#AFLGF Pies v Eagles

[0918330512]

Can't get away from the fact that it is intrinsically unfair and therefore tainted for at least the next forty years.

as inescapable as the fact that it ain’t gunna change for 4 decades and incessant whinging about it on RWO won’t change a thing either

Embarrassing insular and parochial decision. International laughing stock.

I doubt many international bodies have commented or could care where the AFL Grand Final is played.

I don’t know if anyone has pointed out that in other countries and other codes where playoffs are played at neutral venues, there are alternative stadiums of comparable size. This ensures that suitable crowds can be accomodated. Also that the populations are larger so that multiple large stadiums can be justified. As a sport, the AFL isn’t big enough and as a country Australia isn’t big enough to justify multiple MCG capacity venues.

[KTigers]

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

[Blood Fever]

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

Spot on. Another potential blight on the game is the proposed 18 metre goal square simply to produce more goals for more ads. Greed at the expense of the game.

[Sandridge]

I firmly believe that Yeo was odds on to mark that whether the runner interfered or not. It was a shocking decision and kick from the Collingwood supporter and the best Stephenson would’ve been able to do would have been a very late spoil but I’m not sure he would’ve got there in time.

Have watched it again this morning and believe you're right. The ball seemed to be underkicked and I, too, think Yeo had it covered. Once the runner realised the ball was heading his way, he did his best to get out of the way.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

Your first sentence nails it, KT.

[KTigers]

So many aspects of life in Australia are "first world", and we expect to have it all. But sometimes the numbers are just not
there. And so for the same reasons we'll never have a subway system like Tokyo, or the art museums of the US & Europe,
or the balanced draw & finals series of the major US sports, it's highly unlikely we'll ever see a fair, balanced national footy
comp for quite awhile. We lack the population, interest in footy and the money to support it. But we could try a bit harder I think.
There just seems like there is very little effort being made at AFL HQ at the moment.

[Hotpotato]

Steady on. That’s a bit too much common sense there KT for the AFL and their national comp.

[KTigers]

Steady on. That’s a bit too much common sense there KT for the AFL and their national comp.

Sorry HP, don't know what I was thinking.....

[MattW]

It was a great game to watch, with each quarter (and even distinct sections within quarters) having very different flavours. I wondered at half-time whether Jack Darling was even out there, but he came out and played a very influential second half (with the exception of that dropped mark).

Collingwood were stiff not to get a free to Maynard for that blatant shepherd, but West Coast were the better team across the whole game (and much better after quarter time), and are deserved premiers.

I think I might have given the nod to McGovern for the Norm Smith, but Shuey was very very good too.

I thought Shuey was a worthy North Smith Medallist. He was on from the start of the game, when most of his team were not, and drove them forward with his hard running and prodigious kicking all game. I thought Sheed was a close second, for similar reasons, and McGovern was very important. I am not sure I would have had a Magpie in my votes, despite leading for most of the game. The Norm Smith voting panel all went with Adams, except Longmire who went with Langdon. Langdon was very good but gave up that important contested mark to Ryan late in the game.

[Markwebbos]

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

+1

[S.S. Bleeder]

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

Let's not forget that the vast majority of those 66,000 people in attendance will always be barracking for the Victorian team meaning that non-Victorian supporters will always be outnumbered in the most important game of the year. The supporter numbers are more likely to be:
Victorian - 60,000.
Interstate - 30,000.
Meh - 10,000.

[Nico]

It does give some merit to limiting the time runners spend on the ground (although for different reasons)

Saw the replay on the ABC this morning. It appears the runner was addressing Treloar and standing in front of Treloar when the ball came in their direction. You could see Treloar was very annoyed. The runner as good as blocked him from the contest.

[Nico]

I thought Shuey was a worthy North Smith Medallist. He was on from the start of the game, when most of his team were not, and drove them forward with his hard running and prodigious kicking all game. I thought Sheed was a close second, for similar reasons, and McGovern was very important. I am not sure I would have had a Magpie in my votes, despite leading for most of the game. The Norm Smith voting panel all went with Adams, except Longmire who went with Langdon. Langdon was very good but gave up that important contested mark to Ryan late in the game.

I would have given it to Sheed. Shuey got caught holding the ball at least 3 times when he tried to take players on. Sheed had only 2 less possessions and his 2nd half was very good. To me it was the higher profile player who got the nod.

[stevoswan]

Saw the replay on the ABC this morning. It appears the runner was addressing Treloar and standing in front of Treloar when the ball came in their direction. You could see Treloar was very annoyed. The runner as good as blocked him from the contest.

Stevenson.....

[0918330512]

I'm always surprised how the ground capacity is more important than a fair game to many people. The AFL stated this week
that 34,000 tickets went to Collingwood & West Coast supporters. That means that the other 66,000 seats went to people
who aren't supporters of the grand final teams. So it seems the priority of squeezing in as many non-supporters as possible
comes before a fair game.
The signing of the forty year deal last year to play the GF at the MCG till 2057 just says it all. So even if the focus on selling
as many corporate packages as possible remains, are there really going to be no new stadiums built in Australia in that time?
Our population is expected to be around 60 million by then. The running of our game, it's all a bit lame sometimes.

34000 tickets end up with members of the competing teams. I’d say a proportion of corporate tickets end up in the hands of supporters (who aren’t members) and members who aren’t successful with the ballot.
The priority isn’t squeezing in non-supporters, it’s selling tickets. They don’t care who gets them, as long as they’re sold. Supporters will endeavour to buy onsold tickets (hopefully not at scalped prices - though it’s naive to think that doesn’t happen).

[Blood Fever]

34000 tickets end up with members of the competing teams. I’d say a proportion of corporate tickets end up in the hands of supporters (who aren’t members) and members who aren’t successful with the ballot.
The priority isn’t squeezing in non-supporters, it’s selling tickets. They don’t care who gets them, as long as they’re sold. Supporters will endeavour to buy onsold tickets (hopefully not at scalped prices - though it’s naive to think that doesn’t happen).

There are a lot of club supporters who go to the came, you are not wrong. Problem yesterday, and I was at the game, was that Magpie supporters hugely outnumbered Eagles because the game was thousand of kilometres from Perth, the home city of the higher ranked team. Absurd and unfair.