Brisbane coach Michael Voss blasted the AFL over the decision to the play the pre-season final in Melbourne.
The league decided to hold Friday night’s NAB Cup final between the Lions and Carlton at Etihad Stadium, rather than Metricon Stadium, because of the likely crowd.
The Gabba is unavailable next weekend because of cricket.
Brisbane are the only unbeaten team after three rounds of the NAB Cup and qualified for the final on Saturday night with a 34-point win over Collingwood at Etihad Stadium.
Voss said the AFL had lost an opportunity to grow the game against Queensland’s dominant rugby league code.
“That leaves me quite angry, because I’ve been up there for 20-plus years,” he said.
“The captain has made the call, so we move on, but I just think we’ve lost a terrific opportunity.
“We’re trying to grow our own supporter base.
“Any opportunity you get to do that, why wouldn’t we be doing that? I don’t understand.”
Voss also wondered aloud whether the match would be in Melbourne if it was expansion team Gold Coast, rather than Brisbane, who had made the final.
He added the Lions were happy to play away and cater for their strong Melbourne supporter base.
But he noted the NRL season is now underway and the AFL’s two Queensland teams were away this weekend.
“Clearly, it’s not acceptable,” he said of the final being held in Melbourne.
But the league is adamant Etihad Stadium will feature a bigger crowd.
“The largest possible crowd would be drawn at Etihad Stadium ahead of any potential game at Metricon Stadium,” the AFL said in a statement.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was stunned when told the final would be in Melbourne.
“Where is it?,” he asked in amazement.
“Vossy has every reason to be disappointed.”
Meanwhile, Buckley has expressed his disappointment about Dane Swan’s unauthorised television interview.
Collingwood fined Swan for the Footy Show interview, where he denied he had an illicit drug problem.
“Our players know the rules and Dane and his management didn’t follow the rules – it’s pretty simple,” Buckley said.
“It was a no-brainer.
“If you don’t follow the expectations and needs and demands of the footy club, you cop your whack and you move on.
“It’s not a huge issue, but five grand is not a sniff of money.
“I dare say Swanny would understand he couldn’t do it the same way the next time.”
But Buckley said it did not detract from Swan’s strong pre-season.
Swan was rested from Saturday’s match and Buckley said the side for the Brisbane game was picked three weeks ago.
“It doesn’t take away (from) any of the positives we’re seeing from a football perspective (with Swan),” Buckley said.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Again with the 'you ought to try it sometime'! Reminds me of the saga of one honest man's struggle from Nowra to Adelaide, and then, to Sydney. One pilgrims's battle against the evil empire. I read it over the Xmas/new year period. About as phoney as it gets.
Kasey
Guest
Not blindly just accepting the VFL media spin is hardly trolling. you ought to try it sometime, its actually quite refreshing to poke a couple of holes in the spin bubble emanating from under Docklands stadium. Its like waking up from a bad dream to see reality again;)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
A league without Collingwood? Think of all the toothpaste endorsements we could have had; the Colgate Premiership, with the Oral-B Pre-season Cup!
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Im not saying the situation is perfect now, Im saying that theres simply no other way this would have come about. Yes there was a meeting of the top clubs and all, but some were broke and unable to afford the proposed revolution. We'd have had a national league without Collingwood for example.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
If the SCG was unavailable they would have tried for Stadium Australia. If that was unavailable then Melbourne, Skoda is unavailable until after the show, although one wonders if they'd let it be used as a one off in the preseason.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
All well and good to highlight those differences in population. Yet somehow, it has left us with a competition wherein we have as many Sydney teams as WA teams, as many Queensland teams as SA teams and five times as many Victorian teams as anyone else. Are there five times as many Victorians, with five times the wealth, as there are West Australians? Rather quirky, no? All a bit late to change now, of course.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
For near on 30 years, SA and WA have been crying over what could have been, like there was a god given right they had to expect an equal share in a national competition. The fact is, they never had the resources or the population to support what needed to be done without Victoria, and the Vics didnt want to effectively be seen as funding Australian football in WA and SA (which is why Origin came to an abrupt end in the late 80s against SA). Even the NFL acknowledged the VFL primacy - despite the VFL refusing to pariticpate in the study and ignoring its recommendations.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Yeah, lost opportunity here, bad call made.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
"Almost half of which are not in Victoria" Just roll that thought around in your head a bit, spot the concerning part ;)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
That's an actively bizarre comment from a Freo supporter? When have the AFL lifted a finger for the lads in purple (and green and red or whatever else is the fancy of the day?)
TomC
Roar Guru
Damned if you do, damned if you don't really. The AFL is a even more PR-sensitive than usual at the moment, and I think they would have been worried about the image of 4-5000 people attending a pre-season grand final the week before the season starts. But poor old Brisbane have been royally shafted here. They've had a lot of travel already this pre-season, and now six days after the long trip down to Melbourne they have to do it again. And if Etihad's surface is anything like it was last night they'll be worried about tired players getting injured. Certainly not the ideal way for a young team to start a long season.
Brewski
Guest
Disagree about Metricon, that is not Brisbanes home ground, although in QLD and would have benefited the code, if it cant be at Brisbanes home ground, then it should be at Carltons. If the swans won through i would imagine that the SCG would not be available, and the same situation would have happened, however Football Park in Adelaide and Subi would be available had teams from those states won the right to host the game.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
little weight? Hes borderline trolling this part of the site
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
There are 18 clubs in the current "VFL:" as you put it, almost half of which are not based in Victoria. Victorian clubs further play several home matches in Tasmania and Darwin. There are too many Melbourne clubs? None of them are broke - and ALL of them are imrproving financially. By contrast the leagues bottom rung financial performers are Port Adelaide and Brisbane, both leaking millions of dollars each year for several years now. Oddly enough we ended up with what we have because the VFL earnt 250% more than the combined incomes of the WAFL and SANFL in the mid 80s and didnt see the point in having to cave in to the demands of the "minnows" when it could do it itself - bearing in mind the VFL was already receiving applications from WA and SA clubs to join the VFL from 1980, and the NFL itself found that a composite Port-Norwood team should join the VFL in 1986
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
As a carlton man, this game should be at the Gabba. The Gabba was unavailable and Metricon would be close, but very poorly attended. Even so, the game should have been held there.
Kasey
Guest
Why wouldn't the 'A'FL then just choose docklands every year? So much for 'Australia's Game'
langou
Roar Guru
What a load of rubbish, If anything the AFL has been overly kind to interstate clubs with draft concessions, extra money in the salary cap, financial support etc… The game is at Docklands because Brisbane’s home ground isn't available and it will be get a bigger crowd than playing at the Gold Coast.
Dingo
Guest
I would have thought that the venue for the final would be decided before the NAB Cup even starts. Wouldn't the AFL have to organise all sorts of things in advance? I can understand Voss wanting the game to be played up here and maybe it would help get the Lions Membership drive going again also, but is it really as simple as deciding the venue 1 week before the final? It won't matter anyway, Lions by 1 point.
bryan
Guest
I very seldom agree with Kasey,because he has his own agenda! :) However,on this,I think he has a bit of truth there in the mix. The AFL,at heart, is still basically the old VFL,which was a local competition,with various of the old suburbs represented,just like the WANFL,(now WAFL) & the SANFL. The founding clubs would probably have rejected expansion if they had to drop a few clubs out,so we ended up with the old VFL plus a few Interstate clubs. As things transpired,they did have to lose a couple of Melbourne clubs,which were transplanted to become the Sydney Swans & Brisbane Lions .(OK,the Lions merged with the Bears) . Are some of the remaining Melbourne clubs approaching non-viability? Do we have to stack the deck to keep attendance up,by playing more games in Melbourne? On the other hand,these are the realities "Darth" has to deal with,so if the AFL has to move games to Melbourne, they will,not because he is evil,but simply because he is stuck with a historical fact of life. Really,there are too many Melbourne clubs, but who is going to suggest which one should go?
Brewski
Guest
Comments coming from you regarding Australian football have little to no weight. Facts are the Gabba is not available, not because of cricket committments on next weekend,but because the Gabba does not use a drop in wicket, and it takes a week or two to prepare it for football. If the Gabba was available the AFL would love to use it, to further promote the code in SE QLD.