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Joined February 2021
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I’ve been thinking about the talent pathways too. Rosas, Brock and Jeffrey are from the NT though, their assignation to the Gold Coast is arbitrary. When you say don’t have the money – do you mean the Suns should be able to have an expanded playing list and funding providing more local opportunities for (ideally local/QLD) kids?
I do wonder if something like this will happen going forward. The AFL will want to put that 20th club in NSW/QLD, and would probably be prepared to wait a few years longer to make it happen. Getting local teens > professionals is probably essential to the success of all four QLD/NSW clubs (plus a 5th club) and so maybe the commission will address this more specifically going forward.
Welcome Tasmania, but the AFL should be a 16-team competition so three clubs must go
Could you expand on how you worked this out for the non-economists like me?
Do Tasmanians really want a brand new stadium?
Do AFL supporters in Sydney really say that because the Swans are the best attended club that AFL is the biggest sport in the city? Seems incredibly illogical.
With attendances – I don’t think the Storm have really surpassed the Roos. In 2022 (presumably what you are basing this on), North Melbourne won 2 and lost 20 games, they also played 4 of their games in Hobart with attendances. Once the Hobart games are excluded then their attendance rises to around 18k, similar to the Storm. Maybe the better way to put it would be the Storm have equalled the Roos in terms of attendance? Will be interesting to see if the Storm can surpass that 20k/year average, seems to be a bit of a barrier to every NRL club aside from the Broncos.
Otherwise nice article, the afl does have large problems with both their expansion clubs. Whilst they do seem very much to be about the long haul, as long as those clubs struggle – it will prevent continued expansion in those states.
Rugby league dominates, but how well is the AFL doing in Sydney?
Yes I do.
The problem with your approach is that a lot (maybe a majority even) of qld afl players, especially those from the Gold Coast play afl simply because their parents migrated from an afl state, ironically and often Tasmania , however also from Vic and SA. Nick Riewoldt I guess is the best example, others like Weller and Beams come to mind. That’s all good, people migrate with their code and customs and we happily put said players in the qld group. But by your logic, none of them would be Queenslanders ?
BRETT GEEVES: Forget AFL's latest tease, only the map of Tassie will excite us now
Hmmm that doesn’t work. Seems he played his junior footy very much in the NT.
BRETT GEEVES: Forget AFL's latest tease, only the map of Tassie will excite us now
Joel Jeffrey not from qld?
BRETT GEEVES: Forget AFL's latest tease, only the map of Tassie will excite us now
I don’t think there has been a growth of qld recruits despite huge investment with the second team. It may have actually gone the other way. Guess it could be that 2000-2010 decade was an outlier re qld recruits.
I do see the point about kids being lost to other codes all the time. Still not 100 pc sure I would include Charlie Cameron in any list of qld origin players. I want to, it’s just that odd situation of how he needed to leave the state to remain playing afl.
Peter Gutwein isn’t going to let his chain be pulled by the afl for another ten years. Good on him. Tassie demographics and economy turning in the right direction as well so they may have more rather than less strength in these arguments as time goes on.
BRETT GEEVES: Forget AFL's latest tease, only the map of Tassie will excite us now
Charlie Cameron is a Queenslander sure but had his parents not moved to the Pilbara he might have been lost to afl, given that he left the Brisbane lions academy as a teenager as he was talented at the rugby codes.
I actually wonder whether more qld talent was drafted in the decade prior to the suns starting rather than in the decade since. Might take a while before we know for sure.
BRETT GEEVES: Forget AFL's latest tease, only the map of Tassie will excite us now
Maybe a bit of precision with the wording would have helped.
Even with the clarification – they won a flag in a year they were apparently meant to finish last or somewhere thereabouts – and it wasn’t just Robert Walls saying odd things. So maybe they have underachieved for the past 2.5 years – at worst.
That said, I’m glad the article got written as whilst I disagree with the thrust, they are clearly not up to scratch at the moment and its time that was discussed.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
Its all about quality in tough games. Yes Essendon have Shiel and Smith but they haven’t been A graders since they’ve been at the Bombers. What Essendon have done is develop Merrett and Parrish who both look very impressive.
The Eagles wouldn’t have made it through the final series in 2018 without Yeo (the QF) and Shuey (the GF), with the prelim being that kind of field of dreams game. Yet they managed without Natinui, Gaff, Mckenzie and in the end Shepperd.
The game style allows them to beat up lesser teams. But they still have (or had) players who could get them through a tough game, which is why they won a flag. They don’t have those on the park now, and it really shows. Even someone like Chris Masten would have been helpful, with his ability to cover a huge area and apply constant defensive pressure.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
I think they have to give O’Neill a decent run to see whether he can manage at AFL level. Guessing he’ll get it now with Kelly out? Also not sure how well playing Brander is going on the wing. Unfortunately the longer he stays there, the less likely to attract anything great as trade bait.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
3 lost grand finals…and yes. If you think about the modern Afl, the eagles are probably the most successful side (or maybe after Hawthorn).
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
Maybe smashed is the right word. Interestingly – the only game that Luke Shuey played in.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
Umm, they beat Port Adelaide.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
The eagles are under-achieving, at least right now.
3 years ago, at the peak of their prowess with the players in sync (and when no one predicted they would even play finals, let alone win a flag) we would have said that they were over-achieving.
“Perennial” is simply wrong, West Coast are not St Kilda or Fremantle. Melbourne have never really looked like contenders until now so whilst “perennially [insert negative connotation]” is true, its hard to call them underachievers.
I don’t think the Eagles will be compared to the late 90s bombers, a team that won 20 games in a row. There have been plenty of very good sides around, whether its Richmond, Geelong or even GWS (who I think will be the seen as the biggest underachievers of this little era).
The Eagles only problem is that they don’t have midfield depth, and haven’t drafted a good midfielder in a very very long time. They aren’t getting enough out of Sheed and Redden. Its inevitable that these things come back to bite. Trying to play half fit players on managed minutes (most problematically Natinui who sadly looks a shadow of his former self around the ground, but also Yeo) and it compounds the problem.
Another failed season for West Coast, the perennial underachievers
Freo’s record is poor but they are far from alone as far as not winning premierships goes. You could add Melbourne and St Kilda to any discussion on lack of generational success. As you’ve mentioned, its so hard to win a flag, at least Freo belatedly played finals by their 9th year and managed to get to GF and a minor premiership.
Where the heartland bit is relevant is the fact that 25 years later, Dockers fans are still turning up. Was a miserable night in Perth on Saturday (Sandgropers have an aversion to leaving the McMansion in Winter) and 29k still paid their hard earned to watch them play Sydney, coming off that disappointing loss to the Bombers the week before. If the Gold Coast don’t get a bit more traction / success, I’m not sure who will be turning up 5-10 years time.
How the Suns can salvage their 2021 season
or is he old enough to play in the qafl mens senior side and just not getting a game? can’t actually see his date of birth anywhere.
AFL austerity is hurting junior pathways
Interesting article, thanks.
With Jye Lockett and similar players – Is the problem that were they to stay in QLD the QAFL colts is the best level he can play in? He isn’t old enough to play in the QAFL mens senior side or the GC reserves? And because the standard of QAFL colts is obv below the Vic NAB league for the Under 19s he won’t develop enough? Just trying to understand this a bit better.
AFL austerity is hurting junior pathways
I was thinking about this column when I was at the game yesterday. The problem I reckon is that rivalries take a really really long time to build, and kind of generally form when both teams are in a period of success (or perhaps racing to finish 8th). I am a big West Coast supporter, but aside from the obvious WA derby, the only sustained rivalries I can think of that the Eagles have are with Essendon (both teams very successful in the early 90s, but Kevin Sheedy made it into something very special), and Sydney thanks to multiple amazingly tight finals in the mid 2000s. After that I’m not sure – maybe Collingwood? Carlton? There is something about big Vic clubs/personalities that triggers some Sandgropers. I personally think Adelaide thanks to the Eagles beating them in two closish prelims in a row in 05 and 06 (especially after the crows topped the ladder in 05), but others might not agree. The other team i think of is North Melbourne, but that was more of a duel between Carey and Jakovich.
So I guess, in 33 years I can only think of two or maybe three good going rivalries for the Eagles. I would love there to be more, but I guess its just indicative of how hard they are to really build. Though if I was a Blues supporter, not sure I’d ever forget Round 22, 2012.
West Coast versus Gold Coast is turning into a spicy rivalry
What scares me is the speed with which everything is going to happen. The AFL wants the Tassie team to be running around in the VFL 2 or 3 years from now, and the team in the AFL just under 5 years from now. They will obviously get draft concessions a few years in advance.
Its going to make things just that bit harder for the Gold Coast and GWS if they can’t get up the ladder in the next few years. The talent pool will dilute again, plus another few kids with a go home factor. Maybe if those teams can’t get a bit of traction (finals, finals wins, attendances, local kids drafted) the AFL will put the 20th club on hold.
With Tasmania locked in to join the competition, where is the inevitable 20th AFL team destined to come from?