Gold Coast Demons

[The Boot]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/...476495051.html

Let's make this move quickly, and get the Roos up to Canberra .. and in ten years time launch another team here in NSW. It'll be the best thing for the comp since Swans & Lions relocated. And on a final note, I have a dream - of a Koori-heavy team perhaps based in Darwin to wrap it all up into a neat package.

Today Australia .. tomorrow ze vorld!!

[Charlie]

a) Melbourne will not move. They are an anachronism and surplus to the needs of the competition, but what support they do have is rich enough to keep them at the MCG.
b) Canberra is not big enough nor will ever be big enough to support a football team. The sooner the AFL and North Melbourne admit to this and stop the sham of 'game development', the better for everybody concerned.
c) A 'Koori-heavy team' sounds unintentionally racist to me. I like the 'ATSIC All-Stars' concept, because it's something the players themselves like and IS interesting to watch, but not as a permanent thing.

[The Boot]

Originally posted by Charlie
a) Melbourne will not move. They are an anachronism and surplus to the needs of the competition, but what support they do have is rich enough to keep them at the MCG.
b) Canberra is not big enough nor will ever be big enough to support a football team. The sooner the AFL and North Melbourne admit to this and stop the sham of 'game development', the better for everybody concerned.

Sorry Charlie, I reckon if they can get the effing Raiders in there over an AFL heavy region, then the Roos - for better not for worse - are genuinely eyeing it off as their next logical step - or else be amalgamated.

c) A 'Koori-heavy team' sounds unintentionally racist to me. I like the 'ATSIC All-Stars' concept, because it's something the players themselves like and IS interesting to watch, but not as a permanent thing.

Please .. please Charlie, don't ever accuse me of being unintentionally racist again. Save that for someone else. The truth of the matter is, in a pro-aboriginal environment (see I didn't even use the politically correct term of Koori here) fostered and driven by the AFL, it WOULD be made up of mostly indigenous players.

For crying out loud, we play for the Marn Grook Trophy in 2 weeks time! What are you going to do then? Put in a complaint about that?

PS: I suppose that drink you owe me when I'm down for Rnd 22 is off then?

[j s]

Originally posted by The Boot
Sorry Charlie, I reckon if they can get the effing Raiders in there over an AFL heavy region, then the Roos - for better not for worse - are genuinely eyeing it off as their next logical step - or else be amalgamated.

Charlie's main beef with the Roos in Canberra is his perception that it costs the Swans a game in Melbourne.


(BTW Given the typical stature of aboriginal players I would think such a team would be more "light" than "heavy" )

[Charlie]

Originally posted by The Boot
Sorry Charlie, I reckon if they can get the effing Raiders in there over an AFL heavy region, then the Roos - for better not for worse - are genuinely eyeing it off as their next logical step - or else be amalgamated.

Please .. please Charlie, don't ever accuse me of being unintentionally racist again. Save that for someone else. The truth of the matter is, in a pro-aboriginal environment (see I didn't even use the politically correct term of Koori here) fostered and driven by the AFL, it WOULD be made up of mostly indigenous players.

For crying out loud, we play for the Marn Grook Trophy in 2 weeks time! What are you going to do then? Put in a complaint about that?

PS: I suppose that drink you owe me when I'm down for Rnd 22 is off then?

Whoa... sorry for offending - that certainly wasn't the intention. The use of the word 'unintentionally' was supposed to convey the fact that while the intent wasn't racist, the result would be. That result would be the segregation of footballers into aborigines and whites. I don't think that would be a positive step for our sport and our nation.

As for Canberra, the fact is that of three games a year, only one sells out and that is because of day trippers from Sydney. If three games at a ground that holds 15,000 can't produce three sellouts, what makes you think that a team could make it work for 11 games a year? The market simply isn't big enough.

As far as I'm aware, I'm still looking forward to catching up with you at the Richmond aftermatch...

[Troy G]

As I've said here before I'd love to see a club play out of Cairns, with regular games in Darwin and a club supporter base in both places.

My brother is playing in the AFL Masters National Champs up in Cairns soon and the venue looks great http://www.maf.asn.au/

A team for the Top End playing in a jumper with aboriginal flag colours would attract indigenous players through want and development.

With a huge region and many sponsors and fanatical sports lovers that they are in the north it would be huge.

I'd also love to see the AllStars game each year (not every two) and I wonder if the AFL will come to the party with financial assistance to hold the game next year, now that ATSIC is being abolished.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Troy G
As I've said here before I'd love to see a club play out of Cairns, with regular games in Darwin and a club supporter base in both places.

A team for the Top End playing in a jumper with aboriginal flag colours would attract indigenous players through want and development.

With a huge region and many sponsors and fanatical sports lovers that they are in the north it would be huge.

I'd also love to see the AllStars game each year (not every two) and I wonder if the AFL will come to the party with financial assistance to hold the game next year, now that ATSIC is being abolished.

Here's a thought from left field. Why not have an Aboriginal Allstars team instead of the Allies at State of Origin time?

Would be a good experiment, I think.

JF

[lescygnes]

so Geelong can support an AFL team and Canberra cannot??? complete GARBAGE!!!! canberra would be a great representation of the riverina area too. good aussie rules territory.

(ahh the memories of that practise game in Wagga in 40-somthing degree heat where my beer was warm in the can in 5 nanoseconds. oh and a certain player who shall remain nameless scabbed a cigarette off me!!!!!)

cheers
john

ps-slow day at work. gotta do something.....

[Provost]

Originally posted by Charlie
As for Canberra, the fact is that of three games a year, only one sells out and that is because of day trippers from Sydney. If three games at a ground that holds 15,000 can't produce three sellouts, what makes you think that a team could make it work for 11 games a year? The market simply isn't big enough.

This is not correct. What loyalty has the ACT to the teams playing at Manuka oval? Apart form the individual team supporters and AFL fanatics nil. If the ACT was to have its own AFL team it would be a different story, believe me. All it need is the ACT to have a side to call its own. Not Nth Melbourne playing the occasional home game there. North Nth Melbourne indeed!!

The ACTAFL is well established comp with good talent, an AFL side would be well received and supported. A big hurdle is the poor team facilities and crowd capacity of Manuka oval. A new Stadium would need to built or an existing one heavily modified to accommodate the game. Canberra Stadium in Bruce can't squeeze an AFL ground into its small pitch.