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cant believe how many haters there are here. anyways im all for expanding the afl and if great players from other teams dont join new clubs. what hope have they really got with no experienced players to help out.
cant believe how many haters there are here. anyways im all for expanding the afl and if great players from other teams dont join new clubs. what hope have they really got with no experienced players to help out.
How about growing your own greats...that's what it should be about.
Look I don't give two figs really, but when you had expansion teams like Brisbane and Sydney, that have been given a lot of AFL money and resources for 20-30 years, including preferential draft picks, AFL financial support and the like...at the expense of the traditional AFL (Melbourne) heart land, those fans can feel aggrieved.
I like that the AFL is aggressive, has a business plan, is professional and something the NRL needs to look at emulating. And sure they got a wonderful TV deal and they're going to bring in the GWS Giants...but I really do see the Sydney Swans suffering. Their crowds and revenues haven't been as good lately (and I believe a number of other interstate teams are in the same boat). Biting in to that Sydney market with a 2nd team may hurt...maybe in the short term, maybe longer.
Good on 'em for bringing in 2 new teams. I hope it works - no one wants to see teams flounder. BUT the GC and GWS teams need to build their own teams. If the AFL is truly wanting this to all work, GC and GWS should be made to field 90% local teams for ten years.
And let's be honest, the AFL grew tired of waiting for a Melbourne team or two to die or relocate. I mean, how much did they try to get Norths to move to Western Sydney, Canberra or even the Gold Coast and they steadfastly refused. Now the AFL has given them 2 options: get strong or wither on the vine and die. Fair enough too. BUT again...if you go for Norths and are considered a 'traditional team' and you're going to maybe die because of the Giants and Suns (and to lesser extent Lions and Swans) in markets that are 'who cares' markets at the moment, you can understand why those fans of old clubs would be pretty peeved.
Let's not forget either, that at the end of the day, the games that people truly love and care about (Essendon/Carlton/Collingwood/Hawthorn) or NRL (Souths/Saints/Manly/Parra/Bulldogs/Tigers) are the traditional teams. Whilst the Suns, Giants, Lions and Swans and even Cowboys, Warriors, Storm and Titans are great additions to the their respective comps, it will take a long, long, long time for entrenched mentalities of the heartland and care for newer teams to change.