AFL slaps trade ban on Swans
Collapse
X
-
For me the trade ban has been harder to digest than the grand final defeat. Someone always has to lose, sometimes it ain't pretty. But the ban seems profoundly unfair. If there's something the AFL and/or Swans know that I'm missing, then they have an obligation to Swans fans and the wider afl community to be transparent.
In any case, what this has done is made me dislike all the other clubs a little more. Pity I have aready renewed my GWS membership, as much as I want to support footy in Canberra for the kids, the AFL can fund its own investment in 2016. Foxtel - gone $1000 less to the channel employing Eddie.
No way would I cancel my Swans membership, it's us against the rest of the world, which is why I started supporting the NSW based afl team in the first place, well that and Capper.Comment
-
My guess is we may push 1 or 2 out the door, then say a right royal @@@@ you to the AFL and trade - thus losing COLA (but having made the space to do so), but allowing us to trade in where we need to.
It still has me seething to be honest - it is utterly @@@@ing ridiculous, and unless the AFL is going to put forward evidence of the Swans 'cheating', then I won't be happy till we get revenge by winning the flag and telling the AFL where to shove it!
- - - Updated - - -
I also find it beyond frustrating (infuriating) in fact that there has not been a rational statement from the AFL outlining everyone's concerns (from fans to media to players) that this is a total unjustifiable joke. A club is punished for following AFL rules.
The arrogance of the AFL has simply astounded me. If I did not love the Swans so much...I would almost walk away from the game and I cannot believe I am saying that!!"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."Comment
-
[QUOTE
It still has me seething to be honest - it is utterly @@@@ing ridiculous, and unless the AFL is going to put forward evidence of the Swans 'cheating', then I won't be happy till we get revenge by winning the flag and telling the AFL where to shove it!
+1 - reflects my view as well.[/QUOTE]
+2 - also how I feelComment
-
At last John Longmire speaks to the Telegraph and with a bit of passion! As I thought might have been the case he mentioned that Patful had wanted to come to the Swans. It is not clear whether that was the catalyst for the AFL ban. Its a good article - I don't know how to make a link.Comment
-
-
I'm still as incensed as I was when I first heard the story. Still more than a week on an the AFL has refused to put out any official statement. Shame on them, shame on them for treating Swans supporters with the highest level of contempt, with the disrespect of not even knowing why we have seen out club being handled as such. Apparently constructing a succinct statement explaining the ins and outs of their logic is beyond them. Oh yes, that's why! Because this decision is bereft of logic itself.
Clearly we haven't made an impact on them yet. How about we organise one day when we absolutely inundate them? I mean emails, letters, comments, facebook posts, twitter spam. Try and get a little attention. Annoy them in the manner that have gone out of their way to annoy us. The little petition going around has had little traction, but as a supporter group we can certainly do more. We have 40 000 members and we shouldn't be silent in this. Reading earlier comments some have decided to punish the Swans for this, instead of fighting the good fight and protecting the club. Anybody have any ideas to put something substantial together?Comment
-
I am angry too and I am still in disbelief that the swans have been punished heavier for breaking no rules than those that did break the rules. While essendon fill their team with established players to cover for any suspensions the swans were left unable to do anything. I believe that this will have a huge effect on membership and attendance as people are disgruntled at the AFL.Comment
-
Comment
-
This is at the end of the day nothing more than an exercise to make sure GWS become a competitive club in an impossible market. By having a swans team getting stronger and stronger it means that the AFL giants will be losing a lot of money quickly, which i am sure they already have.
They need to seduce the sydney public with a strong team and having a more sexier more attractive option that is getting better by the years is costing the league and its GWS backers millions. Especially worrying when they only have a small amount of real fans with the majority of their members being swan and ex pats wanting to watch live afl each week.
As soon as the AFL giants signed a 7 gamer for 7 mill it changed everything. Had GWS got buddy last year there would be no trade ban.
At the end of the day Mike Fitzpatrick needs a return on his and the leagues investment which is GWS.
The best thing the swan fans can do is stay the hell away from all GWS games. They are the sole reason why this has happened. I thought it was merely a Victorian thing to keep power of the league down south, but thats only a part of it.
I hate GWS there is no reason at all why they should eb around. Imagine what the league could do with the money they are losing with GWS?Last edited by JPK12; 18 October 2014, 09:14 AM.Comment
-
Because those areas where they are based are not dealing with a new franchise that is owned by the league and one that needs to be successful for a return in investment.
This is at the end of the day nothing more than an exercise to make sure GWS become a competitive club in an impossible market. By having a swans team getting stronger and stronger it means that the AFL giants will be losing a lot of money quickly, which i am sure they already have.
They need to seduce the sydney public with a strong team and having a more sexier more attractive option that is getting better by the years is costing the league and its GWS backers millions. Especially worrying when they only have a small amount of real fans with the majority of their members being swan and ex pats wanting to watch live afl each week.
As soon as the AFL giants signed a 7 gamer for 7 mill it changed everything. Had GWS got buddy last year there would be no trade ban.
At the end of the day Mike Fitzpatrick needs a return on his and the leagues investment which is GWS.
The best thing the swan fans can do is stay the hell away from all GWS games. They are the sole reason why this has happened. I thought it was merely a Victorian thing to keep power of the league down south, but thats only a part of it.
I hate GWS there is no reason at all why they should eb around. Imagine what the league could do with the money they are losing with GWS?Comment
-
-
I think the biggest FU the swan fans and members can give the AFL is to boycott all away games vs GWS from here on end. Its going to be embarrassing for the league when their artificial team run out on their home ground against the swans to only 2-3k diehards and the echoing sound of the umps whistle around an empty modern stadium. BUT saying that the AFL is run by vindictive businessmen so it wouldn't surprise me that as punishment for swan fans not attending GWS home games and embarrassing the league they will engineer another form of payback. One thing the AFL hates - its product being made to look bad.Comment
-
Still irrational. Let's see where you sit 4 or 5 games into the season.
The anger and resentment will wear off.
Longmire comes out with too little too late.
The 'banning' is quickly becoming a footnote in our history.
Swans are seen as defeatists compared to earlier in the year when we stood up for ourselvesThe difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.Comment
-
I dont blame GWS at all. Its the victorians who have done this, spooked by large drop in crowds this year.
Im just waiting for the essendon players to be 'suspended' during the off season for being on the juixe, while our own kurt tippet missed 11 games for a contract clause. If tippet got 11, drug takers need 2 years minimum.Comment
Comment