Good news for the Bulldogs

[Cheer Cheer]

I hate to see AFL clubs struggling finacially, on the ropes etc like the bulldogs, thats why it is great to see that the bulldogs have signed on a major sponsor worth a few million over the next couple of years, with incentives for high ladder places and an option to extend the length of the contract after the expiry date.
The bulldogs wont be the most richest club in the league but their future has gone a long way to coming out of insecurity into stability. Great to see.
I hope the other struggling clubs get stability soon, I would hate to see another club fall out of the comp or merge etc
Well done smorgon and co

[CureTheSane]

I am torn when it comes to the Dirty Dogs
On one hand, I hate them and want them to not only not be in the AFL, but not exist all together, but on the other hand, I get an extra special feeling inside if we pump them...
You see my dilema?
:lol

[bricon]

It?s great that a struggling outfit like the Doggies has secured a major sponsor ? but there is a HUGE amount of ?spin? attached to this latest announcement. The sponsor concerned (a car lease company owned by a former Bulldogs director) was last year?s largest sponsor of the Doggies. They have effectively upgraded that deal to that of ?major sponsor? at potentially more than a million dollars a year, however they were already committed to the Dogs for over $500,000 p/a for the next two years.

The net gain is half a million dollars per annum, certainly nothing to be sneezed at ? but a long way short of the million dollars plus that is being spruiked by Mr Smorgon.

[Diego]

Great it means that the death kneel for the bulldogs has been prolonged another 3 years.

[Charlie]

Just stick 'em back in the VFL now and be done with it.

They cannot possibly reach a position where they aren't living hand-to-mouth, ever, and they are a liability.

[bricon]

Just stick 'em [The Bulldogs] back in the VFL now and be done with it.

That's a GREAT idea Charlie, what about the media deal that guarantees the media partners 8 matches per week? That deal contains clauses that vastly reduce the amout payable by the broadcasters in the event that the AFL fails to deliver those 8 matches.

A reduction of 1 match per round could cost the AFL something like $20 million a year - that would reduce each club's dividend from the AFL by something in the order of a million dollars.

Dumping the Doggies (or any other team) without a ready replacement would jeopardize the viability of over half of the clubs in the AFL (including us).

[Charlie]

Big deal. They'll get around it. The Bulldogs in particular and also the Kangaroos are liabilities. One way or another, they need to get rid of them. No good for the comp can come out of propping them up indefinitely.

[CureTheSane]

Charlie those are pretty harsh words there.
I'm all for a 14 team, play each other twice, copm, but remember the Swans were once the 'Bulldogs' of the AFL (VFL).
Had the Swan s been kicked out, right now you might be a Billdogs or Kangaroos supporter....

[Diego]

If the swans were kicked out I think I would just be watching lawn bowls.

I cant see myself supporting a Melbourne based club, let alone one from the other states.

Red and white runs through my veins..literally!

[Charlie]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
Charlie those are pretty harsh words there.
I'm all for a 14 team, play each other twice, copm, but remember the Swans were once the 'Bulldogs' of the AFL (VFL).
Had the Swan s been kicked out, right now you might be a Billdogs or Kangaroos supporter....

Blasphemy!!!!

The Swans were still important to the competition, because they were in a market with an area to grow. That doesn't exist for the Bulldogs. I live right inside the Bulldogs' prime territory, in my suburb, I reckon 20% of all serious footy fans in Melton would be Bullies fans.

But it is nowhere near enough, especially when you consider that Melton is one of the major parts of the West from a footy perspective. Footscray, Altona, St Albans and Sunshine have become very distant from the Bulldogs ethos of the anglo, blue-collar worker. Melton is slowly starting to go the same way. So are Werribee, Yarraville and Newport. The market is dissappearing for the Bullies.

[CureTheSane]

The Bulldogs represent the whole Western suburbs.
The reason that the AFL stuck with the Swans in Sydney for so long is because of the population they represented, even though the supporter base was not there.
Personally I wouldn't blink an eye if the Bulldogs disappeared, but I think there are good reasons for the AFL wanting them to last in the comp.

[Charlie]

CTS, the thing is, Essendon are also extremely popular out here, probably challenging the Bulldogs. And the Bombers are the ones picking up new members around here. The Bullies aren't. The reasons for this are obvious - the Bombers are an attractive side to watch, playing professional, exciting footy. Instead of going for a team whose financial problems are well documented, they can go for one of the most successful clubs in AFL history. Training at Windy Hill and training at Whitten Oval are almost equidistant. And they both play at Colonial Stadium, so a distinction between the Bulldogs from the West and Essendon from the Inner North-West doesn't really make much difference.

The Bombers will soon dominate the Western Suburbs.

Charlie

[CureTheSane]

Charlie, things change.
What happens when the Bombers are languishing at the bottom of the ladder in 5 years, and the Bulldogs find that their new coach has innovated the way the Buldogs play and they play a successful and exciting brand of football?

If you have REAL reasons for letting go of the Bulldogs, then fine.
But just because they are one of (maybe) 2 teams who are popular in the Western suburbs, then I guess you couid argue that either Collingwood or Carlton should be omitted, or one of the many popular teams in teh Eastern suburbs.

[Mel_C]

I work for the company that is sponsoring the bulldogs (LeasePlan). Now I know why we didn't get big pay rises at the end of the year!!! Hopefully the bulldogs have a bit of success this year so our money doesn't go down the toilet...(even though I can't stand ths side!!)

By the way Bricon, LeasePlan is NOT owned by a former Bulldogs director. We are owned by the Dutch bank ABN AMRO. The guy you are probably referring to is Ray Baxter but he hasn't worked at the company for years.

[TheHood]

The Dogs are part of the AFL landscape no matter which way you look at it.

I hate the Dogs when Swans are playing them as much as the next person, but they have a terrific fighting spirit and they have flogged us the last few years so they can't be playing like a bunch of drunks all year.

Plus they add colour and spark to the game, I love watching Browny, Johno and Darcy play. Who doesn't? Not forgetting their young brigade looks pretty exciting too.

Yes the AFL props them up to the tune of say $2,000,000 per year, but the other option is to force a merger or get rid them all together and the upheaval and losses would way exceed this figure.

I have 2 words for those who would be happy to see the Dogs go: "South Sydney".

Dogs may not have a heap of members but they have enough supporters and they go to games and watch them on TV. Souths' supporters came out of the woodwork and made Rupert Murdoch a dirty word in Sydney for 2 years.

Good luck to the Dogs for 2003.