Folau signing about winning Islander support
Roar Guru By rugbyfuture, 2 Jun 2010 rugbyfuture is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, GSW, israel falou, NRL, Rugby League
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As a rugby supporter, I am (somewhat) impartial to the decision of the GWS side to sign the league star, Israel Folau (though it is funny for leaguies to be talking about not being mercenaries).
However, if I was in the AFL or GWS team, I would be wary, again, from a rugby point of view, as it is incredibly dangerous to sign unproven talent. More to the point, there has been an awful lot of jeering in the comments section of certain News Ltd backed publications about how it won’t convert any Sydneysiders.
However, I think the point has been missed: the idea behind signing him lies in the wider Islander populations.
It seems, by Sheedy’s latest comments on the matter, that it is aiming not to be a western Sydney team, but a leader in converting the Islander population to play out of Western Sydney (or if latest rumours are true, middle Sydney).
This may be a smart move on behalf of AFL, who seem to be bent, however unlikely it is, on world spread.
It may attract some Islanders into a code, which until now has not been particularly inspirational for a culture who have a pride in sport, and in particular, football codes.
There is still a risk involved, though, and only time will tell who’s making the right moves.
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- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, GSW, israel falou, NRL, Rugby League
June 2nd 2010 @ 12:48pm
Republican said | June 2nd 2010 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
The AFL desire to dominate the Oceania region and especially that country on tother side of Tasman.
As long as they do so without disenfranchising their own, which these sorts of obscene fiscal marketing incentives tend to do.
The AFL do stand to cut of their nose to spite their face to this end – without a doubt and have become nothing more than a very effective and dominant corporate machine in a sporting sense in this country.
They, together with many of their prosaic supporters, have lost sight of what was unique and indeed unilaterally sustainable about our great game. Is this the thin edge of the wedge because if it is, it may well prove to be their undoing ironically? I do believe League and Union, to a lesser degree, could well benefit from their continued inflated sense of themselves along with this Sheedyesque internationalist cringe of folly that seems to have infiltrated the AFL culture.
June 2nd 2010 @ 1:45pm
Michael C said | June 2nd 2010 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Republican -
the AFL has achieved a competitive advantage in a few areas……but, the opposition don’t stand still forever……
the AFL achieved a competitive advantage in Australia structurally by subjecting itself to David Crawford’s review and the Independant Commission and national league and draft and salary cap followed. God knows where we’d be without those.
The other codes aren’t standing still……..the NRL got left behind but, now, have a successful blue print to follow. It’s easier to follow than to lead.
The AFL is hugely successful with it’s indigenous programs……the Qantas AFL kickstart and now the Flying Boomerangs and the combination of AFL academies plus the Clontarf academies…….but, soccer and League and cricket and basketball etc now have really good blue prints to follow……..
The AFL is doing what it must…….it needs to increase it’s presence in NSW and QLD were over 60% of the Australian indigenous population resides,
and the AFL has the greatest opportunity that it may ever have to increase it’s penetration into the Pacific Islanders communities both in Australia and ‘at home’.
It’s all too easy to knock it,
What was unique would be buried in an instant by a rampaging soccer if Australia hosted a FIFA WC and the VFL was still a 12 teams in Melbourne struggling to pay anyone more than $100,000 a year to play as a semi-professional.
It’s all too easy to knock…….so, instead, tell me how the AFL will sustain a competitive advantage in the Australian market?? Should the AFL ignore the long surviving league in QLD and NSW that have resisted valiantly and grown and now both well outnumber AFL participation in Tassie and in my mind DO actually warrant support and AFL representation.
June 2nd 2010 @ 12:56pm
The Other Reds Fan. said | June 2nd 2010 @ 12:56pm | Report comment
I think that there will be a few upset AFL players seeing a large sum of money go to someone who has never played their game, especially after the novelty wears off (which will be after about 5 games). As a rugby fan I have experienced the bitterness of poaching leaguies for large sums of money who not only don’t add much, if anything, to rugby, but then return to league bagging rugby (all the way to the bank). These guys aren’t interested in AFL. They are mercenaries. Welcome to the rugby union world, AFL fans. When it backfires, don’t say you weren’t warned.
June 2nd 2010 @ 1:00pm
Michael C said | June 2nd 2010 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
after 3 or 4 years in the AFL system, adapting and refining their bodies for Australian Football rather than the Rugby codes – - -I’m not sure that the swap back would be viewed perhaps as readily as it is with RL to RU and back or vice versa.
However – - were they to do so, and to have adapted suitably as an AFL athlete – - then it’d complete the experiment to see effectively how an AFL tuned athlete goes slotted back into a Rugby environment.
That would’t be altogether unwelcomed as a general sportsfans voyueristic curiousity.
June 2nd 2010 @ 5:15pm
The Other Reds Fan. said | June 2nd 2010 @ 5:15pm | Report comment
I was thinking of the youngsters who might miss out on an AFL contract because the money or place in the team went to a league star. By the time they wait 3 or 4 years, their time has passed and they’re working a 9 to 5 job. That’s not the star’s fault, it is the the unintended and silent consequence of the AFL’s plan. Imagine it was your son who missed out on his dream for someone’s experiment. At least rugby players can try their hand overseas.
June 2nd 2010 @ 8:24pm
Michael C said | June 2nd 2010 @ 8:24pm | Report comment
TORF -
keep mindful that there are 2 brand new clubs being established – - and part of their capacity to succeed and survive is based indellibly upon the promotional work that Hunt and Folau will be doing in the intended markets – - – work that no existing or forthcoming AFL player otherwise is qualified for.
If it weren’t for the 2 new clubs and roughly 80-90 new positions being developed – then you’d have a point, but, in this case, it’s not an issue.
June 2nd 2010 @ 1:17pm
Republican said | June 2nd 2010 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
Redb
Why not just encourage the AFL to join forces in creating a hybrid of Union and League, given your very optimistic veiw of our games evolution. More like a devolution to the games origins I say.
Your spin is all the more reason for NOT watching footy me thinks. Our game has almost degenerated into an unrecognisable dogs breaky as a spectacle and that will only get worse as the code lines become further blurred. Those of your persuasion seem to be absolutely oblivious to the compromising of the skill set taking place, a skill set that truely defined our great Indigenouse code.
I certainly struggle to watch more than a quarter of the grovel ball on offer today and believe I may just as well flick over to the ABC in subjecting myself to the Union given the very close resemblance of our codes anyway; and the ABC have NO ads.
P.S. I detest both flooding and zoning, these are a blight on the code without a shadow of a doubt!
June 2nd 2010 @ 2:00pm
Redb said | June 2nd 2010 @ 2:00pm | Report comment
Republican,
I don’t endorse flooding or zoning nor do I enjoy it. You can take that up with the AFL coaches who introduced it.
However, it is a fact of life that congested forward lines have become the norm, all I’m suggesting is that some rugby type skills are useable in AFL more than before.
Line breakers do make the game exciting, we have young Atkinson at Essendon who off half back has made some dashing runs through defences which was good stuff. Blokes with a good step that are big and powerful would be very useful.
Perhaps you don’t see enough live footy.
June 2nd 2010 @ 2:26pm
Republican said | June 2nd 2010 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
Redb
That is real bone of contention, i.e. how much ‘live footy’ the AFL deem Canberra worthy of. I see enough to know the game is appauling to watch mate, but I guess many are simply happy to devour what ever is served up to them.
I say if you do not like it, boycott it Redb, as I often do, then you may influence some change on the part of these win at all cost overpaid coaches out there in footy land.
Our game WILL continue to look more akin to Union in particular – albeit an agricultural and unstructured version of it. The way our once great game is going, which may be fine for some i.e. yourself, Union is looking a whole lot more appealing to my eyes.
June 2nd 2010 @ 2:56pm
Redb said | June 2nd 2010 @ 2:56pm | Report comment
Repub,
I’m fortunate I support a team that plays the game at full throttle, loved Friday night as did the other 45,000 at the game. You should have felt the energy in the Essendon crowd as we surged up the wing!!! Gumby and Ryder taking great grabs, ahh the footy.
if I was a Saints fan yes probably a cliff would be the answer.
June 2nd 2010 @ 3:06pm
Republican said | June 2nd 2010 @ 3:06pm | Report comment
Red
I agree, I like the Bombers style and appraoch alot however the incentive to play as they endeavour to, is not great in the modern game and won’t glean them a flag anytime soon – unfortunately.
I have a soft spot for the Dons since my dads dad was an Essendon man brought up in the West. We became Saints supporters by default really, as his family moved to Elwood and started supporting the locals at the Junction Oval in those days.
I also have family who support the Shinboners and the Blues as well as well entrenched Saints family on my mothers side who grew up in Caulfiled. I seriously am torn at times, as who to barrack for. Being a Canberran, I have taken to the Swannies in recent times, purley because they support this region and my daughter has grown up with a passion for the ‘Bloods.’
Go the mighty Dons – for now anyway.
June 2nd 2010 @ 5:12pm
Republican said | June 2nd 2010 @ 5:12pm | Report comment
P.S.
Agree, the Saints are excruciating to watch.
Cheers
June 2nd 2010 @ 6:18pm
Rob said | June 2nd 2010 @ 6:18pm | Report comment
The bottom line is that I see this as part of the AFL advertising budget. The AFL is attacking not Leagues weakness but its strength in terms of demographics.Whether the player is worth $6 mill is irrelevant or whether he succeeds is irrelevant. He has created headlines and provided exposure for the sport.
June 2nd 2010 @ 9:28pm
Karlos said | June 2nd 2010 @ 9:28pm | Report comment
This is something I put forward two years ago in regards to the AFL interchange and bigger players coming into the game.
Hunt and Folau could change nature of AFL
Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau could change AFL recruiting by opening the door for more Polynesians, a leading high performance fitness coach said on Wednesday.
John Quinn, a Sydney 2000 Olympics track coach who was in charge of player fitness during Essendon’s golden run under supercoach Kevin Sheedy, believes the spiralling number of interchanges will help Hunt and Folau make the transition.
AFL clubs now regularly make more than 120 interchanges per game, prompting calls for the number to be capped.
But if the AFL continues to allow the number to go uncapped, Quinn predicted clubs would begin scouting for bigger, stronger athletes.
“Maybe these two guys will redefine the way the game is played if they’re used to it coming from a rugby league background,” Quinn told AAP as debate raged about the merits of splashing out millions of dollars on two league stars who have not played AFL.
“Their body type and the explosiveness they’ll bring into the game could actually be a masterstroke for these two franchises.
Back to me; AFL has gone softer in the last couple years and I see a collision with The AFL Mums not wanting thier (soft)AFL boys to be hurt by Polys etc being in the game. Sheedy was sprouting about not everyone having the courage to play Rugby League and cited the size of Polys as an obstacle for Rugby Union and League in recruiting smaller Australian and other nationallities not so long ago; so as is usual Sheedy and the AFL is playing so much spin that it forgets where it is.
June 3rd 2010 @ 10:48am
Republican said | June 3rd 2010 @ 10:48am | Report comment
Karlos
i agree and that is my fear as an avid and dare I say purist of our once great game.
Those of my persuasion will drop their support if they are not already, however that this will impact on the overall support of the code is a moot point.
Suffice to say, I think the game as we knew it is lost forever as I blog and it is not something I care to watch anymore to be brutally honest. With Union and League cultures embracing it for the fillthy lucre, it is going to be further compromised in rite – ‘Australian’ no more.
Cheers