#AFL Finals week 3 weekly discussion thread

[neilfws]

Mark of the Year.....Heeney was robbed!

Perhaps too similar to last year! I thought both of Ryan's efforts were good and worthy winners, especially the second brave one.

After a runaway victory in the Skilton, Dane Rampe didn't get a single vote in the Brownlow. Which to me, emphasizes how much the Brownlow is a midfielders medal.
Not sure what the reason for that is?

It's interesting and I've seen a lot of discussion around it, but not many strong conclusions. I suppose midfielders are more likely to be noticed throughout the entire game by virtue of possessions and clearances. Perhaps it is something to do with umpires spending more time in the centre or around packs than at each end.

[stevoswan]

A very Victorian mentality.

Loyalty? Nothing wrong with that.....it's a very worthy trait. You should try it.

[barry]

Loyalty? Nothing wrong with that.....it's a very worthy trait. You should try it.

Easy to say when the teams in your city haven't changed for 100 years.
(Or, uniquely Victorian)

[stellation]

A good line, kudos to you. But what is the B-side, exactly?

Perhaps I should have gone with double A-side, I don't mean to cast aspersions.

[Bloods05]

Perhaps I should have gone with double A-side, I don't mean to cast aspersions.

But you did, you cast an entire garland of nasturtiums.

[stevoswan]

Easy to say when the teams in your city haven't changed for 100 years.
(Or, uniquely Victorian)

How can you say that when I followed a Melbourne team to Sydney and stuck with them through the hell years? I couldn't give a #$%* about the Melbourne teams.....

I'm not going to barrack for any other team ever, especially the Giants.....but I will be in a 'one off' on Saturday.

[Bloods05]

Easy to say when the teams in your city haven't changed for 100 years.
(Or, uniquely Victorian)

Loyalty is uniquely Victorian? Well that's a bit sad. What I think you really mean is that loyalty to a state overrides loyalty to your team. Some Victorians feel that way, but only the dopey ones who hand over their critical faculties to the Murdoch media.

[AnnieH]

How can you say that when I followed a Melbourne team to Sydney and stuck with them through the hell years? I couldn't give a #$%* about the Melbourne teams.....

I'm not going to barrack for any other team ever, especially the Giants.....but I will be in a 'one off' on Saturday.

No. No. No. OMG. A little bit of me just died.
Not even a "one off".

[barry]

Loyalty is uniquely Victorian? Well that's a bit sad. What I think you really mean is that loyalty to a state overrides loyalty to your team. Some Victorians feel that way, but only the dopey ones who hand over their critical faculties to the Murdoch media.

The Victorian mentality of VFL team support was born out of supporting your local team which is a true and noble thing, to become a situation where you get to choose who you support from a whole variety of teams. Whether you like their colours, are they winning, did grandpa barrack for them (a very sheep-like attitude BTW). Then, after a while, no new teams were introduced, and supporting your local team was forgotten, which meant no one really has a reason to change teams. This circumstantial anomaly was then highjacked to become a badge of honour ("I never change teams"). Which is all very brave if you never had any reason to change teams because no new team turned up in your suburb/town. Very Brave. Like "bulldogs" brave. (sarcasm)

All other cities in Australia have had two new teams setup over the last 30 odd years. In these cities, the culture of supporting your "local" team is strong. None more-so than Sydney where NRL support has always been very tribal.
In this culture, you don't get the luxury of choosing a team for frivolous reasons list above, the team chooses you. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee.

Most Sydney swans supporters in Sydney follow the swans because they are the local team. I cant understand why anyone outside of Sydney would follow the swans unless they have a south-melbourne link. How did they choose the swans?

[Blood Fever]

The Victorian mentality of VFL team support was born out of supporting your local team which is a true and noble thing, to become a situation where you get to choose who you support from a whole variety of teams. Whether you like their colours, are they winning, did grandpa barrack for them (a very sheep-like attitude BTW). Then, after a while, no new teams were introduced, and supporting your local team was forgotten, which meant no one really has a reason to change teams. This circumstantial anomaly was then highjacked to become a badge of honour ("I never change teams"). Which is all very brave if you never had any reason to change teams because no new team turned up in your suburb/town. Very Brave. Like "bulldogs" brave. (sarcasm)

All other cities in Australia have had two new teams setup over the last 30 odd years. In these cities, the culture of supporting your "local" team is strong. None more-so than Sydney where NRL support has always been very tribal.
In this culture, you don't get the luxury of choosing a team for frivolous reasons list above, the team chooses you. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee.

Most Sydney swans supporters in Sydney follow the swans because they are the local team. I cant understand why anyone outside of Sydney would follow the swans unless they have a south-melbourne link. How did they choose the swans?

Barry - didn't realize you were an oracle in relation to Victorian sporting psychology. Did you do a unit at the University of New South Wales? Amazing insight from across the border?

[barry]

Barry - didn't realize you were an oracle in relation to Victorian sporting psychology. Did you do a unit at the University of New South Wales? Amazing insight from across the border?

You can attack the messenger all you like, but there is a hard truth in there that you need to accept.

Victorians can choose who they barrack for all they like, but they shouldn't try to impose their shallow culture on the rest of this big brown land.

[Blood Fever]

You can attack the messenger all you like, but there is a hard truth in there that you need to accept.

Victorians can choose who they barrack for all they like, but they shouldn't try to impose their shallow culture on the rest of this big brown land.

Bow to your superior local knowledge

[barry]

Bow to your superior local knowledge

Thank you. But its not just me saying it:

https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/how-choosing-an-afl-team-defines-melburnians

"While Melbourne’s footy tribes still remain, Prof. Hickey points out that they are becoming more diluted. ‘Today’s supporters can follow teams from far beyond their physical borders. Young people today are more likely to be attracted to the teams they see winning a lot and those that get the most exposure in the prime-time slots,’ he says."

[Bloods05]

....they shouldn't try to impose their shallow culture on the rest of this big brown land.

You have a very provincial mentality for a resident of Australia's biggest metropolis. To call tribal loyalty a "shallow culture" is quite astonishing. What is shallow is exactly what Professor Hickey is describing - namely, the practice of following a team simply because it is successful. I remember kids doing that when I was in primary school, and they were widely derided. That is the very definition of shallowness, closely akin to celebrity culture. It is extraordinary to see you describe a family tradition of following a team as "sheep-like". It is in fact the heart and soul of sporting affiliation, and to describe it in this way is not only ludicrous and - dare I say - shallow, it is also deeply offensive. The hard truth here is not the superficial nonsense you are espousing, it is that you do not understand the depth of commitment that comes from tradition. As relative newcomers to Sydney, the Swans have the inestimable advantage of having brought a culture and tradition with them to their new home, in a similar way to Port Adelaide, but quite unlike the other "expansion teams". This is to be celebrated, even venerated, not dismissed and disparaged. You are way out of line.

[Blood Fever]

You can attack the messenger all you like, but there is a hard truth in there that you need to accept.

Victorians can choose who they barrack for all they like, but they shouldn't try to impose their shallow culture on the rest of this big brown land.

Don't care about any hard truth. Barracked for South/Swans all my life. Not concerned really about other supporters whether they be from Victoria or else where. Don't discriminate.