Tasmania needs a team in the AFL

......Wookie, 'hell even today, more than half the draftees come from Victorian clubs, including the TAC Cup'. I seem to recall that you were a strong advocate for expansion to NZ - am I correct. So how does that work in the context of your above statement? Don't you reckon you as with the AFL hold a blatant double standard in this respect? What percentage of 'draftees' hail from other footy states I wonder?

.......Canberra, the nations capital has to be in the mix. A powerful symbology is on offer, if the indigenous code was represented here at the highest tier of the game. Canberra already supplements GWS significantly, we are the AFL's expedient safety net across membership, grassroots, nursery, coaching, gate et el, while boasting a footy DNA of more than 100 years and an honour board that reflects this pedigree significantly.......

.......at least they offer some semblance of footy DNA unlike GWS, GC et el.......

.........you as with the AFL and the Australian Government are obsessed with financial viability it seems. Do you or do you not support the plastic entity i.e. the heavily 'subsidised' GWS in respect of your neo liberal rationale to expansion?

..........double standard again on part of the AFL. 'Show us the filthy lucre' you say but then they are more than enthusiastic about throwing good $ after bad on the GWS experiment. Footy is an institution in Tassie while the ACT has also been treated in the same manner despite its significant DNA in this respect. Perfidious AFL........

.......& one to the nations capital!

.......supporters? You mean consumers who are fickle at best, so the market can be manipulated beyond imagination in todays culture of television owned sporting entities that gave us the plastic GWS et el. If the criteria was indeed to do with supporters, then Tassie and the ACT would have a club in the AFL long ago........

......if any entity should be relocated it must be Gold Coast, while GWS will be in the mix to be terminated in about 5 years. North have done a great job in consolidating as a Melbourne club while the Saints are probably vulnerable to be sure, but then so to are the Demons if you don't factor in their 2018 campaign......

......I also believe the NT deserve serious consideration boasting a following for the indigenous code on a per cap basis, greater than anywhere in the nation, while the top end catchment produces some of the best footy talent going around......

.......the AFL will continue to make excuses not to back Tassie or the ACT, then justify their next plastic creation to far flung philistine NZ et el. Their double standard and expedience is breathtakingly transparent......

I wonder if you have actually researched or assessed your view. 1. Read this https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/saving-football-new-documents-reveal-how-close-the-vfl-came-to-shutting-down-20160408-go1x0m.html 3. Not correct...eg 2017, read pages 80 through 93 of this report....http://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/annual-reports. In essence in any given year broadcast rights revenue is the equivalent or slightly more that all other revenues combined. 4. Oh brother really?.........do you honestly think the media would invest the way they do to get Victorians to watch the games on TV? They know that will all watch anyway without any rights paid to the AFL. It's the non Vic audience that generates growth to ROI of the broadcast rights. 5. Yes, I realise that in any local state comp most of the players by number will be local. The sport earned the nickname "aerial ping pong" a very long time ago, because that's about as good as the VFL was at the time; ie ordinary, no better than WAFL or SANFL. Since 1973 the VFL clubs may have had 40 or so guys on theirs seniors lists, most of which would have been from their suburbs and bush territories, so non locals would have been maybe 10% - 20% of the total squad. But only 20 guys played, including all the non locals.....bumping that to 20 +% of the players that mattered. Oh and the non locals were always top 6 or 8 in those teams, meaning their impact was mission critical to whatever success the clubs had, where as the rest could be replaced from the rest of the squad with little impact on that. Think about what powered up Essendon, NM, Carlton, Coll, Hawthorn, Richmond, Geelong of those years............imported players.

1. The VFL itself wasnt insolvent, clubs were. 2. License fees werent the only thing that saved the VFL clubs, although the West Coast and Brisbane ones helped. Of far greater benefit was the tv deal signed at the end of 1987 for 4 times the amount. 3. The AFL makes as much if not more money from non broadcast income than it does broadcast income in most years. 4. AFL broadcast deals are more dependent on Victorian viewers than all other states put together, given Victorians make up more than half the audience, and their advertising market value is several times that of the other states. Do some research. 5. There are currently 2-3 of 9 clubs dependent on AFL largesse at the moment, and a good part of that is due to AFL fixturing and marketing polices, as well as being forced into agreements they have no control over. 5. Whatever players may have come in from other states after 1973, the vast majority of players in the competition were still Victorian. Hell even today, more than half the draftees come from Victorian clubs, including the TAC Cup.

I mean the interstate clubs formed to create a comp that was financially sustainable. You can speculate all you want about the manoeuvres of determining T&C’s, but the fact remains that 1. The licence fees saved the VFL from insolvency and 2. AFL Finances are only what they are because of broadcast rights deals. Those deals have close to zero dependency on AFL brand growth in Vic. 3. Even since all of that has unfolded beginning 1987, most of the Vic clubs have been unsuccessful financially and are still propped up by the AFL. No one can claim the football played under the brand “VFL” between about 1973 and 1990 as being something substantially a “Victorian” comp. it wasn’t. I mention this because that was the claim that I was answering above, have a look.

You mean the interstate clubs established specifically to enter the VFL/AFL to stop actual existing state clubs from leaving to join the VFL/AFL? WA was so desperate they even caved to every demand the VFL made. Where the players come from doesnt change the fact the comp was the "real" VFL. Financially speaking NONE of the state comps was doing great 30 years ago - in the mid to late 80s, the WAFL was fully bailed out by the WA Government, 7 VFL clubs were almost broke, 9 SANFL clubs reported massive losses.

No, your league is the VFL. The AFL would not have come in to existence if not for the interstate clubs, nor would be financially viable ‘til now nor into the future for the same reason. The last real VFL comp existed before about 1973 give or take. That comp would have been broke 30 years as well as we all know, if not for the interstate clubs and players. The current AFL comp has got a couple of fundamental flaws and 10 clubs in Vic is chief amongst them.

Definitely give Tassie a team but not at the expense of one of the Victorian clubs, considering it’s our league that created teams for other states (except port) I don’t see why we shouldn’t give another state a side to follow. Fold Gold Coast would be the best bet I reckon, not even rugby league can sustain teams there.

RB, the good news is that it doesn’t matter how thin or not the local talent is, there is a drafting system that distributes talent around the clubs. So for a while, a Tas team would be heavy on interstate players, but over time the development of the game would be accelerated and more local talent would emerge than is as likely currently.

Completely agree 1000 per cent. The VICS ridiculously want to hang on to their beloved clubs as they still think it’s the VFL but it isn’t. One Vic club needs to relocate to Canberra and two new teams from Tas and NT and that would make 20. Just need to attract some rich businessman to sponsor like the Western Force in Rugby and of course State gov involvement where practical for the new clubs to get off the ground. Saturday’s GF showed what’s a tense and exciting game the AFL is and each state and territory deserves at least one representative. Unfortunately the AFL is run by Victorian’s and it will not happen anytime soon especially if the interstate teams keep winning the premiership. Go Tassie Devils and NT Thunder imagine their club song being AC/DC Thunder that would be insane. Relocate North to Canberra and they can be the Canberoos. Oops I have woken from my dream now haha.

I love the idea of Tassie getting their own team, the problem I have is how much home grown talent they'll be able to pick up, considering only 1 player has been picked in the national draft from Tassie in the past 2 years. Other than that, great idea, unfortunately just can't see getting done in the next 5-10 years

Hi MF. I said a “genuine national comp” which is seriously inhibited by far too many teams in Vic. Don’t agree that NT is not possible, would just take innovation, which McGlachlan will block.