Kick start the rivalry

[barry]

Ok, its not working at the moment, but early days.

I say building the rivalry is in the giants corner at the moment. Three things they need to do next year.

1) Poach two of our gun players.

2) At the next game have a massive all-in brawl with real punches, NRL style.

3) Win, or get close.


I'm not condoning these, but if they want a rivalry.....

[TheAgent]

This is how I see it https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...61770765_n.jpg

[erica]

Rivalries evolve naturally; they cannot be manufactured. It will happen eventually.

[GongSwan]

This is how I see it https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...61770765_n.jpg

Vlad the impostor, well done. If they survive the first 5 years they will develop and we will get some competition from them. Don't know that they want to throwing too many punches, that image of Mummy tossing some poor bugger over the fence is still fresh in my mind. I fthey come after any of our players this year, give them MM for a high draft pick, there's "a bit of life left in him" more or less, but the way I hear it, he's not a Blood

[jono2707]

There's room for a healthy Sydney vs Canberra rivalry so it will happen in a few years' time....

[BillyRayCypress]

There's room for a healthy Sydney vs Canberra rivalry so it will happen in a few years' time....

Swans going to Canberra??? I hope not.

[BillyRayCypress]

Vlad the impostor, well done. If they survive the first 5 years they will develop and we will get some competition from them. Don't know that they want to throwing too many punches, that image of Mummy tossing some poor bugger over the fence is still fresh in my mind. I fthey come after any of our players this year, give them MM for a high draft pick, there's "a bit of life left in him" more or less, but the way I hear it, he's not a Blood

Within 5 years, the Swans won't come anywhere near GWS on the field. Then everyone will be having a whinge how the AFL helped them out.

Rivalry will begin when GWS beat Sydney for the first time. Maybe not next year but the year after that might be different.

[Go Swannies]

Within 5 years, the Swans won't come anywhere near GWS on the field.

The Swans hardly went anywhere near them on the field during the last quarter on Saturday!

[BillyRayCypress]

The Swans hardly went anywhere near them on the field during the last quarter on Saturday!

Pyke had to resort to the secret "moose knee" move on Power to stifle a comeback and render GWS powerless.

[GongSwan]

Pyke had to resort to the secret "moose knee" move on Power to stifle a comeback and render GWS powerless.

Think he picked up that move watching Karate Kid 3? We should write a book The Canuck in the Ruck. I eat small men with bread and jam, I am the Canuck I am I am, that sort of thing

[jono2707]

Back on topic, last Saturday certainly didn't do anything to help build this so-called rivalry. Only when there are enough GWS fans will there be any chance of something resembling a rivalry. There weren't enough of them there the other night to foster any sort of us vs them mentality in either group of fans.

[Beerman]

Only when there are enough GWS fans will there be any chance of something resembling a rivalry. There weren't enough of them there the other night to foster any sort of us vs them mentality in either group of fans.

Too true. When I think of the teams I love to hate, it's more about the fans than the players. When the fans start acting like dicks, then the resentment will start to burn. Having the right club president can go a long way well. I hate Carlton a lot less under the current administration than under a certain former president. And the president of a certain other club just makes me want to declare war on the world.

Why do we have to have a rivalry, anyway? Seems like a pretty pointless thing to me.

[TheAgent]

Too true. When I think of the teams I love to hate, it's more about the fans than the players. When the fans start acting like dicks, then the resentment will start to burn. Having the right club president can go a long way well. I hate Carlton a lot less under the current administration than under a certain former president. And the president of a certain other club just makes me want to declare war on the world.

Why do we have to have a rivalry, anyway? Seems like a pretty pointless thing to me.

I hate Carlton because they wanted to kill off the Swans in 1993 and play their 'away' games at the SCG. Never to be forgiven. I hate Collingwood because their fans are the only ones to have thrown rocks, bottles, cans and even garbage bins at me and my wife ~ among others (at a practise match just because we got in front?) and will forever hate North for their attempted 'conversion' of Swans fans with their membership department roaming the SCG in Swans gear handing out Kangaroo membership forms and their failure to to attend pretty much everything they promised they would in Sydney.

Not that I hold grudges or anything......

[wolftone57]

There are different types of rivalry. There doesn't need to be the hate like a Collingwood or Carlton. But let me examine these different rivalries.

1. The Adelaide v Port rivalry; When Port came into the comp it was a foregone conclusion, anyone who didn't follow them was going to hate them in Adelaide. Port (SANFL) were the most hated team in the comp even though they boasted the largest support base. They were hated because they poached other team's players and zones and got preferential treatment from the SANFL. The two teams who got this treatment were Port and Norwood but the latter was not quite as hated as the former. The other reason is their supporters are as feral as Collingwood supporters and funnily enough they wear the same colours.

2. West Coast v Fremantle; This is a North v South of the river scenario. Always the strongest rivalry in Perth I have been told is the North of the Swan v South of the Swan. The Fremantle teams have always had bitter battles with their Northern neighbours. From what I am told it can be quite violent just as the Adelaide teams can both on and off the field.

3. Hawthorn v Essendon or Hawthorn v Geelong; These sides while having a very healthy rivalry on field which can get quite violent don't seem to produce violence off field. The rivalry is just that, HEALTHY! It is about the game and winning not about hatred. This is the sort of rivalry we should be looking to develop with GWS over a period of years.

[jono2707]

There is a reason for those rivalries - a background. There's no reason why we should have a manufactured rivalry with GWS just because it would suit the AFL. I'll happily opt out and reserve my disdain solely for Collingwood supporters.