AFL Announces Expansion To 19

On 22/05/2023 at 09:14, bbfaz said:

However, I think now NRL has the momentum and the façade of AFL in the Eastern States is crumbling

It was one of the senior administrators of the Sydney swans who said the other day that fumbleHQ should seriously consider hosting their ridiculous equivalent of Magic Round in Sydney such is the inertia that fumbleball is facing in that city. Something backed up by the poor tv viewing figures despite the  40+ years presence of the swans and of course the failure of the midgets.

It seems that unless you are brought up with the game fumbleball as a sport for any serious adult does not bear close scrutiny. It`s had its` moment in the sun what with Leagues travails over the last twenty years but a resurgent NRL only highlights which code, as the advertising campaign said this year, is "NRL UNREAL REAL ACTION REAL FOOTBALL" I don`t think that it was by chance that they ended that campaign with those two words. The NRL want people to make the comparison, fumbleball has had a free ride in the media for way too long. Your average unthinking nong needs to know, when you really look at it, how ridiculous it is.

3 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

 

Where did you get to see them? i.e. when was this and what was the FTA TV coverage in NSW like at the time?

In the early 80s when I started watching there was a game on FTA every Saturday and Sunday (if they were playing Sunday footy by then).

It was also an era when the sports report on the nightly news would last around ten minutes, giving a reasonable update on all NSWRL and VFL fixtures amongst other sports which happened during the day.

Up to the 70s, the Sydney news would also give the scores of the Sydney Football League and sometimes highlights of a big game.

My father made the back page of the Sydney press one Monday morning in very unimpressive circumstances, with a half page picture and an article to go with it.

3 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

That's tantamount to my description of "getting rid of it any old how". And after the ball has been fumbled from one congested/contested space to another congested/contested space, a player who picks it up is instantly tackled and the cycle repeats. Until the umpire's had enough and calls a halt.

It requires a giant leap of faith to think all this makes sense. You enjoy the game, so you are willing to believe. It's chicken and egg for me. I don't enjoy the game precisely because I regard belief in Aussie Rules as like belief in fairies.

You can denounce the sport all you like, it makes no difference to me if you like it or not.

I must admit I don’t read all the threads on the TRL forum, but I do read many. I feel like your most commonly discussed topic is Australian Rules, which is reasonably fascinating considering how much time you spend simply mocking the sport.

31 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

You can denounce the sport all you like, it makes no difference to me if you like it or not.

I must admit I don’t read all the threads on the TRL forum, but I do read many. I feel like your most commonly discussed topic is Australian Rules, which is reasonably fascinating considering how much time you spend simply mocking the sport.

My most commonly discussed topic is one I've given up discussing. Aussie Rules would be well down the list. Quite prepared to desist from that subject too if you'd prefer to avoid it.

Strange move though, to start a thread on AFL when you don't want to read opinions on AFL.

You have a kindred spirit on L.U. Here's a few comments aimed at me over there -

"Post your AFL c### elsewhere"

"You should become our AFL correspondent. You seem very informed about upcoming games and crowds"

"Our crowds went up. Maybe you and your AFL friends can learn from us"

You and this bloke should hook up. I'm more than happy to butt out. Should be reasonably fascinating.

3 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

My most commonly discussed topic is one I've given up discussing. Aussie Rules would be well down the list. Quite prepared to desist from that subject too if you'd prefer to avoid it.

Strange move though, to start a thread on AFL when you don't want to read opinions on AFL.

You have a kindred spirit on L.U. Here's a few comments aimed at me over there -

"Post your AFL c### elsewhere"

"You should become our AFL correspondent. You seem very informed about upcoming games and crowds"

"Our crowds went up. Maybe you and your AFL friends can learn from us"

You and this bloke should hook up. I'm more than happy to butt out. Should be reasonably fascinating.

Lol, nah I don’t need to take anyone Loke that on. Sounds like a pain in the ######.

I’m all for discussing AFL, and happy to do so with you, it’s just seems your primary objective is to belittle it. Take pot shots at it. Follow the fumbleball narrative, rather than have a discussion on it. You do at least have a finger on the pulse, which is refreshing. 

I try to keep any reference of AFL off the main forum now. It just incites too much anger from people who really have no idea of it and refuse to take on alternative opinions or facts which don’t fit their bias.

5 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I’m all for discussing AFL, and happy to do so with you, it’s just seems your primary objective is to belittle it. Take pot shots at it. Follow the fumbleball narrative, rather than have a discussion on it. You do at least have a finger on the pulse, which is refreshing. 

That's not a fair characterisation of this thread. The fundamental narrative is that I am a RL fan first and foremost. Like the Trollfinder General on L.U. you seem neurotically suspicious of anyone with the slightest knowledge of AFL.

5 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I try to keep any reference of AFL off the main forum now. It just incites too much anger from people who really have no idea of it and refuse to take on alternative opinions or facts which don’t fit their bias.

Maybe look in the mirror on that one. We've exchanged opinions on the credibility of specific rules and their effects on the play. I reserve the right to be unconvinced... when you haven't convinced me.

The following is something I intended posting yesterday. In my L.U. alter ego guise of AFL troll and fanboy -

On 22/05/2023 at 00:14, bbfaz said:

So, that means either Perth 3, eventhough both their current teams are struggling 

The last 4 attendances at Optus were Dockers 46k and 37k, Eagles 36k and 48k. That is not struggling.

Of course you mean on-field results, but that isn't how to measure the success of a franchise. Factors that produce crowds that size irrespective of playing form are far more significant.

A truth worthy of consideration by NRL fans who focus on winning to the exclusion of all else. When every year they and their media dump on the teams at the bottom end of the ladder, they are really dumping on the NRL competition and the game of Rugby League.

2 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

Of course you mean on-field results, but that isn't how to measure the success of a franchise. Factors that produce crowds that size irrespective of playing form are far more significant.

A truth worthy of consideration by NRL fans who focus on winning to the exclusion of all else. When every year they and their media dump on the teams at the bottom end of the ladder, they are really dumping on the NRL competition and the game of Rugby League.

It is not my opinion that the onfield fortunes of West Coast Eagles and Fremantle should make any difference to whether the AFL put another team in Perth (preferably called Perth).

However, a number of articles that I've read about team 20 made light of the fact and used it as an excuse for why you wouldn't put a new team there.

Perhaps, they are trying to create a narrative that the AFL shouldn't expand to the most obvious existing market and should instead find somewhere new, be it Northern Territory / Far North Queensland, Hunter Region, Sunshine Coast or wherever. Both sports have their fair share of people who advocate for completely unrealistic things.

If it were me, I'd look at Adelaide 3 too.

On 16/05/2023 at 02:09, The Rocket said:

People on your side of the world should know that fumbleball`s expansion into Tasmania really is seen as a bit of a joke, even fumbleball HQ didn`t want to go there and that`s why they are demanding so much off the Tassie Gov`t. Truth is though, they had nowhere else to go. Tassie: Half million pop. spread to the four winds and a backward economy to boot.

Funny thing now is they are starting to try and create a bit of hype around the `Northern Territory for number 20.` N.T. population 150 000 and dirt poor, it`s laughable.

They recently said they wpuldn`t go to N.Z. because there is no money there. Truth is they would give their eye teeth to be able to put a team in N.Z. but Kiwi`s are just not interested in fumbleball.

Didn't they used to put on games at the Sky Stadium in Wellington 10 years ago or so.

On 22/05/2023 at 01:13, Sports Prophet said:

NRL and RL people complain about everything. So many of the people supporting it have a tremendous chip on their shoulder. If the fans wish to be upset at the disproportionate positive media coverage the AFL gets, then that is something to direct at the media. The NRL media love the off field drama almost as much as the game on a weekend. I find that the off field dramas of AFL (which obviously exists as much as NRL) just aren’t as big a talking point. I call it lazy journalism on RLs behalf. I don’t find there to be any good RL panel shows. 

In my experience, in AFL states, the fans predominantly don’t have hostility for RL. Of course there are exceptions. Alternatively, it seems RL fans are brought up to have a hostility to AFL.

AFL in London is a great scene. I played for North London Lions and in many ways was the best sports club I have ever been a part of. There was a great culture and we would turn out a firsts, seconds and thirds like most London AFL clubs. We used to get 60+ blokes having a run at training on a Thursday night at Regents Park. The social side of the club was unmatched by any club I have been involved with. I suppose it does help that the overwhelming majority of the club were young Aussie tourists, in town for up to two years where having fun was the primary objective of the trip.

Do you have any cross overs with the London GAA Football players ?

On 22/05/2023 at 13:10, bbfaz said:

Was a great scene.  They're not getting the same quantity of Aussies coming to London as they used to and the ones that do come are on longer visas.  They also started tinkering with the rules so that you could throw the ball.  It's not your father's Aussie Rules anymore.

West London, Wandsworth and North London still have numbers but Putney folded and they have a league where 1s and 2s now play together.  SE London Giants play in the social league, Sussex and Reading do too now.  There's now a women's league and that's the only growth in the game.  Outside London, the consolidation of Aussie Rules UK into AFL London has been disastrous.  There are only four teams left, playing festivals but they can't get consistent numbers for that.

Back when I played in 2009, I said that the skills gap was massive and the only way to develop players was to play a longer season to try to encourage local players to play.  I understand that's not viable but there are public Rugby pitches dotted around central London and the inner suburbs (Regent's Park, Shoreditch, Hackney Marshes, Hammersmith, Fulham) which could be used for a 9-a-side league, though I thought the best solution was to play 11-a-side to Footy 9s rules.  I imagine that's miles away now, though it was viable in 2009 IMO.

The North East used to have 8 clubs playing 9 a side and as far as Hartlepool but I think we have 1 team now.

On 22/05/2023 at 15:03, Sports Prophet said:

While at high school, I was playing RL for the school, as well as playing club RL, RU and Australian Rules on the weekends.

I was a pretty handy footballer in all codes, but as I was getting older I was becoming better suited to one over the others.

I was performing best at League, then Union, then Aussie Rules.

From an enjoyment perspective, I was enjoying Aussie Rules most, followed by League and Union. While you may think Australian Rules is a shocking sport for kids, it is thoroughly enjoyed by many in Australia.

If you played all those sports at the same time then how did you have time to watch the pro games ?

39 minutes ago, EggFace said:

If you played all those sports at the same time then how did you have time to watch the pro games ?

I was very busy. There was footy every day of the week. I started watching footy well before I was even old enough to play it. 

1 hour ago, EggFace said:

Do you have any cross overs with the London GAA Football players ?

I don’t think so. Maybe in the ladies teams. We did have a few Irish players in our team, but I don’t think they were playing Gaelic Football as well. 

1 hour ago, EggFace said:

The North East used to have 8 clubs playing 9 a side and as far as Hartlepool but I think we have 1 team now.

I think the lack of tourism has hit hard. 

3 hours ago, EggFace said:

Didn't they used to put on games at the Sky Stadium in Wellington 10 years ago or so.

Fizzled out very quickly due to lack of interest.

Seems to have massively contracted since its peak - fewer than 20 clubs UK wide taking part in the leagues running currently and mostly not playing 18-aside games. In the northern & central england league, which has 4 teams, Huddersfield have forfeited 3 of their 4 games so far and one whole round of fixtures was cancelled due to lack of players. I guess the lack of Australians coming here to work these days has had a big impact.

4 hours ago, JonM said:

Seems to have massively contracted since its peak - fewer than 20 clubs UK wide taking part in the leagues running currently and mostly not playing 18-aside games. In the northern & central england league, which has 4 teams, Huddersfield have forfeited 3 of their 4 games so far and one whole round of fixtures was cancelled due to lack of players. I guess the lack of Australians coming here to work these days has had a big impact.

No one of playing age now would have seen it on terrestrial at any point so that makes a difference too.

5 hours ago, Damien said:

 

 

In socks.

On 15/05/2023 at 10:24, Damien said:

As far as the effect on the NRL goes there is not a place that the AFL could expand to that would have less effect than Tasmania. Its a place where RL is non-existent and where the AFL where dominant anyway.

Feel really sorry for them....a rubbish little state and no RL....can we organise sending care packages with a copy of League express in it?

11 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Feel really sorry for them....a rubbish little state and no RL....can we organise sending care packages with a copy of League express in it?

Why compound their misery like that?

On 14/06/2023 at 12:31, Sports Prophet said:

I was very busy. There was footy every day of the week. I started watching footy well before I was even old enough to play it. 

Reincarnation?

On 14/06/2023 at 13:13, Sports Prophet said:

I think the lack of tourism has hit hard. 

We started refusing visas to applicants called Greg, Grant, Brad, or Brett. That did the trick.

On 21/05/2023 at 18:18, unapologetic pedant said:

Result from today - Hawthorn 142 West Coast 26

Reckon that's the biggest blowout I've seen yet.

Was, until this - Swans 205 Eagles 34.

With a salary cap and draft, how can a club the size of WCE sink this low?

Time for an ultimatum - either merge with the Dockers or relocate to Cronulla.

Random fact of the day - AFLW Adelaide v Essendon was played at Wigan Oval.

Naming rights affair, not a place. Company offers a range of services including "solar energy, demolition, earthworks, and industrial high pressure cleaning".