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The battle, for all intents and purposes, has been won. Surely. The Brisbane Lions simply have to return to their traditional jumper. How could they not?
The club no longer has a choice. The chorus is growing louder by the day, the cause gathering a head of steam. This is an unstoppable movement.
Brisbane erred in a major way back in late 2009 with the introduction of the guernsey they wear today. It is the traditional Lions jumper on an acid trip.
Known as the ‘Paddlepop Lion’ guernsey, it is a relic of a previous administration that wounded what was once an AFL powerhouse club by giving supporters the silent treatment for years.
Nobody wanted it, and nobody wanted to get rid of the traditional guernsey – the one that Brisbane wore against Essendon two weeks ago.
No coincidence that the club had arguably its best win in a decade that night, which was supposed to be a commemoration of the first chapter of the Lions’ three-peat of premierships in the early part of last decade.
It will be worn again tonight at the Gabba against Collingwood, the side that Brisbane beat in 2002 and 2003 to claim premiership glory and complete the trifecta.
If you ask ‘The Lion’s Roar’, a supporters advocacy group that has been established to give Brisbane fans a voice that has been muffled for too long, it should be worn all the time.
For the fans who actually bought the new one, they now have in their possession the perfect piece of miserabilia to remember arguably the darkest post-merger stretch in Lions history – an era marked by poor results, an unhealthy tension with fans and of course, the Fevola disaster.
It is also ugly as sin, and not even close to being in the same league as the traditional design, which was one of the best in the AFL and had genuine meaning behind it.
Some things just shouldn’t be messed with. Everton fans can attest to that as they experience a similar controversy as we speak.
It surrounds their badge, which was more than fine to begin with – so was the Brisbane guernsey. But some executives just can’t help themselves.
Getting rid of the laurel wreaths and the Latin motto in an attempt to streamline the Everton logo has been nothing short of an unmitigated PR disaster.
It’s already too late to change back for next season, but the club has apologised and said it will consider returning to the old one after that. Fair, given 23,000 angry fans signed a petition to say they wanted them to.
The common thread here is how some administrations can choose to not only make a huge decision without fan consultation, but also plug their fingers in their ears when the inevitable outcry comes.
Lions CEO Malcolm Holmes has told AFL Media that the club was unfortunately “locked in” to using the Paddlepop Lion until the end of the 2014 season, due to competition policy which was presumably formed to stop teams from chopping and changing their look.
It is not Holmes’ fault. He is dealing with the mess of his predecessors.
Yet The Lion’s Roar won’t stop banging on the door until their demands are met. Hundreds of fans have signed on to support the return of the old uniform just days after their website, thelionsroar.net, was established – and many more will follow.
The people have spoken.
Tellingly, there is no ‘Save the Paddlepop Lion’ petition doing the rounds.
If it seems a trivial matter, then open your eyes. This isn’t just about Brisbane.
There isn’t a whole lot left of Fitzroy, aside from that famous original lion emblem that used to sit in the middle of Brisbane’s home guernsey – the significance of which was clearly lost on an administration that was busy chasing dollar signs instead.
Well, whatever commercial incentives that convinced the Brisbane brains trust to change the guernsey in the first place must surely exist now that the people are plotting a mutiny.
Brisbane supporters – and the Fitzroy fans still hanging on in Melbourne – are right to be kicking up a stink. Power to them. It’s time to put the Paddlepop Lion back in the freezer.
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