Wait, the Suns pre-listed who?

We’ve had this out before. You come onto my articles comments posting contrarian opinions all the time, then express surprise when I challenge you. You hate the Suns and can’t stand the idea that I might set the record straight.

Says the “Guest” who hides their comment history by never actually joining the site. Is that because you were banned?

There it is again. You post deliberately baiting comments and claim the moral high ground when you are called out. You might as well say "Please don't be offended, but I'm going to insult you on your own article comments and then pretend surprise when you call me a jerk". I put my name on my profile, but you're a coward hiding behind an anonymous username sniping away to your trollish heart's content. Just have a look at who is liking your comments! It's like looking under a bridge.

Your deliberate ignorance is impressive. AFL in Victoria has outgrown the 12 club VFL model by at least 3 clubs, but you've only managed to shift out 2. Back in the early 80s, the VFL had to move the Swans to Sydney because park footy in Melbourne was being made obsolete by stadium footy at the MCG and Waverley. Then Ross Oakley ran an austerity internecine war against Victorian clubs to make them merge, finally forcing the moribund Lions into a shotgun marriage with Brisbane. Along the way, the VFL/AFL has seen Richmond, Footscray, Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne and St Kilda in dire straits financially and it was the advent of broadcast megadeals that bailed those clubs out, even if some want to claim it was ardent supporters rattling cans at traffic lights. In 1998, TV rights were worth $40 million a year, then by 2002 they were worth $100 million a year, but by 2006, they went up to $150 million a year and by 2011 it went up to $250 million. Now it is $475 million a year. Why all this feast and famine? Because the game went national. The WAFL and SANFL both set up and maintained two high drawing clubs and their states build stadiums to match. To vastly increase their market share, the AFL invested in the two biggest markets as yet untapped, the West of Sydney and the Gold Coast region, which also happen to be the fastest growing areas. In broadcast terms, since the admission of the Suns and Giants the deal has more than tripled, with ratings going through the roof in QLD. The Demons vs Lions game was the most watched 1st final, including a record audience in QLD and it was against an NRL game in the timeslot. Without national expansion, the VFL would never have outgrown its parochial clannish roots in the first place. National advertisers, broadcasters and print media would never have poured buckets of cash, let alone state governments approving huge construction and infrastructure over the journey. But you'll persist in your fantasy. By the way, congratulations on inventing Occam's Razor 800 years after he first coined it. BS Adjuster! lol

Now you are just being a jerk. Well done for calling out a whole bunch of passionate people, only to show yourself as a shallow like farmer. Slow clap.

Fair enough. But who do you think knows more about the Suns, me or random fans regurgitating Caro Wilson? I don’t claim to know the most about the Suns of anybody, but can you name a single writer who is also a Suns fan? If so, I’d very much like to read their work.

They have one. GWS is sponsored by the ACT Government in the same way as Tasmania sponsors Hawthorn.

Big Footy? Why would I venture near that sewer? Do you really think I wrote 70 articles for the Roar without having contacts and sources? And your numbers are still wrong. Take it as given that Academy players who missed out have been invited back to train and will be considered for rookie spots in the preseason if they go undrafted. Have that from multiple sources. Some will return to U19s, but others will be trying to get gigs in the VFL, SANFL or WAFL, especially the guys that have aged out of the Academy. I’m not being adversarial. I’m just stating the facts. It is still very early days and there are plenty of list changes to come, maybe even up to March.

There’s nothing wrong with a robust debate, however, now there’s a troll adding his Dunning-Kruger opinions as well I’ll just quietly exit. There’s been a lot of Suns hate fomented in the Victorian media and some people spread their ignorance for all to see. I report facts. These tawdry rumour mongers go from echo chamber to cess pit to source their opinionated tosh.