Gws

[Ken Oath]

... the reasons GWS shouldn't work is because of their lack of professionalism, and the attitude of the AFL to "stick it down our throats", like it or not! ... NO consultative process, no common sense, they will burn more people that are already involved in the game, before they attract a newby ... and they do not seem to care! Oh and they lie.

Here here

[beameup]

If GWS get it right it will work. People forget that the west is hating the 'elites' and Swans have always been a team belonging to the eastern suburbs and north shore. Give them their own team and they will take notice altho take a while for supporters and members to emerge. Shame they are playing at Homebush which is not really west. Imagine BOP with stands for 20K people at the intersection of M7, M4 and highway. They would draw crowds of acceptable numbers. They need a plan to get there.

GWS will work but will take time. Homebush draws from Central West Nsw and will continue to do so

Rivalry will solve the interest level. Western Sydney will be absolutely busting to beat Swans

[Sometimes]

Homebush (Auburn Council) is in GWS, and while BOP is in a great location near the M7 and M4, there really isn't the parking there to cope. A wise idea would be to build a special event train platform behind BOP, which could service GWS and Sydney Blue Sox games, as well as any other events such as this weekend's Blacktown Sportsfest..

[2005magicmoment]

Why was Falou signed? not because of his skills, because he's a drawcard with young rugby league fans.

The AFL hierarchy spat in the face of all league fans by signing their best player. They could easily have set up their GWS club with out picking fights.
The whole Falou case stinks of arrogance and was totally unnecessary. League fans won?t flock to see AFL because we signed Falou, but they will despise and hate us even more.
As the picture evidently shows..

Dear Ken Oath - talk about the pot calling the kettle black. If you researched rugby league history, rugby league only got off the ground because Dally Messenger widely acknowledged as the best player in rugby union at the time, decided to back the new league giving it an instant credibility to the sport.

What AFL is doing is no different. The signing of Israel Folau gives AFL legitimacy out in the greater West. Anyway AFL can work as a niche sport that will broaden it's roots with an establishment of an AFL team they can identify with.

[cos789]

The thing you fail to realise is football is very much a minority sport in Sydney.

I think we all know where AR stands in Sydney.

Western Sydney is the absolute heartland of Rugby League.

So rl keeps telling us . Yet NRL is poorly represented and soccer dominates participation .

If you look at Sydney newspapers and watch the news, sports bulletins always start off with league news.

Yes and that is exactly why we need a second team .

League is king in Western Sydney and it rates the house down on TV.

It rates well , because there is nothing else to watch , they aren't excited enough to go to a rl game and all their kids play soccer . AR actually outgrew rl in WS over the last three years .

I converted a family of rl followers to AR supporters just by taking one person to a Swans game .
We're nominally Roosters followers (follow the the results) yet the whole family attends Swans games regularly or irregularly .

Coupled with the fact that there will be a second Sydney A-League soccer franchise coming in next season as well.

So are you criticising soccer as well ? What are the ratings like for the AL ?

A lot of league fans view the AFL as an arrogant organisation intent on burying their game into the ground.

FFS - we are NOT trying to poach rl fans .
It would be damn stupid to poach any die hard fans of any sport .
Any sport has to grow it's own market and what the AFL is doing is giving (mostly young) people the option of another sport - and it's working .

[Bert]

Thanks Kevin.

[Ken Oath]

Dear Ken Oath - talk about the pot calling the kettle black. If you researched rugby league history, rugby league only got off the ground because Dally Messenger widely acknowledged as the best player in rugby union at the time, decided to back the new league giving it an instant credibility to the sport.

What AFL is doing is no different. The signing of Israel Folau gives AFL legitimacy out in the greater West. Anyway AFL can work as a niche sport that will broaden it's roots with an establishment of an AFL team they can identify with.

What are you dribbling on about? Why would I research rugby league? Your response has nothing to do with what I said so you?ve lost me I?m afraid.
I don?t follow rugby but I?d be pretty confident without researching, that this Dally Messenger bloke would have most likely gone on to be a highly skilled player in his adopted code.
Presuming they will play him at FF, I would be surprised if Falou ever kicks more that a single goal in an AFL match. Let alone hold a regular spot for his contracted 4 years. It will be embarrassing to watch for him, his club, and the code.
The signing of Falou is just stupid.

For the targeted non-AFL fans in west Sydney, they do not understand the rules of the game. They are not going to sit down with their bundy and coke at the local league club and watch GWS because Falou is playing. They will see his first game out of interest, then laugh and make jokes about how stupid he looks in a game he can not, and never will, understand. He is %100 certain to fail as a player, therefore all the publicity surrounding him will be negative once he starts playing. He will definitely pull more viewers, but all they will see is a circus.
He?s signing will do more damage than good once he starts playing.

Kar Michael Hunt could have played in the under 16?s this year and still looked like the lost soul that he did.

So don?t draw me in to a comparison from a million years ago over a skilled rugby, who might have been signed for similar reasons, but had a chance of succeeding though his efforts on the field, and Isreal Folou.
Similar but incomparable.

[Adelaide Swan]

I think we all know where AR stands in Sydney.



So rl keeps telling us . Yet NRL is poorly represented and soccer dominates participation .



Yes and that is exactly why we need a second team .



It rates well , because there is nothing else to watch , they aren't excited enough to go to a rl game and all their kids play soccer . AR actually outgrew rl in WS over the last three years .

I converted a family of rl followers to AR supporters just by taking one person to a Swans game .
We're nominally Roosters followers (follow the the results) yet the whole family attends Swans games regularly or irregularly .



So are you criticising soccer as well ? What are the ratings like for the AL ?



FFS - we are NOT trying to poach rl fans .
It would be damn stupid to poach any die hard fans of any sport .
Any sport has to grow it's own market and what the AFL is doing is giving (mostly young) people the option of another sport - and it's working .

Maybe try telling Kevin Sheedy that then.

Do you remember his drivel about a third AFL team in Rabbitohs territory.

What we(Swans) have done well is that we haven't tried to muscle it's way into Sydney.

We've always worked well and co-operated with the NRL clubs.

Kevin Sheedy and his cronies haven't done anything to co-operate with the NRL clubs in their area.

All the Folau signing has done has pissed off NRL fans in that area.

Coupled with the fact Sheedy claimed he had never heard of Nathan Hindmarsh.

Should do his research in his own market tbh.

[Adelaide Swan]

Thanks Kevin.

I thought that as well.

He could be a morphed version of Demetriou and Sheedy

[ShortHalfHead]

What are you dribbling on about? Why would I research rugby league? Your response has nothing to do with what I said so you?ve lost me I?m afraid.
I don?t follow rugby but I?d be pretty confident without researching, that this Dally Messenger bloke would have most likely gone on to be a highly skilled player in his adopted code.
Presuming they will play him at FF, I would be surprised if Falou ever kicks more that a single goal in an AFL match. Let alone hold a regular spot for his contracted 4 years. It will be embarrassing to watch for him, his club, and the code.
The signing of Falou is just stupid.

For the targeted non-AFL fans in west Sydney, they do not understand the rules of the game. They are not going to sit down with their bundy and coke at the local league club and watch GWS because Falou is playing. They will see his first game out of interest, then laugh and make jokes about how stupid he looks in a game he can not, and never will, understand. He is %100 certain to fail as a player, therefore all the publicity surrounding him will be negative once he starts playing. He will definitely pull more viewers, but all they will see is a circus.
He?s signing will do more damage than good once he starts playing.

Kar Michael Hunt could have played in the under 16?s this year and still looked like the lost soul that he did.

So don?t draw me in to a comparison from a million years ago over a skilled rugby, who might have been signed for similar reasons, but had a chance of succeeding though his efforts on the field, and Isreal Folou.
Similar but incomparable.

If Lewis Roberts Hypenated can transform from rugby to AFL, anyone can

[beameup]

I guess I started this argument and it seems like a few Swans fans are convinced the whole concept is flawed, will not work and should be abandoned. Maybe if the Swans had challenged a few of the NRL myths that Sydney AFL fans are restricted to the north and east of city they may have built a biger fan base.

Not everyone in the west supports NRL and if you looked at the fact that there are over 2 million people of which about 75,000 attend NRL matches on a good weekend I think it can be seen that there is room for movement. Soccer is dying yet another death except in juniors and AFL fits naturally ib the gap between league and soccer. GWS will be a success but not overnight.

[Ken Oath]

If Lewis Roberts Hypenated can transform from rugby to AFL, anyone can

True

[Junior]

If Lewis Roberts Hypenated can transform from rugby to AFL, anyone can

I would question whether he has...

[Adelaide Swan]

I guess I started this argument and it seems like a few Swans fans are convinced the whole concept is flawed, will not work and should be abandoned. Maybe if the Swans had challenged a few of the NRL myths that Sydney AFL fans are restricted to the north and east of city they may have built a biger fan base.

Not everyone in the west supports NRL and if you looked at the fact that there are over 2 million people of which about 75,000 attend NRL matches on a good weekend I think it can be seen that there is room for movement. Soccer is dying yet another death except in juniors and AFL fits naturally ib the gap between league and soccer. GWS will be a success but not overnight.

I think rugby union fits into the equation somewhere.

The Hills District in particular is a very strong rugby area and a major pulling area for the Eastwood club and the amount of private schools where rugby is king in the area as well.

The elephant in the room that everyone fails to see is rugby union.

[cos789]

What we(Swans) have done well is that we haven't tried to muscle it's way into Sydney.

We've always worked well and co-operated with the NRL clubs.

And this has resulted in what ? Absolutely nothing .

Kevin Sheedy and his cronies haven't done anything to co-operate with the NRL clubs in their area.

And this has resulted in what ?
rl fans who wouldn't have come to an AFL game still wont come .

Of all the people I have "coverted" non were rl supporters they were just rl followers .
The GWS region is grossly undersupported and that is were the opportunity lies .

.