournians believe that the finals should stay in Melbourne. However, AFL is now a national game and has been for 20 or so years (even though the SMH hasn't noticed) and so the finals excluding the Grand Final should be played at the Home ground of the higher team. It would help the game spread out more around the country.

[Dave]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
I don't think the Sydney public gives a toss whether interstate teams get a home final or play at the MCG.

Well I'm part of the Sydney public and I think the mortgage the MCC has on the finals is archaic.

At the very least it makes financial sense to allow home finals.

Who in Melb would care about a Freo/West Coast final for eg.

[jixygirl]

I think there would be quite a lot of people who would care about a Sydney/Brisbane match, but that's about it. The AFL would definitely get a larger crowd, and therefore more money at Subiaco for a Freo/West Coast final, but its that contract that the MCC has for the finals. The AFL should really consider banking the games for this season until they can find a way to solve this mess.

[barry]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
I don't think the Sydney public gives a toss whether interstate teams get a home final or play at the MCG.

If the swans home final was moved to the oppositions home ground, they'd give a toss alright.

Thats why this farce has been able to go on for so long. At most it effects one team any one year, and thats only 1/16th voice to the AFL.

If the AFL doesnt change it, we are stuck with this for another 40 years.

[undy]

Originally posted by barry
If the AFL doesnt change it, we are stuck with this for another 40 years.

Yep - that was a startling piece of ineptitude on the part of the AFL - to have signed that contract guaranteeing the MCG games for 40 years - what the hell were they thinking ?

People can deride Bob Carr's knowledge of the game, but it will take pressure at that kind of level to get the MCG (a Vic State government appointed trust) to step back. Steve Bracks just wants to see the money keep rolling in - after all, he's a Geelong fan so he isn't going to have much else to watch in September.

Andy

[NMWBloods]

As I said in the concurrent post on this, it really should make little difference to us whether we play at the SCG or MCG. If we want to be a genuine premiership contender we have to be able to win at the 'G!! It's hardly a long trip for us anyway and we certainly won't lack support. As for the other interstate sides, who cares!!

[neored]

Originally posted by undy
Yep - that was a startling piece of ineptitude on the part of the AFL - to have signed that contract guaranteeing the MCG games for 40 years - what the hell were they thinking ?

People can deride Bob Carr's knowledge of the game, but it will take pressure at that kind of level to get the MCG (a Vic State government appointed trust) to step back. Steve Bracks just wants to see the money keep rolling in - after all, he's a Geelong fan so he isn't going to have much else to watch in September.

Andy

I dont think that people in Victoria were deriding Carrs lack of footy knowledge. The point that was being made that is was hypocritical for Carr to raise the AFL Finals scenario, when the NRL has got a very similar system. It was hypocrisy in the extreme, and he really should keep his nose out of matters of which he knows little about. I can accept the premiers of SA and WA having a say, but to see Beattie and Carr talking about traditional football topics was laughable.

Secondly the MCC is well within its rights to mantain its contract. The AFL had the chance to renegotiate the terms a few years ago and chose not to. It cant just suddenly change its mind , just because it didn't have the foresight to see this coming. If you have to direct your anger at anyone it should be the AFL. The MCG has been shafted in recent years by the AFL.... but the worm has turned.

Imagine signing a contract with your employer and then a few months into your contract wanting things overhauled. What do you think would be your employers reaction?

[undy]

Originally posted by neored
I dont think that people in Victoria were deriding Carrs lack of footy knowledge. The point that was being made that is was hypocritical for Carr to raise the AFL Finals scenario, when the NRL has got a very similar system. It was hypocrisy in the extreme, and he really should keep his nose out of matters of which he knows little about. I can accept the premiers of SA and WA having a say, but to see Beattie and Carr talking about traditional football topics was laughable.

Secondly the MCC is well within its rights to mantain its contract. The AFL had the chance to renegotiate the terms a few years ago and chose not to. It cant just suddenly change its mind , just because it didn't have the foresight to see this coming. If you have to direct your anger at anyone it should be the AFL. The MCG has been shafted in recent years by the AFL.... but the worm has turned.

Imagine signing a contract with your employer and then a few months into your contract wanting things overhauled. What do you think would be your employers reaction?

Aaah - you have me there, I tend not to have a clue about the NRL and that bit had passed me by, I'd just seen a fair bit bagging out Carr's football nous - for example:

"I have to say, I agree with Steve Bracks, what Bob Carr and Peter Beattie, let alone Mike Rann -- a Kiwi -- and Geoff Gallup, from Western Australia, would know about Australian football could certainly be included on the back of a very small postage stamp."

from Bombers fan and now Taswegian premier Jim Bacon.


The MCG Trust is indeed within its rights to hold onto those games and probably won't relinquish them without money or direction from its masters (the Vic government).

If the SCG/Homebush Trusts really do have years of NRL finals wrapped up, lets trade. Hell, I'm happy to trade-away 100 years of NRL finals. Maybe throw in a state-of-origin game.


Andy

[barry]

What the hell does the NRL have to do with Bob Carr or the AFL?
If you are going to compare sports, at least do it with a national one like Soccer or netball, or even cricket. (They all play the GF at the highest ranked teams home, irrespective of ground capacity)

Bob Carr probably knows more about AFL than NRL, but that doesnt mean he cannot spot an injustice.

[Plugger46]

Originally posted by Dave
Well I'm part of the Sydney public and I think the mortgage the MCC has on the finals is archaic.

At the very least it makes financial sense to allow home finals.

Who in Melb would care about a Freo/West Coast final for eg.

I'm from Melbourne, an AFL member, and i would be interested in two interstate sides playing in a final down here, as would most I suspect.

It is not an issue for us, playing down here, because we have plenty of support and can win down here just as easily as we can in Sydney.

Mind you, giving a balanced argument I can see where everyone is coming from with regards to finals in Melbourne.

This is the home of football, and always will be though. It is a tough one.

[Bear]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
As I said in the concurrent post on this, it really should make little difference to us whether we play at the SCG or MCG. If we want to be a genuine premiership contender we have to be able to win at the 'G!! It's hardly a long trip for us anyway and we certainly won't lack support. As for the other interstate sides, who cares!!

Forget the Sydney toy ground, it would be in front of 70,000 at Telstra Stadium.

I can't agree with your points either NMW...

It would make a MASSIVE difference to us if we had to play Collingwood in our "home" final on their home ground.

To be a premiership contender you have to make it to the last Sat in Sept, and the best way to do this is through HOME finals - e.g. Brisbane 2001, 2002. Anyway, we have already shown we can win at the MCG this year.

To say that the Sydney public does not give a toss is totally wrong - and what better way to promote AFL in Sydney than with a 70,000 crowd at a Sydney Preliminary Final?

[scurrilous]

yeah suffer in ya jocks!

[Sid]

This is such a dumb issue. It is so obvious that the AFL and fans would benefit from home ground finals.

If you disagree, then u obviously dont want AFL to be a bigger game.