GWS show plenty of promise at Blacktown

Port Adelaide Magpies != Port Adelaide Power

Izzy did enough to warrant his place in the side- sure he needs to improve a few things, but watching him live; off the ball he did everything right.

At least the AFL doesnt get their juniors to pay and prop up the premier competition like soccer/HAL, instead its the reverse the AFL pours money into Auskick and junior leagues. I have always thought that if parents stopped enrolling their kids in soccer, the HAL might fold.

Definitely agree with that, it was just a bit of an observation - Marley looked as natural a footballer as you're ever going to find. The other interesting thing is that Collingwood was able to get no less than three NSW boys on scholarships and rookie listed before the creation of GWS, and all three look like worthwhile picks - they definitely were on the ball in that regard.

Splitting hairs mate. The GWS name was deliberately selected because the intention was always to reach out to SW NSW where there is a large, dedicated Australian Football following going right back to the earliest days. The GWS academy takes in the whole region. Three games will be played each year in Canberra, and pre-season games will also be played in Albury and Wagga when they can be organised.

its 3 games a YEAR for ten years...so its 20 million for 30 games. not 3.

The team St. George Illawarra is on the club badge as it is their name. The difference is that the Dragons now represent both the St. George area of Sydney and the Illawarra region of NSW. They both have equal share of home games as what was decided when they merged. GWS are claiming to be the Western Sydney team and as such calling themselves that. I never heard of the Greater Werstern Sydney, ACT and Southern NSW AFL team

Titus, Cf Port Adelaide. You might also have a look at the NT Thunder, as its credible at some point they will go into the AFL.

Marley probably grew up with the game though, like Dustin Martin, Shane Savage and Aaron Edwards. Izzy looks a bit like Hunt did last year (lost and not fully AFL conditioned).

Ian All teams in the German and English football divisions can gain promotion to the top tier. I was just showing that average attendances is just one way of demonstrating the size of a league or sport on a world scale....cherry picking data if you like.

That chap is not best representative of the sport in Australia and got made a fool of on that programme ( buy himself) .

Bulldogs were close to a full team, min us cooney, lake and higgins, collingwood were far from it, so if they had have got belted in both games, it would be along year ahead. Once Scully, WArd, Power, and other younger players get more gametime, there's no reason why they can't be competitive. Id expect early on, that they'll struggle, to run out a a whole game and to be competitive but once they get a structured gameplan and their fitness improves, theres no reason why they can't win 2 - 3 gaMES. I was very impressed last night with their pressure and bravery.

Am I missing something. The Blacktown International Sportspark has a listed capacity of 10000. Just looking at the highlights on the ABC sport and looking at the crowd, was the stadium at 70% capacity or is there plenty of allocated space? If one put another 3000 (or 50% of) people in there, it would not have looked even half full.

Titus I should hope that the Bundesliga has double the aggregate attendance of the AFL! One of the wealthiest and best soccer leagues in the world, in a large prosperous country of 80 million, soccer being its only form of football, with 20 teams playing 38 rounds (380 games versus 198 games) - you'd expect a minimum of double the aggregate attendance of the AFL - wouldn't you??

One of the things I dislike most about inept code warriors is the way they cherry-pick data ; the above post by Titus is an example of this. The Football Association in the UK covers a lot more than the 94 teams of the EPL, and they all get to play in the FA Cup. Similarly, there are a number of other leagues who play Australian Rules, including but not limited to the WAFL, the SANFL and the NEAFL, with the AFL spreading development money throughout them. And then using this to build a straw man argument, as if Cattery had said that the AFL was bigger than the Bundesliga ? A classic example of misleading, deceptive and dishonest rhetoric.

Its not really an indication of the size of the games though is it? The Bundesliga has double the aggregate attendance of the AFL and it also has a number of very strong divisions, cup ties, champions league matches, internationals. The EPL also, something like 94 teams throughout the divisions, repeat all around the world. The game of Australian Rules Football is one competition of 18 teams. As far as leagues go it is pretty respectable, probably up there with the Turkish Super League or the J-league, as far as sports go it is probably just squeezing into the top 10.

I don't really see your point, it was a conversation about as interesting as the codewars on here, and I would say the hosts(Robbo?) was equally as arrogant as the soccer guy, seemed like some sort of shock jock story.

yewonk we hear these sorts of discussions on an almost daily basis right here on the Roar, in fact, Titus himself has made the same points made by Tony Raciti many, many times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA0omUJkr3Y funny you guys should talk about this. this was an argument between a gws man gav robbo, graham hughes from the doggie and an arrogant soccer man.

This interesting article discloses the cost of the GWS players residential facilities at Breakfast Point in relation to their salaries. Kevin Sheedys wife found that complex when they (Kevin and his wife) were originally shopping for a house and his wife thought that with so many young players away from home for the first time the set up was perfect. However it is likely that as the club matures the players and their families will eventually disperse to the burbs. Very negative comments have been posted by the naysayers about the set up but it would be enlightening to know where the NRL stars from that area live. The Vic clubs are absolutely counting on the "Go home factor" with the leading Vic youngsters on the GWS list. http://www.watoday.com.au/afl/afl-news/fear-not-victoria-20120218-1tg65.html?rand=1329571019198