The derision levelled at the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney for what many believe has been an armchair ride doesn’t look like winding up any time soon.
Footy fans, particularly in Victoria, are still struggling to come to terms with what they feel were unfair and preferential concessions provided at the expense of founding clubs – especially those already battling.
Ask fans of clubs who remain rooted at the bottom of the ladder, are in the midst of lengthy premiership droughts – or both – how they feel. Their exasperation and bitterness is real. So much so that any success experienced by the AFL’s newest franchises only riles them further.
The reality though has been vastly different. Even the most ardent and biased fans understood why the concession-laden silver platter was necessary. There was no real argument there but now, years after their inception, it’s time to cut them some slack.
Sure, the idea of draft privileges, millions of dollars and preferential treatment seemed outrageous at the time, but the geographical locations of the Suns and Giants alone told us how difficult life was going to be.
In actual fact, it’s been harder than most anticipated and is living proof that high-end draft picks and a seemingly endless supply of money don’t a premiership make.
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Not to mention the Giants are attempting to place a footprint in the rugby league heartland of western Sydney, where establishing a sporting team of any kind is tough, and the Suns are on the Gold Coast, where all other attempts to do likewise have failed dismally, regardless of the code.
But player retention was always going to be the major challenge – warding off big Melbourne clubs, who continually circle every first-round draft selection in an attempt to lure them south with the added ammunition of massive memberships, crowds and salaries. Other than money, these are factors the expansion clubs could take decades to generate.
Even after 36 years in the Harbour City, the Swans still need constant success to keep fickle, uninterested Sydneysiders curious.
Both the Suns and GWS are routinely raided every trade period. Jaeger O’Meara, Charlie Dixon, Dion Prestia, Caleb Marchbank, Josh Caddy, Tom Boyd, Adam Treloar, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Matt Kennedy, Jarrod Pickett and Cam McCarthy – just to name a few – are all at new clubs.
Suns co-captain Tom Lynch will almost certainly be next and rumours abound that Steven May will be requesting an early release from his contract too. The Giants Dylan Shiel is also very much on Carlton’s radar.
Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
So what on Earth do we have to complain about?
Something worth remembering is the draft is not an exact science and early picks guarantee you nothing, but imagine if clubs had a place where first-round picks could ply their trade for three years at no cost to them. A place where players could be assessed to determine who can cut it at the highest level and who can’t.
Sounds a bit like fantasy land doesn’t it? Wrong.
These wonderful, magical places do exist in the form of Metricon and Spotless stadiums.
No, we should not lampoon the Suns, Giants or AFL for an uneven playing field. This competition will never be truly even anyway.
With a multitude of first-round picks on both lists, it is mostly the ‘go home’ factor that sees players consistently on-traded for further early picks in a cycle almost impossible to break. It’s a constantly revolving door the best young talent pass through each year.
Gold Coast and GWS are now feeder clubs for the rest of the competition. They are drafting and developing talent for the benefit of other clubs, who watch from afar, identify their prey, and then throw the kitchen sink at them.
Of course, not all of them are gettable, but enough have been and will continue to be. The salary cap alone will force this and, if history is any guide, clubs will continue to pick off developed and ready-made Suns and Giants.
It doesn’t always work, but let’s be realistic: how many young footballers lay awake at night thinking about one day representing the Suns or Giants in front of 9000 fans? Only time restricts them from fulfilling their real dreams of playing in front of packed stands at the MCG.
This is the perfect situation. So next time you feel like giving our northern neighbours a bash around the ears, just remember the wonderful and generous service they and the AFL are providing.
Floreat Pica
Guest
Having lived in Mackay the last two years I would heartily back your suggestion of seeding games to regional centres in QLD. Far better to grow the game with grassroots in NQ & FNQ regional cities than backing Port in Shanghai or the Hawks/Nth Melb nose in the Tassie-trough. More people at Harrup ark for a pre-season match of GCS vs Ess than the Hawks usually get in Launceston..
Guttsy
Guest
I think with all of the GWS, Gold Coast and Brisbane Lions they should look at moving some of their away based Melbourne games to Canberra and regional Queensland respectively. For example, for GWS, three games that would have been played at Etihad (note not the MCG because this is the home of Football and every team wants to play there) should be played at Canberra. Similarly for both the Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions three games that would have been played at Etihad should be played in a regional city in Queensland. This would help create Canberra as GWSs second home, perhaps Cairns as the Brisbane Lions second home and allow the Gold Coast to have games in Mackay and Rockhampton. Maybe the Gold Coast could consider moving some of their home games to the Sunshine coast to create that area as their second home. Melbourne based clubs might not like this and certainly some of their coaches might rail loudly against it but it is time it was recognised that all Melbourne based games are really "home" games for Melbourne based teams. For these Melbourne based teams to lose a Melbourne based "home" game or two to Canberra or Queensland would actually go towards evening the competition up rather than creating an unfair situation for Melbourne based teams. Finally on Tasmania, it needs to be agreed and reported that the next two AFL expansion teams (probably some time in the late 2020s) will include a Tasmania based team.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
GWS had their biggest crowd for the year last night, albeit against Richmond a known crowd puller, 14,500 which is OK. But what should be noted was the GWS crowd chant and standing ovation from the members. If anyone saw the game the atmosphere in the rooms after and ground during the game translated pretty well through the tele. Thats what sets a club up, so yer i reckon i agree with the OP and cut them some slack.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
Hmmmm. you could have made a case for Canberra 30 years ago. You could have definitely made a case from the 1920's to probably the mid 1980's for Canberra but from about the mid 1980's i would have thought footy was just as big on the GC as it was in Canberra. From that period on footy shrank in Canberra and grew on the GC. Just recently Footy has made a comeback of sorts in Canberra but i would have thought that from that time the GC has produced more AFL players.
Republican
Guest
.......my issue with both these entities is that they are plastic tele products that are expedient of real footy demographics i.e. Tasmania and Canberra. Who will likely be the next beneficiary of the AFL's myopic television criteria for growth in this respect I wonder?
Aligee
Roar Rookie
The new clubs Geographic positions were chosen specifically because of the demographic projections and in GWS's case you could argue another team was needed in the SW of Sydney.
Rob
Guest
I never bought into the "they'll share the next 10 flags" stuff. A lot needs to go right for a team to win a flag - and only a few small things to go wrong to miss one. Gold Coast might have neen chock full of talent but a crappy divisive culture and sub stamdard facilities meant a lot of that talent didnt want to stick around and nicked off. The experienced players they recruited into the club early on didnt perform they way they hoped, or were just injury prone. They were looking good right up until Ablett hurt his shoulder - that night they beat Collingwood in front of their biggest crowd and put thenselves of striking distance of the 8. Bearly given a yelp since. The Giants have a better retention rate. This speaks volumes about the culture they are building. They have still lost a lot of talent over the years... the league is littered with ex Giants but they have retrained enough talent for 2 top 4 finishes and still may make finals this season. The experienced players they recruited early have all performed a role both on and off the field, and have left the club in better shape than it was in when they arrived. However injuries have been the Giants curse... it seems as if they have never got all that talent together on the field when it mattered. As a result of not everything going right the last few flags have gone Hawthorn, Hawthorn, Hawthorn, Bulldogs, Richmond... not Suns, Giants, Suns, Giants. GWS may still be a dominant force over the coming years... But Gold Coast are starting from scratch with it seems half of Australia demanding they relocate. Draft picks are only part of the answer.