Daily Telegraph Today 10th March

[Bas]

For those that can buy it, I've never seen so much AFL content in a Sydney paper in 10 years.

Articles, ad's and promotions.

However the column by Rebecca Wilson inside the back page is laughable. For a person who regularly attends Swans games (Wilson), the article looks like News - her employer and lifeline of rugby league, needed some serious massaging from her.

The funny part is where she says AFL new recruits are paid a pittance to relocate across the country.

I'll certainly be sending her an email sharing my thoughts on the tripe she wrote.

[Nich]

I might join you Bas. It's time I gave her some feedback.

[ugg]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ace-is-just-a-joker/story-e6frexni-1226295295851

[Legs Akimbo]

I might join you Bas. It's time I gave her some feedback.

Actually, I thought it was a pretty reasoned article that made some fair points. I'd rather see the KH and IF millions distributed across first year and rookie player salaries. I also suspect the impact at grassroots would be greater. For arguments sake, let's say the total of payments to the two imports is $3m and there are 100 first year players a year drafted into the AFL. By spending the money on increased salaries for new players, the AFL could increase payments to this group by around $25k per annum. For the average kid in the western suburbs of Sydney this is a BFD and would be a significant reason to consider an AFL career over ARL. In a sense, this would also be a good thing too because it recognises that most players don't play more than 20 games in their career and therefore, makes the decision to fore go studies (as one alternative) less of a gamble. The decision set of a 17 year is not ARL vs. AFL it is ARL vs. AFL vs. get a job, trade apprenticeship or further study.

I can see the value of the awareness and promotion from the two ARL imports, but realistically, I don't think their conversion for $ is going to change too many hearts and minds...

[wolftone57]

She is an RL hack writer. Spinning the marvels of a thugs game. I remember when RL had far more run and the players had a very different build. It was a far faster game in the '70's and '80's than it is now. There were many more violent incidents but there were in Aussie Rules too. The rules of each game have changed to cut things like the spear tackle and forearm jolt out. But the players in NRL have beefed up to the extent that just their weight alone is a weapon and shirt-fronting is a very dangerous practice even though legal.

NRL is also at a transition stage with the introduction of the new commission (a copy of AFL) and trying to purge themselves of News Ltd. The problem is they have retained the 'Great apologist' as their CEO. This man should have been far stronger about the off-field incidents over the last 10 years but has handled most of them badly. I think the problem NRL is going to have to deal with in the next 10 years is the image of it's players being thugs who are socially dangerous and drunks. In the current climate the players treatment of women being suspect, night-club incidents, betting scandals etc are not acceptable to the majority of the general public. The NRL either has to change these things or die. I believe these are more dangerous than the AFL to NRL. This woman obviously is an apologist for these deadly sins!

[wolftone57]

It is interesting how this girl talks about AFL being ruthless in it's pursuit of NSW & QLD. She wants to read history and see what the Rugby codes did to Australian Rules teams in NSW & QLD in the 1890's. The new code was denied access to grounds by the Rugby codes so they had nowhere to play. The Rugby codes did not own one ground by the way, still don't. Everything was and still is owned by the councils or State Governments. So they pressured the different levels of government to stop the spread of the new game. Now that is ruthless

[cos789]

It is interesting how this girl talks about AFL being ruthless in it's pursuit of NSW & QLD. She wants to read history and see what the Rugby codes did to Australian Rules teams in NSW & QLD in the 1890's. The new code was denied access to grounds by the Rugby codes so they had nowhere to play. The Rugby codes did not own one ground by the way, still don't. Everything was and still is owned by the councils or State Governments. So they pressured the different levels of government to stop the spread of the new game. Now that is ruthless

Technical point. RL only came into being in 1908 so you're mainly talking about what now is RU.
The NSWFL was formed in 1903 in comparisson.

[cos789]

Typical Telegraph crappola. Can't say anything about AF without referencing it to rl.
I don't live in Sydney anymore so I ask - how many articles have been written welcoming a second AFL side to Sydney, as an addition to the city and what the city offers ?

As for K. hunt The Suns produced an operating profit in 2011.
And could you imagine the deathly quiet if it wasn't for Folau ?
I think Vlad was right - well worth the money.

[jono2707]

I agree with the article and the sentiments that paying ridiculous sums of money on a couple of league converts, and spending such a massive amount on the GWS experiment which is in no way assured of paying off, could come back and bite the AFL in the bum. As an avid league and AFL follower I have always believed the two codes can coexist but I agree the way the AFL have gone about this could backfire. I think that's all the article says really.....

[Bas]

http://www.afl.com.au/portals/0/afl_docs/afl_hq/policies/collective_bargaining_agreement_2007_2011.pdf

Actually, I thought it was a pretty reasoned article that made some fair points. I'd rather see the KH and IF millions distributed across first year and rookie player salaries. I also suspect the impact at grassroots would be greater. For arguments sake, let's say the total of payments to the two imports is $3m and there are 100 first year players a year drafted into the AFL. By spending the money on increased salaries for new players, the AFL could increase payments to this group by around $25k per annum. For the average kid in the western suburbs of Sydney this is a BFD and would be a significant reason to consider an AFL career over ARL. In a sense, this would also be a good thing too because it recognises that most players don't play more than 20 games in their career and therefore, makes the decision to fore go studies (as one alternative) less of a gamble. The decision set of a 17 year is not ARL vs. AFL it is ARL vs. AFL vs. get a job, trade apprenticeship or further study.

I can see the value of the awareness and promotion from the two ARL imports, but realistically, I don't think their conversion for $ is going to change too many hearts and minds...

If anyone has any concerns about how much a draft pick gets, have a look at page 54 and they don't need any more money. The above average kid has no hope of playing AFL at an elite level.

So that is why her article has not been researched or the information has been misrepresented.

Its only a career option for a few highly elite athletes. Her article is damaging towards grass roots footy out west and kids that just want to play the game.

[ShockOfHair]

A nice irony that a league hack would complain about the unfairness of paying players well. Er, wasn't that the point of league?

Thanks to the big payouts to Folau and Hunt, a league writer has devoted most of her Saturday column to talking about AFL. That's a win for Andy D.

Plus GWS smacked the Gold Coast, so a good day all roun.

[Matimbo]

Rebecca Wilson is not respected in RL circles either. Some may remember she was added to the panel of the RL Ch 9 Footy Show some years ago with a lot of promotional hype. She made one appearance that was so widely ridiculed that Ch 9 removed her before the next week's show. I suspect the reason she continues to get media gigs is because the nonsense she writes gets people worked up and her mgt see this as ratings-worthy. A bit like how everyone deplores paparazzi behaviour in invading celebs privacy but still everyone can't help having a peek at the juicy photos. Best thing is not to encourage by reading anything she writes. Nor should we be wasting time talking about her on this site (OK, OK, the hypocricy of me writing this post is noted).

[wolftone57]

Technical point. RL only came into being in 1908 so you're mainly talking about what now is RU.
The NSWFL was formed in 1903 in comparisson.

RU was the first hurdle to the NSWFA, formed in 1880 which was the forerunner of the NSWFL. When the NSWFA folded the NSWFL was formed in 1903. Certainly there were problems getting access to grounds before 1908 when the NSWRL was formed. The early problems stemmed from the Two at the top of the SRFU being Clerks to the NSW Parliament and therefore the ear of the powers that be in government. They effectively closed the door on venues to the NSWFA. When the NSWRL was formed it became the most popular code again due to political backing and by disenfranchising the next fastest growing code the NSWFL. The Premier of NSW was the President of the NSWRL. They cut the NSWFL out of grounds and refused to allow Australian Football to be taught at Public Schools. Only a few Catholic Schools taught Aussie Rules. The Grammar and Proddo Schools all taught RU refused to teach Aussie Rules or RL. The other problem was that the NSWRL was formed on the basis of a player strike over non payment of Medical and time off work due to injury by the SRFU. When the split came it was acrimonious ans the NSWRL was formed as a Professional Code. This was also another factor in the emergence of RL as the top code. Players were paid and had workers compensation so if injured playing RL they did not suffer financially. If they were injured playing Aussie Rules or RU you were disadvantaged by lose of income.

[Primmy]

ugg mark 2.

[Bas]

ugg mark 2.

Primmy, He doesn't drive and has all this time to read.

Interesting though Wolfy. I shall commit to memory. It would be a good addition to the RWO Wiki regarding history in NSW.

It makes sense as for me growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney , union wasn't played at all. I wasn't aware of it played locally anywhere until I went to Hawkesbury Agricultural College where that was the only game that was played.

I remember having a visit to my Primary School in about 1972 of two VFL players. I can't remember who they were but they gave us a demo and a bit of a kick around. Unfortunately too busy to track down with the AFL the origins out of curiosity.