How times change

**barry** · 4th December 2003, 03:29 PM

I was just looking through the old newsgroups of footy posts and found this gem I wrote back in 1993:

It's about time the AFL gave up in Sydney, it's just a money pit. And Sydney
obviuosly is not ready for an AFL team. They should move the Swans to Canberra,
give them a completely new name to distance themselves from "Sydney Swans" which
noone would want to support anyway. It would also put them closer to the riverina
region of southern NSW which is a very strong Aussie rules Zone. AFL has a much
better chance of success in Camberra than Sydney, even with Canberra's much smaller
population. Sydney people are just dickheads who dont follow football, of any sort.
I suggest the "new" Swans be called the Canberra Capitalists
or the Canberra Communists ???

And get a decent guernsey as well, maybe something in green??

Here I am now, living in Sydney, supporting the swans, and the city has adopted them as one of its own, and Canberra is still not able to support a full time AFL side.

D'Oh!

**Ryan Bomford** · 4th December 2003, 03:38 PM

Barry,

This is heresy! We must think of the appropriate penalty for you.

**Ryan Bomford** · 4th December 2003, 03:56 PM

On second thought you should either be shot or banished to Canberra. I believe the latter is the more severe penalty!

**Charlie** · 4th December 2003, 05:57 PM

Actually, I admire your courage (foolhardishness?) in posting this stuff on here!!

**Glenn** · 4th December 2003, 08:53 PM

LOL Barry certainly took a lot of courage to admit to posting that. Nice to see you have seen the light

**robbieando** · 4th December 2003, 08:55 PM

Originally posted by barry
I was just looking through the old newsgroups of footy posts and found this gem I wrote back in 1993:

It's about time the AFL gave up in Sydney, it's just a money pit. And Sydney
obviuosly is not ready for an AFL team. They should move the Swans to Canberra,
give them a completely new name to distance themselves from "Sydney Swans" which
noone would want to support anyway. It would also put them closer to the riverina
region of southern NSW which is a very strong Aussie rules Zone. AFL has a much
better chance of success in Camberra than Sydney, even with Canberra's much smaller
population. Sydney people are just dickheads who dont follow football, of any sort.
I suggest the "new" Swans be called the Canberra Capitalists
or the Canberra Communists ???

And get a decent guernsey as well, maybe something in green??

Here I am now, living in Sydney, supporting the swans, and the city has adopted them as one of its own, and Canberra is still not able to support a full time AFL side.

D'Oh!

There goes me thinking that you are a level headed person

**Xie Shan** · 4th December 2003, 09:11 PM

Talk about famous last words....there was an article a while back about how the AFL was criticised for wasting money on reconfiguring the "white elephant" Olympic Stadium, money which was recovered this year when 71,000 went to the Preliminary Final!

And get a decent guernsey as well, maybe something in green??

What were you thinking!

Tadhg would look good in green though - naturally

It really highlights how the Swans have defied the odds - in 1993, when times were really bad, no-one would have expected them to survive, and in 2003, everyone expected them to finish last!

**Ruck'n'Roll** · 5th December 2003, 01:15 PM

Actually I've always wondered about Canberra.

15 years ago the AFL decided the city was too small for a professional sporting team.

Then the Cannon's basketballers became the toast of the town ~ and the AFL announced their was city was too small for a football team.

Then the Raiders took over Canberra ~ the AFL decided their was too little corporate support for a team to be successfull.

Then the Broncos took their place in Canberra ~ and the AFL now reckons the marketplace is too full.

Personally I don't like Canberra but I can't help wondering why the AFL botched it up so badly?

**JF_Bay22_SCG** · 5th December 2003, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by Ruckman
Actually I've always wondered about Canberra.

Then the Broncos took their place in Canberra ~ and the AFL now reckons the marketplace is too full.

Personally I don't like Canberra but I can't help wondering why the AFL botched it up so badly?

Do you not mean the ACT Brumbies mate?

They are easy to tell apart
Rugby League- thick necks, squashed noses
Rugby Union-old school ties, people becoming world heros for little more than potting a plastic ball between 2 sticks.

JF