Imagine if the non Victorian teams left. St Kilda would fold, North Melbourne, the Bulldogs, perhaps even Melbourne.

West Coast’s licensing fee essentially saved those clubs in the late 80s/early 90s.

It’s a huge disadvantage. The home and away argument is laughable when WA teams in particular, with the onerous travel requirements and time difference and the Qld teams to a lesser extent suffer in the long term. There is one 300 game player from a WA based team. Research from other sports shows the toll that significant travel takes.

People point to WC, Adelaide and Brisbane without acknowledging how good those teams were. All had some form of concessions. Even the Swans in 2012 still had COLA.

Regardless it’s at the MCG and absent federal funding it’s not going to change. One of the big misconceptions is that the AFL wants the GF to be permanently at the MCG. It doesn’t, but the money from the Victorian goverment was too much to turn down.

It would be nice for non-Victorian teams to be able to play more games at the G, hell being able to train at the G would be nice at the very least.

Still it’s not going to change, but an ‘interstate’ flag against a Victorian team will always mean a little bit more. A bit more impressive.

Yup, the AFL would love to see one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the land beat the fairytale Demons, when West Australians will watch the game regardless. What a stitch up.

Honestly, the disdain for West Coast this year from the media has been palpable and frankly absurd:

Nic Nat is no good, Nic Nat is god and WC can’t win without him. WC will finish last, WC can’t travel, …. OK well they can travel but they can’t win at the MCG. Ok they can win at the MCG, but, but, we just don’t like them.

Oh and we really don’t want another 2015/16/17 GF where a non-Victorian team gets pummeled by a Vic team. It’s like Victorians believe that non-Vic teams want to constantly travel and then play thousands of KM away for the only game that means anything.

Seriously, is there any sphere of media that is less competent and yet more assured of their own self-importance than the VFL media?

Unfortunately, unlike other national sports, 95% of commentary is based in one city. So we get this solipsistic navel-gazing from blowhards who make predictions early and then barrack for them to come true. The Roar, though generally better is not immune.

If I could summarise the media’s coverage of WC for this final it could be distilled into two points: large crowds/umpiring and WC has a couple of good tall forwards. Simply brilliant work.

How about WC’s precise ball movement, their incredible ability to score with minimal possession, their highly skilled and complementary backline or the indefatigable nature of this squad?

Or perhaps some credit for an amazing coaching performance this year. WC, a demonstrably less talented team than the other 3 preliminary finalists, managed to finish 2nd and is now into a prelim despite losing 3 of their best players for the rest of the season and coping with significant injuries throughout the home/away.

Sounds like a pretty good story to me. West Coast has been silent and waiting, but make no mistake, they’re steeled for this game.

For all the empty hubris from the media, Melbourne supporters and their players, I expect come Saturday evening, the cashmere blue and red scarves will be adorned with the stains of the finest Himalayan rock salt tears.

West Coast were down a man the entire game, with Collingwood (the team in 3rd remember?) playing fantastic and yet still closed the game when it mattered. 5-1 in the last quarter. That’s clutch.

WC have been playing without either Kennedy or Darling for vast swaths of the year and have managed to finish second.

They’ve missed Nic Nat, Shuey, Ryan and now Gaff for long stretches. This team has proven all year that they aren’t reliant on the individual.

It’s amazing how much better players get when they never play.

Naismith is hardly a world beater. Sure rucks are important for structure, but he’s not Gawn/Grundy/Naitanui. He’s more of a Nankervis, but Sydney is not Richmond.

Reid is hugely important for structure, but he’s perennially injured.

Mills is still a kid and Sydney’s list problem is the dearth of players inbetween the young guns and the aging guns. Much like Geelong.

It’s going to be much harder rebuilding on the run without COLA and even with the academy.

Despite my huge respect for both Sydney and Geelong, it will be refreshing seeing both clubs follow the natural cycle snd dropping down the ladder.

I think you’re forgetting WC and GWS. Both are highly skilled teams and have different playing styles.

Unfortunately neither team is healthy. West Coast with less injuries, but to key players. They’ve sustained these injuries all year and have done quite well. With Kennedy back in, WC is a threat, but I don’t think they’ll be capable of going the whole way.

I thought maybe WC could cover for NN and did. But Gaff in his form is too much. Players like Sheed and Masten will have to find anorher gear again.

It’s a shame WC is missing those two, because their possession and kicking play combined with huge tackling pressure completely dismantled Richmond. Probably the only team to do so this year.

Not to mention Sydney has been even more reliant on Buddy, who has enjoyed playing on kids the last three weeks.

Port is the great illusion and I suspect football ‘experts’ cannot let their yearly predictions since 2013 that Port is going to win it.

Port is so much less than the sun of their parts. Hinkley is a one note coach who cannot adjust.

I appreciate the clarification haha.

Daily I thank god that WC came before Freo, so i haven’t been condemned to this misery.

I’m the same, a WC member, but i’m a Souths fan and a Freo resident, so i have a softspot albeit a small one for Freo.

Fremantle being this woeful isn’t good for WA Football. The club’s a mess and I honestly can’t understand how Freo went from what seemed like a professional club when they changed the jumper to this immature reactionary outfit we see today.

They need a review and Ross needs a strong football manager who can stand up to him and get some new ideas in the coaches box.

Their list isn’t even that bad….. It’s ridiculous.

The lower grades have send offs because there aren’t cops and security around and things can get out of hand.

Yes if Hurn went off you’d even up the numbers, but not necessarily the quality. If anything you’d encourage the Jed Lambs of the world to run through players.

Who would adjudicate this? Does Michael Christian watch games concurrently? Do we give responsibility to already overworked umpires?

We already have little to no consistency from the MRO. Expecting on the fly decisions to be accurate without a cooling period to reflect is very optimistic.

And what would the criteria be? A non-football act like a strike or simply rough ill-timed contact? This code has far too many shades of grey. The current score review system is a mess and contrary to your article Association Football only recently mandated VAR and honestly it’s still a joke. Rushing into things hasn’t proven wise in the past.

Australian Rules is just too subjective for a send off. Hurn sent Honeychurch to hospital this weekend. He’d be unlucky to be suspended, imagine the outrage if he got sent off.

The game is tough, but it’s not dirty like in yesteryear. In my opinion the current system of punishment is adequate. Sometimes outcomes are simply unfair.

…

What’s that old adage about the exception proving the rule?

Collingwood seems to do pretty damn good at the MCG, Richmond, Hawthorn the same.

Melbourne a team with a long legacy of mental uhh demons is hardly an example to hold up. You might as well say Carlton playing poor at the G proves that there isn’t an advantage.

And creative use of ‘traditional tenants’ conveniently ignoring Hawthorn and Collingwood.

Even if you take the magical, spiritual, hallowed turf of the G out of the equation, every GF is still an away game for non-vic teams. It’s still a massive advantage for Victorian clubs.

I completely agree Paul, with the good and bad in the article. Especially re on field mic’d up clutter is not whats needed, let’s hear more crowd noise. I suspect he was padding to get to ten.

Puh-urrrple’s recent AFL.com.au articles have actually been worth reading. And it’s killing me to admit that.

No kidding, you’d think footy in other states started in 1990 the way some comment.

It’s pretty disheartening and reminds me a bit of Trump calling everything a witch hunt because it might delegitimise his victory.

You can enjoy a premiership and still acknowledge that you have a massive advantage residing in Victoria.

Hawthorn won three flags against interstate teams.

Concurrently, the draft was decimated by the expansion clubs and free agency encouraged player to leave weak clubs for the strong. Hawthorn were the only decent Melbourne club during this period and most players are from Victoria. Surprise surprise, Hawthorn benefited.

The Hawks already had a strong core in place from high early 2000s draft picks. They were a great system team, with a brilliant system and coach.

For the reasons above I do not rate Hawthorn’s 3peat on the same level as Brisbane’s. The likelihood that Hawthorn would have won 3 if the GF was played based on ladder position is very low.

And yet, the media is still harrassing Ben Cousins a decade later, someone who is and has been for a long time, a rough sleeping drug addict.

Unctuous reporters will deliver ‘exclusives’ from the east. Reporting his every move, while ensuring everyone that they’re so very concerned.

How that’s in the public interest i do not know, his family and friends publicly reminded ad nauseum. When it all ends how these things tend to do, there won’t be any introspection, no lessons learnt.

Bomber has problems, substance abuse can contribute to bad decisions, but he’s made his bed.

It’s a shame his loved ones will be subjected to this sort of thing, but this was always going to be the case. The media will have it’s pound of flesh.

What a bizarre suggestion. What if the next time they meet is in a grand final? Do you direct your players to go soft on any potential finalists?

I think the game is compromised enough as it is.

I think the delay might have something to do with Gaff and Lycett’s contract discussions….. See how the to spread the cash around.

And ya, i love how we’re playing for eachother, sharing in the success. It’s great to watch and the royal blue looks great on the tele!

Yup, but you’d be in the miniscule minority of people who gamble less when exposed to more gambling.

Australia has the highest rated of gambling in the world, higher even then Singapore which is full of expats and business men going there to gamble. Our losses are hugely disproportionate to our GDP.

Travelling abroad really opens your eyes to how brainwashed we are over here. For such a nanny state, it’s amazing that we have deregulated gambling….. But then again, money pretty much explains everything.

DW, I think most of the commenters here seemed to make the same mistake!

I think it’s more likely that Jeremy Mcgovern will stay with WC and Mitch will come back to WA at the end of his contract, having re-re-signed with Adelaide in hope of winning a premiership in the short term.

Sonny Walters?

I definitely agree. Had probably the best individual game of the year against Geelong.

Except the Cats don’t travel and don’t play 2 games a year on the MCG.

Geelong’s home advantage is massive. Play a heap of home games at their fortress and then another 6 or 7 in their home state, sweet gig.

Ya that’s the problem with mark and goal of the year, we need more bandwagon voting….

Howe’s mark was literally head and shoulders above the rest. If an objectively more impressive mark like that cannot win, taken by a player from one of the biggest clubs in the comp, what’s the point?

A GWS or Suns player hasn’t a chance in hell.

Why on earth would you trade Darling? People calling for him to be traded are listening to way too much nonsense from Gary Lyon etc.

He’s 25, kicked 43 goals this year with helicopters flying into our forward 50. He’s the perfect age for a further tilt.

He gets derided because he’s not Wayne Carey, but how many players like him are kicking around?

He’s kicked a hundred more goals than Charlie Dixon, who is a year older and yet somehow Darling is useless.

It’s ridiculous.