Western Sydney - Are u on board??

[Northern_Swan]

gnomey, whatever you are on I want some of....

League SOO is right up there with Carlton-Collingwood, Man U-Liverpool, Celtic-Rangers, Real Madrid-Barca, Arsenal-Tottenham derbies. REAL rivalries bourne out of decades, generations, OVER 100 years of rivalry and sometimes hatred....

If you think that SOO is 1 tenth the size of some of the derbies you listed, you sir are the deluded one

[mcs]

If you think that SOO is 1 tenth the size of some of the derbies you listed, you sir are the deluded one

Have to agree with this to be honest.

Those European football derbies are mental to say the least. I went to a Celtic-Rangers one earlier in the year and well I was told beforehand (Going with a couple of Scottish mates from uni- more for a day out then anything) to wear neutral colours and not say a word. Cracking atmoshpere, sh** game of football but so much more then SOO is as a 'rivalry'. Being a manchester city fan, I also got to a Manchester derby, and while not quite on the level of some of the other ones mentioned (Though it soon will be close if city can actually make something of all our cash and become a genuine rival for the league), and it was pretty intense as well. I think the difference is the level of the 'hatred'. In those derbies it is real, it is almost bred into kids when they become blue or red, or a celtic or rangers fan or whatever that they don't just dislike the other team, they hate them with a passion. SOO here, well we hate queenslanders the night of the match (Or NSW men) but once its over we don't really care that much.

I like the idea of a Sydney derby, but out of town I don't really care what happens to the Blacktown bogans. I'm not going to support them, and they will feel very plastic to me. But I guess the Swans did to many when they first turned up in the 80's in Sydney, so give it time and it could work eventually.

[Mug Punter]

If you think that SOO is 1 tenth the size of some of the derbies you listed, you sir are the deluded one

In sporting terms I think it is in equal terms to be honest! Have you ever been to a SOO at Lang Park? It is the League equivalent of the Bledisloe Cup.

Of course it doesn't have nastiness and outright hatred those other mentioned, particularly the Old Firm which is a very nasty affair indeed. It is more of an intense sporting rivalry but in sporting terms it is right up there.

My point that the Bogans v Swans still derby will never approach SOO still stands.

[goswannie14]

My point that the Bogans v Swans still derby will never approach SOO still stands.

Never is a long time!

[Dunger]

In sporting terms I think it is in equal terms to be honest! Have you ever been to a SOO at Lang Park? It is the League equivalent of the Bledisloe Cup.

Of course it doesn't have nastiness and outright hatred those other mentioned, particularly the Old Firm which is a very nasty affair indeed. It is more of an intense sporting rivalry but in sporting terms it is right up there.

My point that the Bogans v Swans still derby will never approach SOO still stands.

How can you compare the two?

QLD V NSW to Eastern Sydney V Western Sydney?

First of all there's the population difference that means most of the East Coast of Australia is interested in SOO.

Second of all the other aspect that helps boost SOO is that it's the best players in Australia (essentially the world of RL) squaring up against each other.


A more comparable rivalry is the Silvertails V Fibros and I think that is a rivalry that will take place between the Swans and GWS as there is still the real rivalry that exists outside of all codes of football of Westies vs the Eastern Suburbs that comes from socio-economic status rather than 2 clubs being in the same city.

Balmain V South Sydney rivalry started from an onfield event even though the Tigers weren't on the field so some sort of on field drama between GWS and Swans could start their own rivalry organically rather than synthetically via the media.

[Wardy]

You know - why dont we just wait and see what happens. All the hoo har of people getting upset, both AFL & NRL followers and the divisions being created by the media you would have thought that the end of the world was near. Well its not.

After considerable thought, and reading the absolute trash that some media outlets have put out there, with some of the comments being of redneck like proportions, I am starting to really hope that GWS is successful. We all know that it wont take over from league - but hopefully it will give it a bloody good fright.

At the end of the day if someone wants to have dual membership of the Swans and the Blacktown Boogies, then that is their perogative, and no one elses. It doesnt mean that their devotion to the Swans has diminished. They are just showing that they LOVE AFL FOOTY, are wanting to support the brand and are relishing the opportunity of being able to attend a live senior AFL game every week in our fair city. There is certainly no crime in thinking that way.

Also, Kevin Sheedy may appear to some as an "egomaniac" but by god, he's a bloody successful one!

[floppinab]

If the team has any type of blue in it I'll go very close, if it's light blue and dark blue I'm theirs.