Article in the Newcastle Herald-"I just can't cop Aussie Rules"

[Wardy]

totally agree with Bart - you could put loads of rugby league players (and some rugger buggers too) in the same statements - bit of a laugh (although I think he's hit the spot on Dermy though)

Anyway he's from Newcastle and since when has anyone taken any notice of them. (apologies to the nice Novacastrians though!)

[Swannette]

"nice novocastrians"........that would include me and no, no offence taken.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Bear
the songs are one of the best things about football, and the Port song is GREAT too. not too keen on the dockers song though - that needs an overhaul.

good songs is one of the many things rugby league only wishes it had. they're simply jealous of a game with a far richer traditions, history and popularity.

You've got it Bear. NRL songs are plain embarrassing, South Sydney and St George aside. Most clubs actually choose to play concept songs ("Thunderstruck" (Storm) "Eye of the Tiger" (Wests Tigers") rather than any sort of traditional club song.

A team singing it after the game, never, not in rugby league culture at all. It says a lot about why the Swans took as long as they did to accept Cheer Cheer as the club's official theme song. And went through 4 official club songs in the process.

Ironically the Knights are the WORST offenders for not having an official club song. From memory they have had 6 since they started in the NRL in 1988. One of them is a classic and had lyrics like "we had the earthquake, we didn't get the frigates, but we've got the mighty Knights."

The main one they played had really classy lyrics like "When the Knights hit the field, they become men of Steel. Here we go Knights, here we go." Complete with taped chanting throughout the match "Here we go Knights, here we go CLAP CLAP"

Illawarra's was even better.
"You can't go wrong in Wollongong, we're the Illawarra Steelers
You can't go wrong, we're Steeler strong.
Let's give em a taste of Steel
UGH! "

Interestingly clubs like Parra and Cronulla have started to play their traditional AFL style themes as opposed to jazzed up "Dare to be a Bear" style 1980s jingos. I dare to say that not one person would actually know the words to them in the whole ground.

Singing the club song after the game is opne of the reasons AFL footy is so much more emotive than NRL. Because you go to the footy every hanging for the moment when "Cheer Cheer breaks out over the loudspeakers". To me a match isn't final if I haven't sung the club song. At NRL matches matches when the final siren had sounded and the Raiders had won, it was like "Wow great, what do we do now?" (Even if a few of us would sing "Bad and mean, Green Machine" )

JF

[Thunder Shaker]

What a pathetic list, he says that the sport of Australian football is so bad, but 12 of the 20 entries in that list are individual PEOPLE associated with the sport, and nothing about the actual sport itself.

The AFL has those 12 people, but League has Hopoate. His habit of sticking his finger up the bum of opposition players is worse than all 12 of the AFL people put together.

Melees? Hairstyles? Oh please. Looks like that journo was really stretching to get the list out to 10.

It shows how little he knows about the game. If he had more of a clue about Australian football than how to spell AFL, he would have named the inconsistent interpretation of the rules by the umpires fairly high on his list. And for his information, the sport is Australian football, or Australian Rules football, not AFL, in the same way that Rugby League is not NRL.

[The Boot]

Originally posted by Bear
They're simply jealous of a game with a far richer traditions, history and popularity.

And one that is actually AUSTRALIAN!!!!!
Unlike Loygg.

[Diego]

I was at the Darlo Bar two weeks ago watching the Saints V Port final and there were a large group of us watching it (would have been 20 of us sitting around cheering) with 10 mins to go the rude bar man walks up to the TV and turns it off shouting "Last drinks bars closing" which he copped boos and abuse. He then shouted out:

"IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THIS STUPID GAME GO TO MELBOURNE"

Everyone just freaked as it was a close game and there were some saint and port supporters. He didnt care as he hated AFL and only put it on after someone pleaded with him.

Then i chucked beer at him which he kicked me out, but point is thats sydney for you. Many people just refuse to watch afl.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Diego
I was at the Darlo Bar two weeks ago watching the Saints V Port final and there were a large group of us watching it (would have been 20 of us sitting around cheering) with 10 mins to go the rude bar man walks up to the TV and turns it off shouting "Last drinks bars closing" which he copped boos and abuse. He then shouted out:

"IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THIS STUPID GAME GO TO MELBOURNE"

Then i chucked beer at him which he kicked me out.

You are such a shy retiring flower, aren't you Diego?

I would have said "I want to watch this match, so I'll be boycotting this STUPID bar in future. And will be telling all my friends.

I'd have gotten his name and made an official complaint to the owner. Belidgerance is the only way we are ever seriously going to change attitudes in Sydney.

Their website is http://www.darlobar.com/.

Tell them what you think of em Diego! Don't let that AFL-ignoramus win!

JF

PS:- I'm appalled that a bar less than 2km from the home ground opf Sydney BAR-FAR most supported sporting club could willingly turn away prospective clients!

[lescygnes]

since when did they put a TV in the darlo bar????

has the world gone topsy turvy? or were you pissed again diego and wrote down the wrong bar name???? the green park hotel has TV's (both kinds, but thats another thread)

cheers
John!

[Whitefox]

Originally posted by cruiser
but I'm sure you know the type of person I'm talking about.

Dave Gleeson?

[monopoly19]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
Singing the club song after the game is opne of the reasons AFL footy is so much more emotive than NRL. Because you go to the footy every hanging for the moment when "Cheer Cheer breaks out over the loudspeakers". To me a match isn't final if I haven't sung the club song. At NRL matches matches when the final siren had sounded and the Raiders had won, it was like "Wow great, what do we do now?" (Even if a few of us would sing "Bad and mean, Green Machine" )

I remember a few weeks ago watching the Cowboys v Bulldogs final, the Cowboys sat in a circle (on chairs!) and belted out some random song. I have no idea what they were singing, and didn't realise that ruggers had songs at all, but they went pretty crazy. The strangest part was that they were sitting down...wtf, how can you go properly crazy when you're on chairs?

I love the club songs and most of the other things that the Novocastrian hates about Aussie Rules. I don't actually mind the game of rugby league, but what gets me riled is the organisation. Everything about it seems phony and artificial, and lacking in any sense of the roots of the game. Those bloody Roosters are the worst offenders.

[Bart]

Originally posted by monopoly19
I remember a few weeks ago watching the Cowboys v Bulldogs final, the Cowboys sat in a circle (on chairs!) and belted out some random song. I have no idea what they were singing,

Duelling banjoes ?

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
I would have said "I want to watch this match, so I'll be boycotting this STUPID bar in future. And will be telling all my friends.

Yes, that's the way you get through to these people. Vote with your wallet. If your wallet walks out the door with its load of money and never comes back, and your friends' wallets all do the same, there's going to be less money in the bar's tills at the close of business each day.

A boycott is useless without communication. If you boycott a place, make sure you tell the owners that the boycott exists, so they know the reason why the bar is suddenly so deserted. It's not like pubs are in short supply in Sydney.

[CureTheSane]

I would have thrown a beer at his head....

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
I would have thrown a beer at his head....

Naah, wouldn't have made any difference. If you have seen the troll-in-the-bathroom scene in the first Harry Potter movie, you've got a pretty good idea how this particular barman would have reacted after being hit in the head with something.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
I would have thrown a beer at his head....

Doing that might make YOU feel good. But not only will it have a roid raging security guard probably turn you into another Hooksey, but it won't help get people onside.

I'd write a letter to the manager. Or get a petition going with lots of signatures of people who will boycott the place through their attitude to the All Australian game.

The other idea would be to stand up and drink chardonnay during the NRL Grand Final. (Oh, Swans fans do that anyway when WE are playing! )

The only way to fight beligerance is being more belidgerant than him. And be organised with your fightback.

And the Leagueunlimited nongs scratch their heads and wonder why we get so fired up about things (again league apathy coming to the fore by the way).

JF