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So, they're taking three years worth of priority draft picks and shopping them out to the highest bidder, mid-contract.
And STILL getting COLA.
They wonder why I'm so freaking cynical.
Wonder no more.Leave a comment:
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Same deal with Boyd last year (but can't remember if he was contracted). The club will refuse first up to pump up the price a bit, but then relent if the other club offers a decent deal.
There's often no point keeping a player who doesn't want to be there. You're taking up a spot on the list and paying money for a player who doesn't give a damn. Mind you GWS still have a bit of extra COLA and list space, so maybe they wouldn't mind keeping him out of spite. A guy's value can really plummet if you select him in the NEAFL and keep him sitting on the bench all year. Then they can punt him to the draft, and good luck getting where you want to go, buddy.Leave a comment:
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Don't know where to put this, so I'm putting it here.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you sign a contract with a club, you are contracted to that club for the term of that contract, aren't you?
Why does this little upstart think that he can just go where he likes, mid contract?
Cam McCarthy determined to leave GWS, says agent - AFL.com.auLeave a comment:
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Sure you are on the right site here?
Deplorable Sydney bias, what a joke
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They have done very well and you'd think they'll go better next year. Gold Coast had a slip back but their list is more fragile and the GWS list is well positioned to play finals
It will be fascinating to see how they develop and also how the establishment react to their success. ILeave a comment:
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Went to the game today for a live footy fix, sheesh they look good. They are remarklaby quick almost across the board and really just ran Carlton ragged.
Decent crowd, I think it was announced as 9.5k? Great ground to watch footy at.Leave a comment:
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IMO the Giants are far more trailblazing than the Swans. The Swans took VFL and SFL supporters and nailed them as Swans supporters.
It took a long time to build juniors and cement the foundations of a successful club.
Good on the Giants for starting something from virtually nothing. Look on the bright side and the indirect benefit to the Swans.
There are more AFL games in Sydney, more investment in Sydney football and more media coverage.
The Showgrounds development might even have had an influence in the end of ANZ games.
One day they'll be a big Sydney derby and there might be an end to the deplorable Sydney media bias.Leave a comment:
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It's a long term proposition, but the AFL is clearly aware of that. The Swans were trailblazers for footy up here which will help them a lot, but don't forget that our crowds took a while to build- we usually have three generations of long term fans from my family at Swans games, and most teams rely on that for big numbers and it takes a long time to build on it. I know a couple of families where one person has been interested and gone once or twice, which lead to them taking another, then another.
Just taking a quick look, 5 of their top 10 crowd numbers games at the Showgrounds have been from 2015- this is their fourth year playing there (27 total games) and they've only played 6 games this season so even with the small sample size and modest numbers, 5/6 of those games to come from this year is a good sign of growth; that one game they played that wasn't in the top 10 was vs. North, who we know only too well doesn't draw a great crowd around Homebush. So far they've had growth in their average crowd size each year, last year got a healthy bump due to playing the Swans there but even taking that game out of the picture their average crowd size increased. This year their average crowd is up again from last year and they're yet to get that healthy bump from playing the Swans.
Looking at their average crowd growth year to year, and removing the Swans game to not get the bump and using YTD figures (that also don't include the Swans) their growth has been- Y1-Y2: 164, Y2-Y3: 257, Y3-Y4: 1331. Ignoring that they've experienced an above average increase in attendance in the most recent year, if you look at the average growth across those 3 years it's 584. If they can sustain that average crowd growth of around 500 per year, by year 10 they'd be looking at an average attendance of around 13k? Given that's just straight on average growth and probably should be based on a percentage increase each year that would compound, and they're likely to start winning more and more games, it leads me to think that number is probably going to be around 15k- and that's before they start getting some kind of generational influx.
The upfront numbers of bums on seats haven't looked great, but they've consistently grown. I might write up a neat counter piece to the next bit of crowd bagging those guys get from the NRL media.Leave a comment:
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You also see the that's it's a long term project and involves serious investment.
Both the Suns and the Giants were tracking for finals until injuries took their toll.
Both the Suns and the Giants are already equivalent to NRL neighbours.
Both the Suns and the Giants play in boutique stadia more suited to their situation.
All through history new clubs have struggled especially new AFL ones.
So why whinge?Leave a comment:
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If you read my comment properly you would note the word eventually - because if they are it will be a long time in the future and after hundreds of millions of AFL dollars. It's a question of whether a potentially viable club is worth all that cash..
Only time will tell.
I'm nor ambivalent re GWS but they will be a thorn in the AFLs side for decades ahead I believe - this is a 20 - 30 year project and I have massive doubts if they AFL has the guts to back in the face of the vested Victorian interests it will faceLeave a comment:
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The GWS Giants are a complete nightmare in the making for the AFL and the thing is I'm not sure if I'm happy about it or not
I can see the big picture of growing the game and the fact that there is potentially an untapped market but I think the AFL have over-estimated the appetite for an additional AFL team in Sydney and under-estimated massively how hard it will be. Typical patronising Melbournian arrogance about the game and how we should be grateful for a second team. Total under-estimation of how entrenched NRL is and the Western Sydney Wanderers have been a nasty little competitor they didn't bargain for quite so quickly. The arrogance they showed with Sheedy mouthing off at everyone here plus their complete lack of local engagement in Sydney (I'll ignore their idiotic sponsorship of Manly) does not help either.
Whilst there are certainly some other teams' supporters in Sydney who may well change their second team allegiances most genuine AFL fans in Sydney are already rusted on Swans fans and not for changing. GWS therefore need to generate a new support base from scratch and whilst success will help I think its anticipated effect (because GWS are heading for the top for a long long time) will not be a great as some predict.
So the AFL will have an unstoppable team with one of the deepest lists in the modern era - their ability to trade will be unsurpassed - that will be playing in front of a sterile environment with I reckon 10,000 as a baseline maximum. Sure they'll sell out the Swans derby and finals but most of their games will be in a half empty ground.
All the time the AFL shelling out multi-millions a year for a team that is flogging its poorer cousins down south. Can you imagine the reaction when they start winning flags and I reckon from 2017 on they will be in the premiership window for a good decade.
I do believe that GWS could eventually be viable and successful but it will take 20 years and many millions of extra AFL funding to achieve this aim. And add a similar figure for Gold Coast who I think have ZERO chance of a long term successful future being in the sporting graveyard of Australia - as soon as Ablett retires they are simply gooooone.Leave a comment:
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