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The Roar

Christian Montegan

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Joined June 2017

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Journalist with an undeniable passion for sports. I will always provide fair and unbiased opinions, just how journalism and reporting should be. Follow me on Twitter @monte_sports

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The most frustrating aspect of it all is how the media portrays certain types of incidents compared to others.

Why isn’t there this much uproar about Horne-Francis, Ginnivan, or the umpires for that matter? Could it simply be down to trying to suggest potential racism?

The two incidents which have had the most media attention is Buddy and Adam Goodes. The majority booed Goodes because he was a good player and fans are entitled to have that release, but I’m not denying there were racist comments aimed at him and that’s obviously disgusting and has no place in sport, let alone society. That’s a different story.

Ultimately, players need to accept the environment they put themselves in being a professional footballer.

TOM MORRIS: Buddy booing is a blight on the game and McRae must send a powerful message to Magpies fans

Only natural after most of the current side tasting success in 21’, but as a professional athlete that hunger should always be there.

The Tigers are an example of always having that fire in them which ultimately created a dynasty. Now, they just don’t have the players and all cycles come to an end. Melbourne’s cycle hasn’t ended yet

You can only beat who is in front of you, but June will present Melbourne’s biggest test

Don’t worry Grem, when the World Cup officially gets underway, they’ll all have a good idea of what’s going on and the enormity of the event! They really are bad.

The Matildas are an incredibly marketable team. Let’s just hope that those people marketing both them and the WC don’t let the opportunity go to waste

Two cracking A-League finals are a reminder of what the APL should be marketing

At the same time though, if an away team has an extra 30 minutes in the second leg to score an away goal, is that fair? That would be my only criticism of the rule.

Two cracking A-League finals are a reminder of what the APL should be marketing

I don’t think any real significant change is going to occur. The APL has proven to be incompetent, stubborn, and worst of all has failed to read the room time and time again. If the APL doesn’t satisfy the needs of The Cove, do they boycott the league forever? Time will ultimately tell, but as I stated in one of my comments, this lack of communication between the fans and the APL really is concerning.

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

Part of the Cove’s statements:

“As many of you saw in January of this year, the active protests against the APL and the Grand Final decision reached an indefinite ceasefire as long as they followed through with the targets agreed to collectively. It was made clear that regular updates would be provided to the groups regarding these targets to show a steady progress towards real change within the APL to bind fan consultation to the constitution of the governance of the game. Many were upset and angry at the temporary resolution made.

Let us not forget the sitting representative from Football Australia on the APL board who had the constitutional power to veto any decision, including the grand finals decision, if it went against “the spirit of the game.” They too have failed supporters massively in their position. Clearly, to the FA, we aren’t considered part of that spirit.”

I’m not saying you’re wrong in that there are other issues that have led The Cove to protest, but again, it all started with the Grand Final decision. From the statement above, they don’t seem to be in support of it.

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

It’s all stemmed from the A-League Grand final decision which is the main point. All of these other issues have arisen because of that sole decision.

It’s in their own city but Sydney but majority of supporters are still not happy which speaks volumes, make no mistake about it

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

If I thought it was the end of Australian football then I wouldn’t bother with more than one article, but there’s plenty of hope and potential.

That’s the problem with society when trying to highlight and solve issues such as racism for example. It will happen, get spoken about for two seconds and then carry on like nothing had ever happened.

Australian football is far from perfect but I wish it was. It’s important to continually highlight issues in the game so more discussions and change can be made through the media in general. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t settle for mediocrity.

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

Chris, you’re more than welcome to comment on my recent articles about Diamanti’s farewell and impact on the A-League, Marko Rudan’s great work with the Wanderers, Adelaide United’s blueprint to success, Australia’s most talented squad in over a decade, and the Sydney derby being the most captivating and passionate fixture in the A-League!

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

That’s where I commend the Sydney players last night for the way they came out and performed especially in that second half. There were obviously Sky Blue fans in attendance but without The Cove, it’s still not ideal

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

Just like there was no communication between the FFA and the active support groups of Victory and WSW a few years back. Different governing body, same story.

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

Good comment Saffi. Take nothing away from the game last night which I also thought was a fantastic advert for the A-League. The opening 30 minutes saw a few half chances and a bit of a cagey affair, but once WSW scored the pen it really opened up the game and credit to Sydney for their impressive second-half performance to turn the game around.

Unnecessary boycotts such as last night need to be discussed though, because if the trend continues, we may not have a game at all…

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

And that point about financial ruin you rightly elude to will hit the APL the hardest if every single fan boycotts. We both know that’s near impossible.

A small section of supporters boycotting games won’t just fail to achieve anything, but financially the game will not be sustainable

'Damage the game': Cove boycott is justifiable, but won’t make a difference if they go it alone

JB, I fully get what you’re saying, but how will we ever know what’s capable of being achieved here if we don’t try to bring those former players over or at the very least make it an attractive project. Bresciano isn’t a big enough sample size to jump to your conclusion.

I never said that a successful player automatically translates into a successful manager and that being a professional player automatically translates to doing well in a CEO or board type role. As I said, players from the golden generation are not guaranteed to make an instant impact or an impact at all, but it’s about our vision that’s most important. In saying that, they also need to want to come here

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

You’re right in that it’s achievable considering the level of competition, but there’s still a lot of pressure attached to it due to the unbelievable passion and criticism that is attached with supporters from Catania and Southern Italians in general. Grella admitted himself that it was “a massive call” when he joined the club.

Ownership in Australia wouldn’t be easy and you’re correct in pointing that out. It’s more about getting knowledgable people in the position of Bresciano on the board of directors or even higher above

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

“If Bresciano knew what needed to be done then why hasn’t he done it”

As I said towards the end of the article, players like Bresciano won’t just come in and fix all the problems straight away. Has he been given much of a voice? Is he surrounded by competent board members and organisations who actually know what they’re doing? Catania now have a project in place with everyone on the same page, giving it every opportunity to succeed, so why should he stay here? As Grem pointed out you need to have the passion to grow the game here and make change, but if you’re not surrounded in the best environment to do so, then that’s obviously going to be an issue

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

Now would be the best time if he were to make a purchase in the A-League. A club like Newcastle would be great, but helping beat an expansion club and get it off the ground such as Canberra would be brilliant

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

Totally agree with you Grem. It needs to work both ways in that people involved high up in Australian football want to push for these former players to get involved as well as those players actually wanting to make a change with their heart fully in it.

There’s been rumours recently about Ross Pelligra potentially interested in purchasing several A-League clubs.

Catania’s Australian-led fairytale magnifies a despairing reality for the A-League

Milan won the Scudetto last year and has set itself up for a chance to win the Champions League. For Napoli next season, the goal now is going to be shifted more toward the UCL which De Laurentiis admitted to being a big focus.

Disappointing that they couldn’t make a deeper run, but after 33 years of pain this Scudetto was everything.

I think they have a great chance of keeping all of their star players for at least another season. Their project has only just begun

'Special' Brighton avenge United cup defeat with last-gasp penalty win, Naples goes nuts after 33-year title wait ends

Thats the thing with Sydney…they always have some top drawer players up their sleeve who are built for these big occasions and are more than capable of turning it on. Experience also helps, but the Wanderers aren’t short in that department either. Anything but a cagey affair will be awesome viewing

Will the Sydney Derby elimination final actually live up to the hype?

For the Grand Final spectacle – Yes
For the APL getting what they want – No

Will the Sydney Derby elimination final actually live up to the hype?

As dangerous as the Wanderers can be with the likes of Borello and Ninkovic, I feel as though they’ve dipped at the wrong time and Sydney is the opposite.

Interested to see how it all unfolds

Will the Sydney Derby elimination final actually live up to the hype?

I think if the AFL had their time again, they would have looked to other alternatives ahead of the Suns and Giants.

You can point out that publicity and the economy have benefited which you’re right in saying, but the biggest problem comes down to geographical location. There was a great article last year by Dwayne Grant outlining the issues of GC’s location. I thought this part was interesting…

‘Demographer Bernard Salt once quipped that on the Gold Coast “everyone is from somewhere else”. “If you’re at a barbecue in Melbourne or Sydney, the question you might be asked is ‘What school did you go to?’ or ‘Which company do you work for?’ or ‘Where do you live?’,” Salt continued. “I’ve noticed on the Gold Coast the social question that is quite legitimately asked of everyone is ‘where are you from?’.”’

Look at the success that the Western Sydney Wanderers achieved right from the start in the A-League. They were able to exploit a market with high demand and popularity in the Western Sydney area.

The AFL must ensure Tasmania has their own identity

The ideal scenario would’ve been to have Adelaide and Geelong play their games the day before the Anzac Day match, but obviously that’s been designated for Melbourne and Richmond which I have no complaints about. If you schedule the Pies-Crows or Bombers-Cats for last Saturday night, would 4 days rest be viewed as that bad?

Is it fair to criticise the AFL scheduling so far this season?

Completely agree with you.

Your last point is the most important. Fans need notice well in advance to organise attendance as this was one of the criticisms that supporters had on the scheduling last season.

These fixtures don’t need to change last minute though. Even when they are generated before the season, a few tweaks and adjustments can surely be made?

Is it fair to criticise the AFL scheduling so far this season?

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