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In 2014, after more than 100 years of AFL football, there are many who claim they are the game’s true rivals.
Some fans claim it is Geelong and Hawthorn, others will say it is West Coast and Fremantle, you could choose Collingwood and Carlton or even Adelaide and Port Adelaide.
All seemingly great rivalries but they pale in comparison to the biggest rivalry in the AFL. It is a lasting rivalry of over a century and a rivalry that is as big today as it has ever been.
Victoria versus the nation.
While the AFL has branded itself as a national competition since 1990, the notion of being a national competition has never really caught with football fans. Some argue the lack of a team from Tasmania prevents it from being a national competition, but the wider argument – especially from beyond the Victorian borders – is that how can a national competition be claimed when the origins were from a state league and over half the teams in the league remain from that state league?
It was over the past fortnight where the realisation came to me that the east versus west and indeed Victoria versus the rest rivalry still existed as strongly as ever before.
On one evening I had the fortune of sitting with a predominately Victorian group in a match against an interstate club. The next evening I was with a group of West Australians watching a match against a Victorian club. Topping off the weekend was then hearing both West Australians and South Australians summarise the weekend on Sunday.
Despite seeing it from different perspectives, the overwhelming emotions were the same – regardless where the fan came from. A mix of contempt, loathe, disbelief and frankly downright hatred. Football fans are passionate and the Victoria versus interstate debate brings out the best or worst of that passion.
Perhaps the ironic part of this debate is that the arguments that both sides make are exactly the same. They complain about umpiring bias in home matches. They loathe the bias commentary of a local commentary team. They find disgust in the way the media operate in local markets. They create conspiracies against their state or team. They truly believe that the competition is not national.
The arguments are the same, but the football upbringing means that most fans seem unable to take an unbiased or national view of the game. Despite all the AFL’s attempts to claim a national competition, this is still a game based upon region.
Perhaps it always will be. The upbringing that most football fans have is in one state. It is impossible to get away from the popular belief that it is not just team versus team, but state against state.
Outside of Victoria the AFL is always going to be perceived as a Victorian competition while inside Victoria there is belief that any successful interstate team is threatening the fabric the game stood for.
Then again, maybe it is why the game has continued to be successful for over 150 years. That passion for state against state might override clubs and players. Perhaps the legend of AFL is in the notion of it being Victoria against the rest. Geelong and Hawthorn may captivate the football public for this week and weekend.
But by next week that rivalry will be replaced by this rivalry that is always bubbling and likely never will die. Victoria versus interstate.
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