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SWANSBEST
17th March 2003, 07:55 PM
MICHELANGELO RUCCI: We need a united front against the Vics

11mar03
PUBLICLY, the Adelaide Football Club does not want to say another word about the ill-treatment it has been dealt by the AFL three times in the past 12 months over finals venues.

As much as the Crows are seething in the front office at being ordered to the Telstra Dome for Saturday night's Wizard Cup grand final against Collingwood, they cannot have their protests distract their players from winning their first pre-season title.

Fair enough.

But privately, the Adelaide Football Club should be making plenty of noise. It also should be striking an alliance with the Port Adelaide Football Club and the other four non-Victorian clubs to form a powerful lobby group to remind the AFL of its national objectives.

The AFL has in the past two years reverted to its Victorian roots, reacting to the dumping of WA-based commissioner Terry O'Connor ? a pro-national ? and the five-club lobby group headed by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who took AFL commission chairman Ron Evans to dinner at the Crown Casino last year.

But the six non-Victorian clubs should be having their own meeting with Evans. They should be reminding Evans ? and McGuire ? just how much money has been added to the AFL coffers by having a national competition and national television contract.

The six non-Victorian clubs are not without their own power if they get together.

Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg has so far played a diplomatic line after being denied a home semi-final in the Wizard Cup last year, a home semi-final against Melbourne in the premiership chase last year and now the Wizard Cup grand final.

Adelaide's attitude has been that to make too much fuss runs the risk of getting off-side with AFL general manager (football operations) Andrew Demetriou. He has a long memory, just ask Fremantle.

But Adelaide's silence, in the belief the Crows would be looked after for taking these injustices, has not paid off. In fact, it has delivered more and more pain.

Adelaide chairman Bob Campbell must take the lead by contacting his counterparts at the Power, Brisbane, Sydney, West Coast and Fremantle to form an alliance to front the AFL, just as McGuire and his co-horts did last year.

As for the Collingwood fans who have dubbed South Australia the "Whine State", they should remember that just seven years ago their president Allan McAlister was refusing to play a final in Perth. That their last premiership captain, Tony Shaw, last year argued that no AFL final should be played outside Melbourne

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CureTheSane
18th March 2003, 12:15 AM
Have to disagree both with what they are implying of the AFL administration (that they are catering to Victorian clubs because they are simply Victorian) and with the 'gang up' strategy.

I think that would inevitably be detrimental to the game and the clubs involved.

Say what you will of the AFL commission, but I think they have well and truely made their stacne on a National Competition.

There will be times when we don't agree with their decision, and where Victorian teams will whine about their decisions.
The pre season GF should have been in SA.
Everyone knows it, and I think Adelaide have handled it well.
Who likes a whiner?
I mean look at Eddie and Mick.
Whiny little colliwobbles....