Matthews calls for one AFL team in Queensland

What have the Suns done in the last 6 years to deserve retention? ... Maybe because The Lions have a History and have won 3 premierships. They have the right to stay IMO.....

Sometimes even legends are wrong, ask a certain Geelong redhead !.

The Suns have 12,243 members so far this year. Leigh Matthews lacks a long term view of the Suns. Matthews has completely lacked a long-term view of the game in Queensland. Gold Coast is the sixth biggest city in Australia. The AFL has made a very smart and wise long-term decision for the next 25-40 years with the Suns on the Gold Coast. This is just Matthews opinion and it has been since the Suns joined the AFL that the participation in Queensland has grown 82 percent. The AFL want to make this work.

No, if the Lions and Suns were successful we would not be having this conversation. But they’re not. So we are. What do you hope to point out by continuing to raise this totally hypothetical claim? That the Lions will someday be successful and win premierships again, so we shouldn’t talk about their plight? Right now I can see 17 other clubs with a better chance of winning a premiership than the Lions in the next 20 years. I’m not joking either, the Lions have literally the worst starting base for premiership success out of ANY club in the league. You show me a club that is worse placed in terms of their base and facilities for success than the Lions. You can’t. I don’t disagree that the Lions have played a large role in creating their current shoddy platform for success, I agree the decisions at a board level have been execrable, the list management has been god-awful, the re-branding was fake plastic rubbish. About the only thing I disagree on was the sacking of Vossy, I think we’d seen close to peak Voss. When 5 young players all walk out because they don’t think the coach is a good communicator someone’s head has to roll, and from all accounts down at Port, Michael Voss isn’t a great coach there either. I’ve no regrets that he was pushed out. What I am saying, and what I have consistently said, is that at some point the AFL has got to realise what they have up here in Brisbane is a club that is being left behind. And at some point we have got to be forgiven for crappy decisions in the past, and shown some generosity and assistance from the league. Otherwise I don’t see how the Lions situation is ever going to change.

the only people who will ever be interested in such a silly game come from south of the Murray Its just too girly

One more thing - if the Suns were never formed and did not exist what sort of crowds would the lIons be getting today ? Would they be getting an extra 13k or whatever the Suns crowds average ?.

I agree with some of what you say, particularly about travelling fans to the GC during a southern winter, the GC juniors have increased every year and is now quite a big junior league there are plenty of kids who may in the future be drafted from that part of the world through the GC academy. This game is not like soccer or even rugby where if you cant get locals you just import from o/s, much funding is put into the game locally at grass roots because that is where the future is, the GC academy will probably draft 3 locals this year, it is a decent crop. Matthews is after some quick money.

So, are you suggesting if the Lions were a top 8 or round about and the Suns were also top 8 and possibly top 4 we would be having this discussion ?. Therefore if both clubs were competitive without being world beaters would there still only be enough room for one club in SE QLD ?. Matthews is just asking for handouts. here we go -- The Suns didn't make us recruit Fev in return for Bradshaw, Risca and Henderson (essentially) The Suns didn't make us change into the paddlepop logo The Suns didn't make us change into the paddlepop jumper The Suns didn't make us sack Voss when he was truly starting to find his feet as senior coach The Suns didn't make us recruit Michael Bowers as our CEO The Suns didn't make us recruit Angus Johnson as chairman Plus: GWS made the Swans stronger Port made the Crows stronger Freo didn't weaken the Eagles... in fact they are one of the main, main powerhouses of the comp I hate it when our administration blame the Suns for our problems, it's such a loser mentality that has to go. Everything wrong with the club over the past few years and today has been our own admin's doing.

The NRL own the GC Titans who have had plenty of downs in their time there (eg count the members in crowd numbers even when they don't turn up). Strategically the GC Suns are very important because the Qld Govt invested heavily to get Victorians etc who do travel to support their team to boost Qld tourism. Also a lot of athletes grow up on the Coast because of the natural attributes of the place. If AFL gets a piece of that well done and they achieve returns in TV revenue far beyond their cost. A rival says they shouldn't exist and people take notice - wow but he might have been getting the locals and players to show a bit of fight...Similar to news Ltd allowing heavy sanctions on Storm to get the State behind the Storm against NSW decision because they hadn't grown much support despite winning the comps...

Paul, I agree a merger at present makes sense in that AFL is well under NRL as the code of choice in Queensland and I don't see that changing. The growth of the area is the fact why I believe two teams should continue and as someone from the Gold Coast I don't support any Brisbane teams (I have a Rugby League background and hate the Bronco's for what they did to the Chargers) but a reasonable majority probably would. If the funds are there then I think they should preserve though the comments from Chancho are also interesting as it is the training facilities etc which got the Titans into trouble (combined with bad management and the gfc) and it is these off field things that make being competitive difficult even with a salary cap for players

You’re a funny man Harry. You talk about slow ascents and descents, and then when I frame my argument for sustained success over a long period, such as the next half decade or longer and why it’s a much tougher prospect for the Lions, you claim 4 teams are top 4 this week so clearly they’re the best sides. Of course I don’t agree with you on your trite question that they have the best facilities or players, I’m talking about sustained success over a long period, and why richer clubs are better insulated against crashing hard at the bottom of the ladder, and have a better chance of reaching the very top rung. But all of those clubs have better resources than Brisbane’s facilities, and I’d be very comfortable in saying that the Swans or Geelong in particular would get more out of a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick than Brisbane ever would, in terms of unlocking the most of their potential. Ultimately you can’t assemble a side full of first round picks (unless you’re GWS), so in order to be successful you have to be able to extract the utmost from your mid-tier talent, and that is where Brisbane will always come unstuck. Our mid-tier talent gets flogged week in, week out in the NEAFL, are coached by lesser minds then you will find at other clubs since we can’t afford to pay the best, or attract the best even if we could, given the relocation to Brisbane puts a lot of would-be coaches and staff off. Our facilities are inferior, we know less about our player’s health and bodies than other clubs – witness the swathe of injuries the Lions have endured. I know sports science is a bit of a 4 letter word, particularly in cricketing parlance and fast bowlers, but surely knowing more about your players health and wellbeing can help insulate you against injuries. It’s funny you make a statement like “SE QLD has a decent enough base for 2 teams and whether that is actually correct is a moot point, the AFL will assist them as they should” And then spend a lot of time saying it’s the Lions own fault for wasting their money. It’s very inconsistent, along with a lot of your hypothetical claims that if the Lions were a top 8 side we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Really. No shtuck, Sherlock. But they’re not, and so we are. Let me ask you a few questions to finish off. Do you think the AFL should step in with a financial assistance package, such as in the form of waiving the $8 million of the Lions debt owed to the AFL? Should the AFL fund the money the Lions have “banked” under the provisions of the salary cap by underpaying in the previous seasons for when some of our talent come up for contract renewal, to help ward off poachers? The Lions have the cap space but don’t have the physical funds to cover the wages. Do you not think the Lions should be given funds to cover this, given they have done the right thing by AFL rules? And finally, at what point does the AFL take responsibility for the state of its brand and image in Queensland? There are two clubs up here that are as irrelevant as any club in any sporting code in the whole of Australia. What is the point of all those junior signings you’ve mentioned if the only examples they see of players at a top level in their home towns are two crappy sides that lurch from one defeat to another and show no signs of improvement? Fans here are rightly frustrated at the utter indifference to the plight of their sides in AFL and are beginning to question why they should continue to show loyalty to a club that is being left out in the cold by their parent organisation.

Who has the best facilities is sometimes arguing who has the best sports scientists !, we know how that worked out. North, Footscray, the Swans and Geelong are the top 4 are you suggesting that those teams have the best facilities or the best coaches and players ?. Brisbane might have crap facilities, but whose fault is that ?, they pizzed their money up against a wall. Had Brisbane had a strong board, a wise board and a future proofing board they would not be in the position they are today, blame everyone if you like, but if Brisbane was a perennial top 8 team like the Swans, people would be talking the talk about a 3rd team in QLD

It is more than possible Leigh Matthews is having a whinge to get some money, extra considerations or whatever from the AFL.

You talk about ascents – I think what people have not realised is that the Lions are climbing Kosciuszko while some of the richer clubs are climbing Everest. I really do think the imbalance in facilities is going to count for more and more. By that I mean the richer clubs are going to be able to extract the maximum possible out of average talent, whereas the Lions are going to have rely on natural brilliance. It’s often said that sides win based not so much on who their best 6 are, but who their worst 6 are, and certainly the gap between that at the Lions is as large as any side in the competition. More to the point, the gap between say our worst 6, and Hawthorn, or Sydney’s worst 6 is substantial. Ultimately that’s part of the reason why we’re never going to quite climb the ladder to premiership success. I would not be confident at all that this current rebuild is going to lead to anything more substantial than a brief flicker in the finals in 3-5 years time.

Rugby union claim 8,000, soccer around 20,000 and RL 10,000 in Brisbane, there is a 2016 article in a Brisbane newspaper quoting the relevant sports bodies , BTW i am responding to a claim that no one likes AFL in QLD - not junior numbers between codes.

It's always the way that you kick a team when they are down. When the AFL decided on expansion it was all about growing the game and making it a National competition. A game that is played through out Australia. A lot of research went into the Suns and the Giants. These areas both have a huge population growth. The AFL wants to be Australia's game and spread the game to every corner of the Nation. They said it would take 20 years or more to do it. So there are adults who will never be converted to a another code of football you might say. But it is the kids that they are targeting through Auskick. Auskick numbers are good in both QLD and NSW. So most of these Auskick kids are going to grow up supporting AFL. 20 years ago the Sydney Swans were laughed at and treated as a joke. They were called the Ugly Ducklings. But now they get crowds over 30 thousand each week and they are going nowhere. Maybe the Suns will fall and fail but the AFL brought them into the competition for a reason. Most people want to back a winner because winners are grinners. If the Lions and the Suns were winning games then we would not be even talking about them like we are on here. As they say, "It won't happen over night but it will happen" So good luck to the Suns and the Lions. Lets hope they both survive in QLD.

"Over 7,000 kids signed on to play club footy" @ Harry, So what! Soccer would have 20 times that amount of juniors and there is no way they can have a second SEQ Aleague team. Rugby Union would have 10 times the AFL juniors and they could not have a second SEQ Super Rugby team. "there are plenty of people in Brisbane QLD who like Australian football." I bet there are lots of people who like the Storm in Melbourne but the NRL would be mad to have another team there.

Over 7,000 kids signed on to play club footy with AFL Brisbane Juniors this season, the GC Juniors have seen decent rises in the past couple of years and Sunshine Coast juniors also have a good league, there are plenty of people in Brisbane QLD who like Australian football.

Your football team needs to be competitive, it need to win its fair share at home and be competitive away, that is all it takes, it does not need to be a world beater. It needs to be a team where people say, OK we are probably not going to win it this year, but i can see signs and we always have a go, that is all people need to see to commit money and time. It seems to be doing OK with the academy, it seems to be doing OK with Lions@ Springwood, there has been no noticeable drop off in kids playing the game, although there has been no great growth either as there was in the mid 2000's. In short, it is possible the ascent is as slow as the decline was.

even with all afls money can they even remotely get anyone interested in the game in Queensland the game wont ever rate because everyone cant stand it