The AFL's wasted year

Will you shout me a beer when the Crows beat the Cats in a fortnight. In person. I'm travelling the 1800kms to be there?

Well, you'd certainly know the patience required.

You haven’t touched a nerve. I couldn’t care less what you think. I am just amazed you can’t see your own hypocrisy and the falsehoods you posted about only bringing it up when on topic.

Sorry Grints, I know.. Think I was being an agitator on this day. I am disappointed in both Melbourne and Bombers because I was one of the people who rated them highly at the start of the year.

Touched a nerve I see. I made an observation that has been my experience regularly watching footy live in 3 states, a member of two very successful clubs over much of that time. That observation is often exemplified here and elsewhere in footy circles. Richie pretty much acknowledges and endorses it if I read his comments correctly. You use the language yourself, not me. Where have I gone wrong? As often happens, once your nerve is touched you come back wanting to take moral high ground. It’s fine by me to criticise, disagree or even dislike my comments, but you can’t have it both ways.

"The greatest weakness in the Victorian fan pool is hate" This is completely out of context and shows nothing more then what you claim from Victorians – a bias. On lately you've tried to inject into every comment you can even when the topic has absolutely nothing to do with state lines – such as this one.

Well said Cat! What is normal? Rather be not normal any day of the week and who is to judge what is normal or not. I am happy to be a passionate supporter rather than one who has a ho hum attitude of whether there team wins or loses.

Why be ‘normal’? What even is ‘normal’? Who decided what qualifies as ‘normal’? I am happy not being this ‘normal’ anyway. Sounds boring. I prefer to be extraordinary and unique.

......except there are barley any Qlders playing the game at this tier. This, the AFL, isn't a SOO event. These 'clubs' are simply generic brands of concocted tribalism. Its akin to saying GWS are NSW side, they simply aren't.

Don't agree, there would be many supporters worldwide in any competition that would hate a rival team. Sport is about passion and rivalries. A lot of Hawks/Bombers supporters would hate the other club. Sport is a form of entertainment but unlike many forms of entertainment your not closely following your team for years on end and watching young men or women develop and put all their effort in to win. I am sure there would be many fans of Game of Thrones who would hate Cersei, just an actress in a periodic get up. It's passion and feeling apart of something and you are emotinally invested in the clubs or players. Sport is tribal and rival clubs hating one another for decades is not out of the normal. Just have to look at the EPL. Nothing wrong with Cat or anyone else that feels that way.

Each to their own. For me there is a diff. I loved watching WA players in particular make good in the VFL and SoO (when it was real). No hate involved.

So Cat says he hates 17 teams (possibly tongue in cheek) and somehow that is a weakness symptomatic of Victorians. Give me a break. This is a classic example of finding an excuse to make anti Victorian dig out of nothing. I am pretty sure you'd find plenty of supporters from all clubs who would say the same thing about hating 17 other clubs. I do appreciate that you make constructive comments about inequities and so on, but this comment is just ordinary. There are a few others who just go with ordinary on this anti Vic sentiment. They seem to be stuck in a 1980s State of Origin timewarp where the VFL raided their local leagues and they hate them for it.

I have plenty to say about inequities in the comp and I’ll always address deliberate and unnecessary disrespect or falsities in any way that is fit for purpose. Often anti Vic or anti AFL or anti a Vic club they may be, but always in response to something falling into the categories above from others on this site. Never out of context and always with a purpose/reason. Your assertion is false and is only there in an attempt to give your point some weight. I have never said I hate anything when blogging, which is apparently fine for Vic bloggers? On plenty of other occasions I make constructive comments about my own club or other clubs. Like I said, sanctimony is second.

The big majority of Eagle fans "hate'' Freo. A lot of Docker fans like me don't particularly like the Eagles but don't hate them. I go to all the Derby's and don't wear purple at there home game, because i know people that have come away not in good condition. I am not fond of Victorian teams but i certainly don't hate them.

Really? Funny because certain people on this site make constant anti-Victorian comments, usually out of context and always for no apparent reason. That's hatred.

The greatest weakness in the Victorian fan pool is hate. It’s old and unproductive. It now extends across the country, thankfully it has no effect on outcomes. Coming in second is sanctimony.

Not easy BP. History is littered with this, one that sticks in my mind was WCE of 1991 being beaten by Fitzroy in the final H&A game.

I am a bit confused Raimond. You wrote the article. Do you not have an emotional investment in football?

Oh I agree they've been brilliant, my argument is that they're Geelong, so I hate them.