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Was brought up in Victoria, where I barracked for the Bombers in winter and the Aussie cricketers in summer. Life took me to Sydney many years ago, where I've gained an appreciation of many other sports; including tennis, rugby league and soccer/football. But AFL remains my first love; and I'm now proudly a member and supporter of the Greater Western Sydney Giants. In between working a boring desk job and attending sporting events, I trawl the internet for sporting stories and discussions.
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It's not enough to put a couple of scapegoats on gardening leave. Cricket needs a paradigm shift. The culture is toxic and now is…
As the second season of AFLW nears its conclusion, we can see they've done a lot right with this competition. But we haven't got…
It may only be a sample size of two, but this is the most even AFLW season yet. Had Collingwood been able to run…
Enough with the negativity! AFLX is here, I'm looking forward to it, and I think you're going to love it. It promises to be…
Fixturing can be tricky at the best of times, but some interesting ideas can come from unlikely places. For the AFL it's hard to…
And so this is Christmas/ And what have you done?/ Another year over/ And a new one just begun. John Lennon's classic Christmas song…
It won't come cheap. $2.3 billion dollars and these things always blow out. But the decision is made. Allianz Stadium and ANZ Stadium are…
With the National Basketball League looking to expand, speculation is circling that AFL clubs are looking to field teams in the competition. In Europe,…
The Ashes. Australia versus England on the cricket pitch in one of world sport's greatest rivalries. While the men have had the limelight for…
In a city of many sports, it's hard to find common ground. And competing priorities are up for grabs when the stadium funding pie…
Stalemates and brinkmanship run high as the AFL trading period meanders along. We're nearly a week in and not a single trade is done.…
The game of Australian Football is well known in Australia. But a new shorter form is under development. Known as AFLX, it's still a…
When it comes to expansion, the difference between the AFL and reactionary short-term knee-jerk panic merchants is that the AFL, when it has made…
There's always a sense of excitement when game day comes around. But there's always a crucial decision to make - to go to the…
Someone at the Brisbane Lions must have broken two mirrors, as the club's rotten run with luck continues into its 14th year, missing out…
The Ides of March are come. But not gone. And while this is a day for Julius Caesar to beware, for cricket fans it's…
It’s Thursday night and JLT Community Series footy is back. Join us live on The Roar from 7:40pm AEDT tonight as the Western Bulldogs…
The coming of AFL Womens has transformed the pre-season period. We're now in footy season from the beginning of February. AFLW has gone better…
Match result: The Adelaide Crows have stayed undefeated in AFL Women's with a big goal from Erin Phillips in the final quarter delivering them…
Match result: The Brisbane Lions have maintained their undefeated start to the AFL Women's competition, and left premiership fancies Fremantle winless, taking a 13-point…
The home & away season would be all over by mid-October.
It may be necessary to have a night Grand Final to avoid the heat issue – but that’s something that will inevitably happen in the next TV rights deal anyway. Other finals are already played at night, away from the heat of the day.
A nine-month AFL season? I'd like to see that
Although they’re shorter games, so the fatigue wear & tear factor in any individual week would be less than it is now, the cumulative effect over a 34 week season would be considerable.
2-3 personal byes should be enough as a mandated minimum. Players may choose to sit more out; but that’s part of the club list management.
A nine-month AFL season? I'd like to see that
Absolutely. Even with short games, there would still be too much wear & tear in players’ bodies to get up 34 weeks in a row. And with so many rounds, there’s no time for byes.
The guidelines Cat has put in place make sense in these circumstances.
Of course this is all hypothetical, as a 34 round season won’t happen. But if it did, I think Cat has nailed the bye management side.
A nine-month AFL season? I'd like to see that
What happened to Not So Super’s post that Cat is replying to? Very strange……
A nine-month AFL season? I'd like to see that
None of us will live to see Australian Football establish a significant presence overseas. And that’s OK with me. If it ever does happen, this is an even longer term project than GWS – not about generations but lifetimes.
AFLX may have a role in some overseas places where there aren’t oval grounds and not enough numbers to play 22 a side. Whether it has legs domestically remains to be seen.
When T20 started it was seen as meaningless hit and giggle; but it’s breathed life into domestic cricket, which hadn’t drawn a crowd for over 80 years. I don’t know if there’s a market for this, but it will be interesting to find out.
Will Aussie rules ever have a credible international game and do we even care?
Other than cheer squad areas, there’s no need for it.
With six teams in one ground on the same day, how the cheer squad areas are allocated will take some working out. Particularly in Melbourne with six local teams all playing. Less of an issue in Adelaide or Sydney – I can’t imagine cheer squads or supporters travelling interstate for AFLX.
But around the rest of the ground, there’s just no need for segregation.
Segregation at AFLX? No thanks
I was chatting to a mate today who is involved with a club in Sydney.
A few years ago they’d had the standard seniors, reserves & under 18s. By last year they’d built up to four senior mens teams, two under 19s teams and a womens team. And fielded a full 22 players in every grade every week; and were rotating their 4ths and womens teams to make sure everyone got fair game time.
Next year they’re nominating a second womens team and possibly a 5ths team.
It’s an impressive growth rate. They’ve had some success, with a couple of premierships; and built a good club culture. And these are fertile times for the game in Sydney, and several clubs are reporting increases in numbers. Womens footy in particular is a growth area.
Is AFL in Sydney finally seeing sustained growth?
I’m sure live sport on Christmas Day would rate well on telly; but absolutely no-one would go.
For the leagie as a whole it would be a positive. But the home team on the day would take a hit, not just on the day but memberships would be devalued in the eyes of people who would be asked to pay for a day that’s impossible to attend.
You wouldn’t waste a local derby on Christmas Day. Would make more sense to schedule a game that wouldn’t have drawn a crowd anyway, and give it the high ratings.
BBL07: Have we had the last BBL-free Christmas?
It’s unfortunate and ridiculous that Jackson Bird and Peter Handscomb aren’t allowed to play this week. The next Test isn’t till next Tuesday, and any time in the middle, even in a different format, would be helpful to them.
I’ll be at the opener tonight. As a Thunder fan, I’m quietly confident they can get it done.
If it’s the week before Christmas, it must be Big Bash time…
Adelaide Strikers were last year’s champions? I could have sworn it was the Scorchers.
If it’s the week before Christmas, it must be Big Bash time…
On that February night at Princes Park, we could see something special was happening and that there was far more interest in AFLW than anyone could have imagined. It was designed for humble beginnings that would grow; but immediately made an impact.
I’ve found myself watching more womens sport than in previous years – AFLW was compulsory viewing through the early months of the year. And my GWS connections took me over to Super Netball, and the first season there was a massive success. And then in recent weeks we’ve seen the Womens Ashes and a highly successful opening to the Womens Big Bash, with healthy crowds and even healthier TV ratings.
It’s a paradigm shift. The traditional thinking is that womens sport will always be in obscurity because there’s no interest. But the metrics this year tell another story.
And there’s no doubt social media has an impact, as the fans can set the agenda far more than they can through traditional media sources. While Channel 9 missed a beat in not showing the Womens Ashes Test from North Sydney Oval, the Twittersphere played a role in filling the void. And it’s hard not to get swept up in the enthusiasm that the likes of Mary K display on social media at these big womens sports events.
2017, the year women's sport in Australia went big
With cricket, the long form of the sport is so long that the short form is a similar length to other sports’ long forms.
I love Test cricket and can happily watch it for days. But it’s a massive time commitment – too long for many people. In contrast, you can watch an entire T20 game from start to finish in a similar length of time as an AFL game.
And that time – 2-3 hours – is probably the optimal length for a sporting game. Other sports’ short forms are reducing that further.
The Roar Podcast: What makes T20 cricket the best short format sport?
How could it be? Rectangular stadiums are no use to the AFL.
Needs of the many against loyalty to a sport: Sydney's stadium upgrade dilemma
No doubt there’s optics and pragmatism involved. Professional sport is a commercial product, and the reality is the viewers don’t want to see someone who was a man five minutes ago crashing into women.
The reason you won’t see trans players in AFLW is the same reason you won’t see Muslims in Home & Away or Neighbours. Viewers will switch off, sponsors won’t touch it and the “feelgood” narrative of AFLW season 1 will be lost.
Is it unfair and discriminatory? Absolutely so. But it’s the commercial reality.
Like anyone else, trans people should have the right to play
Peter Fitzsimons put up on online petition on Saturday, which has already got nearly 100,000 signatures in just a couple of days. I can’t help thinking the stadium proposal is doomed.
Nine things you can buy with $2 billion that aren't new sporting stadiums
The Giants probably exceeded expectations this year by winning one game and drawing another.
They look to have a stronger team next year. It won’t be easy, but the potential is there to move up the ladder. Having four home games next year after only 3 this year also is an advantage.
AFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: GWS Giants
Don’t think so. Not in a body-contact sport anyway.
At my age, my playing days are well and truly over. But as a man who thinks violence against women is the ultimate dog act, I suspect I would find myself subconsciously holding back on tackles, reluctant to bump and unable to bring myself to land a cheap shot behind play.
Like anyone else, trans people should have the right to play
Is testosterone levels alone enough to determine eligibility? I don’t think it can.
The average reasonable fan in the grandstand or watching on TV won’t have access to testosterone readings. But they will know a physical mismatch when they see one.
In a full body contact sport, it’s an unacceptable risk profile.
This was a no-win situation for the AFL. If they stop her playing it’s discrimination, if they let her play and someone gets hurt it’s reckless negligence.
Like anyone else, trans people should have the right to play
And that’s how I see it. I was critical of Marsh & Paine being selected; but the selectors picked the players they thought would best do the job. And they got it done.
The selectors were right. I was wrong.
Marsh and Paine’s rescue job doesn’t vindicate selectors’ decisions
In any team, there will be some players more talented than others. Without rules to prevent it, a small group within the team will find themselves doing all of the bowling and most of the batting. The rest of the kids will get bored and drop out.
Kids who don’t get a bowl and rarely get a bat won’t stick around.
Does that matter?
CA is changing the junior game as we know it, and it’s about time
No chance. We will lose the final to North Korea 15-0. Kim Jong Un will be playing coach and will score 10 of them.
The TV news story is being recorded in Pyongyang already ready to show on World Cup final night.
Socceroos' 2018 FIFA World Cup draw revealed
Cricket is an enormous time commitment. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are people who gave the game away because they didn’t want to spend 6 hours in the field on Saturdays who would be enticed back to the game by the prospect of playing T20 only; having a bat and a bowl and having the whole thing over in 3 hours.
T20 must get bigger at grassroots level
Spotless is the exception. It wasn’t built for cricket, it was built for agricultural shows.
But Rod makes an interesting point. $2.3b is a lot of coin, and could we get more bang for our bucks by making the grounds also capable of hosting oval-ground sports?
To jusfity this expenditure, these new stadiums will have to be frequently used.
What do Sydney's new stadiums need?
This is what needs to go into the plan for the new stadiums.
This is the only chance to get it right. $2.3b is a lot of coin, and it’s controversial enough that it’s being spent now. But these stadiums have to be got right and built to last – sport can’t keep going cap-in-hand to the taxpayer to rebuild stadiums that are less than 20 years old.
What do Sydney's new stadiums need?
Of course it won’t happen. I said as much in the article.
So why discuss it? Because I saw Patrick Dangerfield’s idea and thought it could be fodder for an article and some interesting discussion.
A nine-month AFL season? I'd like to see that