Big Melbourne Clubs!!!!!!!

[angelopetraglia]

I'm sick of the media's fascination with the bigger Melbourne clubs. With all this Petracca talk, it has gone to another level. He wants to play for a bigger club so he can lift his profile. He has more than 500,000 followers on Tik Tok and Instagram alone. His profile is already massive. It is just not Petracca, it is constantly thrown in our faces, he went to the Bombers so he can play ANZAC Day. He gets to play in front of massive crowds etc.

However, the AFL has fuelled this with the unfair fixturing and prime time slots. The big clubs have got bigger in the last two decades with favourable draws (playing each other twice, blockbuster games etc.) and TV prime slots. The AFL have done a good job in evening up competition via the salary cap and the draft but they have allowed these big clubs to get bigger and bigger crowds and TV audiences even when they are unsuccessful (like Essendon and Carlton before making the finals last year). This becomes more pronounced with younger people wanting to go to "events" more than just go to the footy every week.

With players getting greater power to dictate moves to other clubs, these clubs are gaining an even bigger advantage over the smaller Melbourne clubs. Everything being equal, players are choosing them over smaller clubs. How much more difficult is it for NMFC (Even if they had decent onfield succcess) to attract a player versus Collingwood? This becomes even larger as players have an ability to monetise their social media profile. The more eyeballs on them, the greater the prize.

The AFL trying to squeeze every last drop out of every season, chasing short term $$$$ and success will do long term harm in the end. Lifting all clubs and giving clubs like the Bulldogs, Saints, Melbourne, NMFC some of the love of big games, blockbusters and prime TV slots, may cost them a little short term, but will pay off long term.

We are creating a huge differential in club heirarchy, in Melbourne and also the smaller intersate clubs like GWS and Gold Coast.

[angelopetraglia]

The Bulldogs have had a few things going over the years only for the AFL to stuff it up for us. We played the Magpies first round and that was working well, it was getting some momentum. Then they changed it. We started OK in Good Friday and before we have a chance to build a tradition they take it off us. It is these kind of things that really hurt.

[Bulldog Joe]

Spot on.

This self fulfilling Big Club fantasy allows incompetence to thrive.
All of Richmond, Carlton and especially Essendon have survived long periods of absolute rubbish because of the extra AFL sanctioned prime coverage.
They need to stop this Blockbuster mentality and have the prime game slots awarded on merit, like ANZAC day as as GF replay

[angelopetraglia]

Even this week. The AFL has fixtured the Friday night the game they belive will have the highest rating (even with multiple clubs protesting) on the Friday night. The most interesting game with two Melburne clubs. This is to chase the most short term exposure. It benefits us this time, which is rare.

As Caro points out. The right decision for growing the game long term was to play Sydney V GWS on the Friday night. Showcase the game in a growing market.

But short term always wins over long term with the AFL.

[ledge]

I have always said the first game of the year should be the premiers home game against the side they defeated, unfurl the flag at home to open the new season.
It is utterly stupid some teams don’t unfurl their flag at home until up to round 3.
The nth v us on Easter Friday was a good start to the AFL starting to look after the smaller clubs.
We were amazing in those games but who gets kicked out ? Us . Nth was the one not performing not us but they keep it.
Why not have a rolling fixture on a Monday public holiday where the team who wins keeps the fixture for the next year. Reward the winner!

[bornadog]

I spoke about this very isse when I first joined WOOF and even before on Bigfooty

It is an utter joke and not sustainable

[Dogs 24/7]

It all stems from a weak negotiating point with the players association that allows contracted players to isolate preferred clubs and leave the club that has helped develop them with a significantly weaker hand when it comes to completing the trade.
If a contracted player wants to head back to SA or WA for example then allow the club where he is currently at the chance to trade with both clubs and strike the best deal. Same for players wanting to return home to Melbourne.

[Go_Dogs]

Have you heard the rumour that Petracca wants to come to the Dogs? Because we’re now one of the big Melbourne clubs.

[Mantis]

Even this week. The AFL has fixtured the Friday night the game they believe will have the highest rating (even with multiple clubs protesting) on the Friday night. The most interesting game with two Melbourne clubs. This is to chase the most short term exposure. It benefits us this time, which is rare.

As Caro points out. The right decision for growing the game long term was to play Sydney V GWS on the Friday night. Showcase the game in a growing market.

But short term always wins over long term with the AFL.

There might be a little of that, but it's also to lessen the rest between the winner of our game and our opponents.

If we played on the Saturday twilight/night we would be giving up 2 extra days of preparation to our opponents (as they play on the Thursday night) which could be important/vital.

[angelopetraglia]

There might be a little of that, but it's also to lessen the rest between the winner of our game and our opponents.

If we played on the Saturday twilight/night we would be giving up 2 extra days of preparation to our opponents (as they play on the Thursday night) which could be important/vital.

Agree. But they could have changed the entire order of the games. Andrew Dillon on AFL 360 last night said it was due to our game having the potential to be the highest TV rating game and maximise the crowd.

[hujsh]

Equity will never come. Maybe it's time to embrace that. Make it part of our 'story'. Sure there are clubs with big crowds, we'll never be that blockbuster club. What we are though is that feel good story of the underdog. We don't expect premierships, we cherish them. Win one with us and you are a LEGEND. You beat the odds. It's maybe the greatest achievement possible in the entire comp.

Sure private school boys may only care about crowds and attention but with us you get to 'stick it right up' those at AFL headquarters who never do us any favours.

Maybe a more populist, anti-AFL establishment message could work if targeted at the right guys? For sure not the Petraccas. Of course this has to come with an element of 'we look after our own, we will treat you right not just financially but with regards to your health and wellbeing' element.

Maybe I'm too naive and this is completely meaningless to guys in the AFL bubble but I'd be a sucker for this kind of message

[bornadog]

Equity will never come. Maybe it's time to embrace that. Make it part of our 'story'. Sure there are clubs with big crowds, we'll never be that blockbuster club. What we are though is that feel good story of the underdog. We don't expect premierships, we cherish them. Win one with us and you are a LEGEND. You beat the odds. It's maybe the greatest achievement possible in the entire comp.

Sure private school boys may only care about crowds and attention but with us you get to 'stick it right up' those at AFL headquarters who never do us any favours.

Maybe a more populist, anti-AFL establishment message could work if targeted at the right guys? For sure not the Petraccas. Of course this has to come with an element of 'we look after our own, we will treat you right not just financially but with regards to your health and wellbeing' element.

Maybe I'm too naive and this is completely meaningless to guys in the AFL bubble but I'd be a sucker for this kind of message

I think as a club we embraced this a long time ago . We are a boutique club and frankly I love that. We have the best facilities in the AFL and we have a winning culture under Bevo, Ameet and KWW.

I remember years ago a friend telling me at a kids train with the players, it is great how the kids have access to the players. He said his brother follows Pies and at their train with the players 1000s of kids show up and they are lucky to even talk to them.
As a club we just have to keep plugging away to not get screwed and be on top of our game.

[Funke disco]

Equity will never come. Maybe it's time to embrace that. Make it part of our 'story'. Sure there are clubs with big crowds, we'll never be that blockbuster club. What we are though is that feel good story of the underdog. We don't expect premierships, we cherish them. Win one with us and you are a LEGEND. You beat the odds. It's maybe the greatest achievement possible in the entire comp.

Sure private school boys may only care about crowds and attention but with us you get to 'stick it right up' those at AFL headquarters who never do us any favours.

Maybe a more populist, anti-AFL establishment message could work if targeted at the right guys? For sure not the Petraccas. Of course this has to come with an element of 'we look after our own, we will treat you right not just financially but with regards to your health and wellbeing' element.

Maybe I'm too naive and this is completely meaningless to guys in the AFL bubble but I'd be a sucker for this kind of message

Great post! Without knowing any of them personally I would say most of these players would not fit this mould though yet still love the team and club. As much as I don't like him Toby Greene fits this mould

[jeemak]

I think as a club we embraced this a long time ago . We are a boutique club and frankly I love that. We have the best facilities in the AFL and we have a winning culture under Bevo, Ameet and KWW.

I remember years ago a friend telling me at a kids train with the players, it is great how the kids have access to the players. He said his brother follows Pies and at their train with the players 1000s of kids show up and they are lucky to even talk to them.
As a club we just have to keep plugging away to not get screwed and be on top of our game.

Yep. We need to be the boutique club that has state of the art facilities, loyal members/ supporters, an inclusive/ supportive culture, a protect our own to the death mentality, an accountable culture across all levels and an unflinching dedication to excellence.

Stay relevant due to the above and we might not attract the very biggest of players, but we'll get good enough players to take us forward and keep the ones we genuinely need to keep (providing we draft the right ones in the first place).


As for the bigger clubs, the only thing that really shits me about the level of sycophancy towards them is when the ABC commentariat gets involved and helps push the narrative that they're amazing and we need the blockbusters for us all to enjoy football. Like going on about how Richmond and Carlton are the traditional season openers, and focusing on Geelong's amazing culture etc. etc. They've no commercial skin in the game and need to be a bit better in how they approach things. The rest of the commercial organisations can suit themselves, I don't listen to them mostly anyway.

[Jeanette54]

Perhaps we need to look at how far we have come as a club. Just ask anyone who ever walked down the rickety stairs (at the scoreboard end of the ground) to go to the tin shed toilets at half time in the 60's. Cold, wet and windy, and ankle deep in the overflow from the Men's loo. Fair dinkum, the Leyland Brothers would think twice about making that journey. And who remembers the tiny gatehouse, where you paid extra to get from the fenced off outer into the relative comfort of the grandstand reserve.

The "home" dressing room was unfinished floorboards, a movable cyclone fence (for crowd control), bare concrete shower bases, little in the way of heating/cooling, and nothing in the way of player privacy. Over all that was the 1924 Victorian Champions flag, lovingly encased in a cracked, dusty glass case. Seemingly long forgotten.

For the players, the EJ Whitten stand gave them a modest upgrade in the player facilities, but they were still pretty basic. And the less said about our management at the time, the better. As supporters, we watched our better players being continually poached by the bigger clubs. Although (I now realise) the money that generated was desperately needed to keep the club afloat.

We have come a long way since then, and perhaps a bit of hindsight can put some clarity on our future, and gratitude for the things we have now. I love the idea of us being a boutique club, as long as that brings a boutique income, and us being seen as a destination club for player and member recruitment.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/hawthorn-hawks/afl-2024-changes-to-2025-opening-round-hawthorn-to-replace-richmond-wildcard-round-pushed-back-latest-news/news-story/19bee5a8c87ca504123eb648060c1614

This is vomit-inducing stuff.

Opening round will be back.

Opening round was a step backwards in equalising the fixture and now the AFEL is trying to use it as yet another means to prop up the big clubs or "big stories".

Looking forward to another week 0 "rest" before we take on a well rested Collingwood side in round 13 off the back of 2 byes before we've had 1.

Break away league please.

[comrade]

Collingwood v Carlton v Essendon v Richmond etc are always going to draw crowds regardless of it being ANZAC Day, Dreamtime, Good Friday. Wasting marquee games on them is redundant & should be utilised to grow the following of those smaller market clubs that need the bump these fixtures provide. Rising tides and all that. The AFL is run by idiots.

[Sedat]

The AFL are run by idiots.
How would everybody get to ride the gravy train if they were competent? With all that bloated bureaucracy, over 80% of City Hall would be shut down overnight if it was run by even halfway competent people.

[bornadog]

How would everybody get to ride the gravy train if they were competent? With all that bloated bureaucracy, over 80% of City Hall would be shut down overnight if it was run by even halfway competent people.

Do they still have 700 people in AFL House?

[Sedat]

Do they still have 700 people in AFL House?
Yep, not to mention a dozen or so in the "Office of the Executive" who are all on salaries around $1m+ a year each - Dills and Kane-o would be on much more (Gills salary was around $2.5m a year).

It is actually obscene, much like the entire political/public sector class and all the corporates/donors/special interest groups that feed into the public purse ecosystem.

[azabob]

How is this a broadcasters dream?

Is he going to turn heel mid match and rip off his Melbourne jumper and reveal his new club?


Despite Melbourne’s drop off, the club could hold its spot given the fascination around the Demons and Christian Petracca as a “broadcaster’s dream,” as put by fellow Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Where did the AFEL get the idea that round 0 was a success??

It's clear they're being run by yes-men in a secluded golden office.

[Sedat]

Is he going to turn heel mid match and rip off his Melbourne jumper and reveal his new club?
If he went full Iron Sheik and gave Max Gawn a Camel Clutch in the middle of the MCG, I could live with that

[jeemak]

Favourite line from the article:

“Not that many months ago (Collingwood president) Jeff Browne said every club should be involved, that’s not going to happen.”

What kind of dickhead would advocate for all clubs to be included in round zero or round one? Clearly a lunatic. :)

[Axe Man]

Favourite line from the article:

?Not that many months ago (Collingwood president) Jeff Browne said every club should be involved, that?s not going to happen.?

What kind of dickhead would advocate for all clubs to be included in round zero or round one? Clearly a lunatic. :)

Collingwood?s ultimatum to league over Opening Round: All of us or none of us (https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/collingwoods-ultimatum-to-league-over-opening-round-all-of-us-or-none-of-us/news-story/a7af7da863715a3849a66407c4155dd4)

Collingwood president Jeff Browne says the Magpies will only take part in next year?s Opening Round if all 18 clubs are involved in a full-round showcase of the northern states.

The Magpies will pitch their case to the AFL at next week?s CEOs meeting, stressing all clubs must contribute equally towards promoting the code in New South Wales and Queensland to kickstart the 2025 season.

Browne said the Magpies also intended to reaffirm their strong support for maintaining the father-son rule against calls for its abolition, saying it remained a part of the rich fabric of the sport.

?We will speak (to the AFL) about Opening Round; we won?t be going if it is just two clubs going to Sydney,? Browne told the Herald Sun.

?I am all in favour of developing the game in the northern states but (Opening Round) needs to be fairly spread across all the clubs, not just a handful of them.?

Collingwood was one of four Victorian clubs ? along with Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne ? who travelled north for the inaugural Opening Round in early March.

The Magpies were beaten by Greater Western Sydney in Sydney before having to return to Melbourne to play Sydney six days later.

Craig McRae?s reigning premiers lost their first three games of the season, and while Browne isn?t using Opening Round as an excuse, he said all clubs needed to play in the northern states roadshow, not just a handful.

?We finished the latest (in 2023, having played in the grand final against Brisbane) and we started the earliest in enemy territory,? Browne said.

?It took a bit out of us (last year) ? if everyone goes up there and plays the game there, I am happy with that, but we are not going to do like we did (earlier) this year.?

Browne said he could not understand why the AFL would not fixture ?a mini Magic Round? to replicate the NRL experience to kickstart next season, with potentially five games in Sydney and four in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

He said it would have a different feel to Gather Round, which has been so successful in two different versions in Adelaide, but would be great in terms of promotion of the code.

?We would be fully supportive (of a full round),? he said. ?We would build lunches around the game and work on the whole build up,? he said. ?It would be like a mini Magic Round.

?Half the teams could go to Brisbane and half the teams could go to Sydney.

?It neutralises disadvantage but also pumps up the development of those markets. We are fully supportive of that. We want to go there, but we want to make sure it is fair for everyone.?

[jeemak]

When was that from?

[Axe Man]

When was that from?

July

[Funke disco]

Well..... I guess they won't have the premiers then will they. Gice us a chance to unfurl our flag round 1

[Mofra]

I now judge the size of clubs primarily on the size of their facilities.

[bornadog]

I now judge the size of clubs primarily on the size of their facilities.

We have the best facilities in Australia, so they can all stick that where it fits.

[angelopetraglia]

Yep, not to mention a dozen or so in the "Office of the Executive" who are all on salaries around $1m+ a year each - Dills and Kane-o would be on much more (Gills salary was around $2.5m a year).

It is actually obscene, much like the entire political/public sector class and all the corporates/donors/special interest groups that feed into the public purse ecosystem.

Like Bill Shorten's new gig as the Vice Chancelor of University of Canberra on $1.1m per annum :)

Man of the people Bill.

[Sedat]

Like Bill Shorten's new gig as the Vice Chancelor of University of Canberra on $1.1m per annum :)

Man of the people Bill.
Ex pollies gorging for life on the pig trough is the most bipartisan thing in our Westminster system - they are all on a unity ticket when it comes self-interest, and to hell with the other 26 million Australians.

Gross people, all of them - that includes all the corporatists, special interest groups and lobbyists who curry favour of the pollies. They are all the real criminals in our society.

[jeemak]

Ex pollies gorging for life on the pig trough is the most bipartisan thing in our Westminster system - they are all on a unity ticket when it comes self-interest, and to hell with the other 26 million Australians.

Gross people, all of them - that includes all the corporatists, special interest groups and lobbyists who curry favour of the pollies. They are all the real criminals in our society.

The worst are the lobbyists who lobby government to decrease the meat flesh content of meat pies. Food standards currently have it sitting at a minimum of 25% but you know they're out there daily trying to have that reduced.

[azabob]

Ex pollies gorging for life on the pig trough is the most bipartisan thing in our Westminster system - they are all on a unity ticket when it comes self-interest, and to hell with the other 26 million Australians.

Gross people, all of them - that includes all the corporatists, special interest groups and lobbyists who curry favour of the pollies. They are all the real criminals in our society.

I have a soft spot for Shorten purely from a selfish point of view.

He ticked off the subsidisation of some life-changing technology-based health initiatives that have transformed my life, acknowledging that it was his team and advocates who made it happen. But nevertheless, he still signed it off.

[The bulldog tragician]

I have a soft spot for Shorten purely from a selfish point of view.

He ticked off the subsidisation of some life-changing technology-based health initiatives that have transformed my life, acknowledging that it was his team and advocates who made it happen. But nevertheless, he still signed it off.

His work in disability advocacy is under appreciated. Having worked in the field I saw him well before the ndis was formed, at a forum showing a sophisticated grasp of the issues and addressing many ppl with disability by name and showing he knew their particular circumstances. At the last election I was waiting on n line to vote (I’m in his electorate) he was walking along schmoozing but when he came to me and he asked me my biggest issue & I mentioned what I’d seen as a worker, he again responded with an in depth understanding of complex issues in terms of eligibility and services.

The problem if we just constantly bag our politicians is we get what we expect. I think he had a genuine empathy and passion for that area and I respect that he was trying to make a difference.

I know we shouldn’t veer into politics here but I think the above is important.

[jeemak]

People can be two things (or more) at once.

[Danjul]

Like Bill Shorten's new gig as the Vice Chancelor of University of Canberra on $1.1m per annum :)

Man of the people Bill.
I think he is worth more than that. He should have gone into a bank or airline or football etc etc.

[angelopetraglia]

A few years ago I ran the Run for Kids. I run it most years. It was probably a decade ago when I witnessed this. I believe it may have been 2013. Bill Shorten and Tony Abbott both ran that day. I knew Bill Shorten was running, I had no idea Tony was running.

Bill Shorten (believe he was a minister at the time, but later that year he was leader of the opposition after they lost the election) had a whole posse. You could not miss him. All wearing Bill Shorten T-Shirts. Taking PR photos before the run. It was all a little over the top. The PR machine was in full overdrive. Bill looked like a man who ran infrequently at best (that is probably being generous).

Tony Abbott (I believe he was the leader of the opposition at the time), just rocked up. No fanfare. Settled into the starting shoot (not too far from me) and ran. He definiltey looked like a runner.

Just my own personal observation. I don't have any fondness at all for either Tony or Bill or what they represent. I'm way to the left of Tony on social issues and I'm way to the right of Bill on economic matters.

[hujsh]

Probably the last leader for a long time to have an actual policy platform out before an election. No opposition will make that mistake again

[angelopetraglia]

Probably the last leader for a long time to have an actual policy platform out before an election. No opposition will make that mistake again

He made himself a large target and lost the unloseable election. Not very smart, for a smart person (academically anyway). The last person to probably try something similar before him was John Hewson. Bill should have learnt from that. Who will ever forget the 60 minutes debacle about the cake.

If Bill just said little and pointed to all of Scott Morrison's wrongdoings, he would have won in a landslide. I'm sure that will eat at him for the years ahead, but the $1.1m pay cheque to be the 2IC of University will help ease the pain.

[bornadog]

Can we please get back to Footy

[angelopetraglia]

Can we please get back to Footy

Is there an important game on tonight?

[bornadog]

Is there an important game on tonight?

Yes, two big clubs playing :D