Folau walkout a mozzie bite for AFL

Ok, sorry, I thought you numbers were already eliminating the transfers. Fair enough. A net aggregate figure of a bit above $1 billion sounds right then. TC

Its a little harder to quantify than that. the league gives back about half its funds (last year 159 million - more than NRL hq earnt in total) to the clubs and that has to be factored in. So just over a billion. TV rights is closer to 20$ of the total.

Thanks for the update. So I will have to change my line to the AFL and clubs earning $1.2 billion per annum, meaning the TV rights only represent 16.6% of total revenue. If the AFL's massive TV deal only represents 16.6% of revenue - then that's a lot of sponsorship and membership/gate receipts money coming in. People shouldn't feel too affronted about the odd free ticket or low cost memberships sales. TC

when the reports are done this year, the clubs are going to come close to hitting 750-800 million on their own (about 740 million last year). The league will top 400 - 450 million on its own. (was at 340+ million last year + increase in tv rights of 100 million a year, radio rights up another 1.2 million a year)

Theres plenty of coin out there. Thats the worst argument ive heard.

top post potstirrer. couldnt agree more.

Also the AFL and AFL clubs have major sponsors who receive stacks of tickets to share out amongst employees and clients. I have been the beneficiary of such tickets in the past. Yes, they were free to me - but they were paid for, plus some. The money had already made it's way to the bank well before the opening siren. This is the incredible thing: the AFL and clubs together earn revenue of $1 billion per annum. TV revenue, as good as the broadcast deal is some 20% of that. Where does the rest come from? Big memberships, big attendances, big sponsorships, big merchandise sales. Yet we constantly find supporters of other piddling sports, who themselves have been known to open up the gates for nothing, trying to make out that AFL attendances are a matter of free tickets, that you can't believe memberships numbers, etc, etc. People - trust the money in the bank. Have a bite of the coin - it's real all right. TC

Which is the most compelling argument against him being recruited in the first place. I agree that there was some marketing merit in getting him across (lots and lots of free press), all of those positives are outweighed by the fact that there were other more deserving players who missed out on money and opportunites as a result.

Another madeup stat I remember the Warriors and the Storm both defending lower crowd figures 2 years ago by saying they gave out less freebies - this when the Warriors Eden park game went from 44K to 36K in 2 years but they alleged they got more paying customers... If by Swans freebies they mean SCG members supplementary tickets yes they are free (if you are with a paying member) but the same applies in the SFS Allianz stadium at NRL games and this year because of the Noble stand demolition the SCG supp tickets werent available.

There's no doubt that the high prices for finals tickets contributed to lower-than-expected crowds. The AFL need to look at this. The prelim crowd of 57k for Syd v Coll was a disgrace...and before that, Adel v Freo 32k...unbelievable.

TC - it's true that the AFL can charge double the NRL ticket price - but should they? A few of the finals games may have been sell outs if not for the increased price and may have enticed a few non AFL fans to experience a finals game. I'd like to know where 'a lot' of Swans tickets were given away free. It may have been true with the Giants, but why would the Swans need to do that - they're the most attended team in Sydney.

Thanks Boom yes after the cricket deals on the sub continent and basketball refereeing irregularities in the US (still to be proved) etc and now increasing betting in Aussie sport its a bit difficult not to get a jaundiced view of the whole thing. But you are right - the AFL led with their chin and Demon club officials must have been sorely tempted to "trial new setups new players." After all the US basketball had to introduce a lottery for bottom placed teams to minimise err "playing for next season." But as we both know its all about the TV...

Nostradamus There was a lot of fishy stuff going on with the Roosters at that time. After finishing with the wooden spoon in 2009, they then somehow went onto secure new sponsors (Steggles) to then feature in the first five rounds on Channel Nine. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/clubs-fume-at-spoon-fed-roosters/story-e6frexnr-1225819411638 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/manly-sea-eagles-snubbed-by-channel-nine/story-e6frexnr-1225848233012 With Gynell both at the head of Nine and on the board of the Roosters it isn't too hard to connect the dots and see just how compromised rugby league was (and probably still is) at the time. I used to be into Motor racing until one day when visiting the pit area, after watching a televised "close race" where the lead changed many times (exciting stuff), only to then witness the winning driver getting out the car, slamming the door closed and going off in a big tirade. When one of his crew went to console him and remind him he'd just won, the driver went onto say " it was a f...ing set up... the whole thing....the TV people had pressured him to "mix it up a little". From that day, I felt I lost a little innocence and became extremely cynical of most sport. I still enjoy sport, but living in the so called "world capital of sport", one find ones self continually reading and reinterpreting the sports news. What concerns me the most, is that so called journos fearful of being ostracised continue to report the spin "for the greater good". Not sure what can be done. I continue to enjoy "grass roots" supporters nature of blogs such as theroar and enjoy the challenges that fellow roarers engage one another with as well as getting insights to other sports. Long may this continue.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/a-fishy-finale-to-the-roosters-sad-season/2009/09/25/1253813612020.html?page=3

Apparently there was a suggestion that the Melbourne staff (not players) had a nod an a wink and if you know how these things work (in business and govt) there would heave been unstated winks and nods is my guess and nothing in writing. Yet the players maybe stuffed it by winning games - hard to prove that trying kids, mixing up positions as happened in previous years when teams had no chance of making finals comapred to tanking - tanking means players not trying whereas all players will have tried no doubt with careers are on the line but maybe the coaches took the long view (subject to interpretation). Its interesting to note that the Fairfax papers (who hire well known AFL contrarians like Lyon, Lane, etc) have gone in hard on this whereas the News Ltd papers with AFL money in Sydney and brisbane have gone less so. The AFL could promise to buy more ads in Fairfax papers ( to prevent extortion - glad to see you admit it exists) or buy time on Sydneys Fairfax 2UE or they could ride out the storm (no pun intended). Your use of term match fixing is disingenuous (deliberately) - and I have answered your qns how about answering mine regarding the 2009 Roosters v Cowboys match where the bookies suspended betting and the fav duly landed with an amazing second half comeback. And hoe did Ryan tandy know the Bulldogs would receive...

So Nostradamus, as a person that works in media, would you say that the match fixing allegations will harm the game or will the AFL buy its way out of trouble by placing more ads and entertaining those with influence? All we see here is "nothing to see, move along" to "it was needed for the greater good" and "whilst misplaced was well intentioned"

And of course Craig Fitzgibbons last game for the Roosters???

Your second scenario can be applied equally to the Demons but also inclusive of senior management and club officials. It's no more honorable than what Ryan Tandy was found guilty of and if anything more disturbing when one hears consistently (in Melbourne) that "it was for the greater good". Its match fixing plain and simple.

Let's weight it up: On the one hand you have a hopeless team who everyone expects will lose most of their games, including the bookies, and that's what happened - true to form. On the other hand, you have a carefully pre-meditated ruse, between players on the field, to con the bookies and extract a financial benefit, fabricating an event on the field during game time. Hmmm.... TC

And the Melbourne Demons didn't play to lose either. Ryan Tandy was a shocker, but the tanking seems endemic and much much wider.