Not from Sydney, however wanted to ask whether it would have served Sydney better to modernize the following stadiums:

Brookvale
Leichardt
WIN
Campbelltown
Hunter

At the same time making ANZ a 80K capacity rectangular stadium for the glamour events (e.g SOS, Bledisloe Cup, Socceroos, A-League Grand Finals fixtures etc.)

There are great examples throughout Europe and particularly the US with regard to the MLS how to build great 20-25K at reasonable cost with modern facilities and spectator comfort.

Then just rebuild SFS to 30K (which is more than suitable for the average crowd at that ground) and Sydney would of had a great network of stadiums across the city that served West, South West, South, City and Northern Beaches right through to Newcastle if you also include Gosford.

PTS – Next time you head up here avoid Surfers Paradise full stop.

Check out the restaurants/bars in Mermaid Beach, Burleigh and Palm Beach – there is a sneaky good dining scene up here plus the ability to hit the beach during the day on a July/August weekend is excellent!

Would be very surprised if the AFL don’t give the Suns Picks 1 and 2.

Surprised that so many coaches are under the pump at various times during the year but Leon Cameron just slips under the radar up there in Sydney.

I suspect that while they make finals he probably avoids proper scrutiny.

Questions should be asked if Coniglio leaves the Club considering everyone they shipped out last year to make salary cap room.

Still baffles me that they chose to name this Club – Greater Western Sydney? Surely simplicity wins when naming comes into it? E.g. West Sydney or Western Sydney?

“Let’s face it the Gold Coast is so trapped in a 70’s time warp, I’m waiting for Dennis Lillee to walk past when I visit there. It is like someone re-housed all the ex-Victorian bogans into a compound and gave them a little cash to go work on supplementing their fake tans and keeping the local Surfers economy in Bermuda shorts and long white socks”

Classic stereotype comment from a Victorian that probably heads up to Surfers Paradise once every couple of years and thinks it is representative of the GC as a whole.

No basis in reality.

I am a Telstra phone customer but have downloaded the Optus Sport App for this season now that SBS has no EPL games on Saturday nights.

Managed to watch Liverpool v Norwich, West Ham v City and first half of Newcastle v Arsenal and woke up this morning and watched the second half of United v Chelsea.

The streaming is crystal clear and chrome cast to TV is no issue.

$15 a month for every EPL game, plus all Champions League and Europa League games is a steal.

The beauty is that when the A-League is back in October it’s a nice segway straight into the later night EPL games via the A-League App.

So crowds of less than 3,000, a history book and cash-grab games by Western United are signs that Tasmania have a strong case for inclusion into the A-League?

Surely there are other towns/cities with significantly stronger cases to enter the A-League before Tasmania if the above is the criteria?

So much connection that Lachie Neale left for Brisbane, Hill and Langdon want out to Melbourne and Kersten is outta there…

Anything you say regarding Freo and Ross Lyon is taken with 1kg of salt.

Completely biased and that’s your agenda and good for you.

Every year you complain about injuries and its the same excuse – if only Freo had all these superstars available they would dominate.

It is interesting that other teams, like Collingwood and Richmond, get injuries and still manage to win games of footy and make finals. Wonder why that is?

The bar is nice and low at Freo that having them “in contention” outside the Top 8 is considered a good effort by Ross the Boss.

The Lions smashed the Dogs when it counted and when the heat was on early in the game.

They did fight back from almost 9 goals down but the final margin flattered them but certainly not devoured as the Suns were at the MCG.

You would think that all of Adelaide, Fremantle and Port Adelaide would be reviewing their coaches regardless of R20 results.

I don’t think those Clubs are going to achieve what they ultimately want with those 3 guys in charge…

Mitch Robinson has improved out of sight during 2019.

He is now capable with the ball as well a being a battering ram and shows nothing less than 100% commitment when he takes the field. They must love him as a teammate.

I think the Bombers game a week ago was the Suns last opportunity to pinch a surprise win for season 2019. All their effort went into trying to hang on but lack of experience cost them with a deplorable set-up at that boundary throw-in that lead to Hookers goal.

The Pies game showed just how cooked they are.

If the Lions are on their game they should rout the Suns to the tune of 60-70 points.

What did he win with Canberra?

The Queensland sides could not be further apart in their effort, desire and most importantly talent present day.

The Suns were cooked several weeks ago and it is simply a matter of running the clock down until R23.

For all the things they are doing right off-field, the building of their administration support and the excellent facilities available to players , the on-field performance simply cannot improve until there is more talent on the list.

In the AFL there is no quick solution as it needs to occur over several draft and trade periods so there is still pain to come for the Suns.

FWIW I thought Sam Collins was doing an admirable job at Full Back prior to injury, however he has few friends that can win the footy and beat their opponent.

There is zero forward line structure and Peter Wright is very lucky that he is a tall forward because he wouldn’t be getting a run if there was competition for that spot. Sam Day is a third tall at best and there seems to be nothing behind them making a case to be selected.

Ben King has not signed on beyond 2020 and I suspect he is already planning to head back to Melbourne.

The midfield is threadbare on the talent stocks aside from Bowes and they have some honest workmen like Swallow, Brodie, Fiorini that try hard.

They are exactly where Brisbane found themselves at the end of 2013…

On to the Lions and the fantastic season they have had.

After a decade in the doldrums, including a season of near misses in 2018, they are starting to hit their straps.

Through clever drafting and recruiting (and a bit of luck which every team needs) they have put together a list that has depth of talent in most areas across the ground and they are ultimately still very early in their development.

The forward line still lacks the big power forward but Hipwood and Ballenden are still very young so may develop into this player. Harris Andrews in the backline is a gun and should be the AA fullback this year.

It will be great for them to get finals experience this year and who knows what they will do once there in September.

The experience alone will drive them ahead in coming years.

A few thoughts:

1. Since when did the idea come into Australian professional sport (specifically NRL and AFL) that the team at the bottom end of the ladder needs to be replaced/relocated etc? Every year someone is going to finish at the bottom there is no way around this. It is the reality of sport.

Even a significant period of time at the bottom shouldn’t bring this question up.

It is just so easy and lazy to write that team off and not only are the faceless keyboard warriors going down this path but even sports journalists. The Gold Coast (ironically both NRL and AFL) is the easy target current day but in the future it will be another team. Does anyone seriously believe that the geographical location of a sports team is going to make a difference to their performance in Australia?

Relocating the Titans to Perth or the Suns to Hobart won’t suddenly given them new players or magic powers to perform better.

2. Mal Meninga. No one can say a bad word about the bloke as a player. He was a gun.

But I can’t subscribe to the theory that he is some sort of super coach or has significant influence in his current role.

He coached a Queensland side that any former/current NRL coach could have guided to those State of Origin victories. He was blessed with having several future immortals in that squad along with NSW being a absolute shambles at the same time. He then conveniently jumped shipped as the retirements started rolling around and Walters is now feeling the heat of having a genuine SOS battle year or year (which Mal very rarely if ever had).

He has been at the Titans since the end of last year and the Club on-field is in more disarray then any other year since before his arrival.

What is he offering? Why is his involvement not being questioned?

3. The AFL.

The NRL would be basically handing the Gold Coast and surrounding area to the AFL (who are committed with money in hand) should they relocate or start playing games in Brisbane. The first option won’t happen and the second is just as bad – you are not going to gain any new fans to the game or keep the current Gold Coast Titans members engaged having a bet each way playing in Brisbane and at GC.

Can you imagine the marketing campaign if the Titans attempted option 2 above. All you will do is drive people away.

There is a core of people currently rolling up to games when the Titans are at their worst but we have seen in the past that people will go to CBus in big numbers when the performance is good.

Spot on Adrian.

The Lions are playing a great brand of attacking exciting footy in 2019 and as a neutral watching they offer entertainment.

I have no doubt that Fagan is allowing them to enjoy the moment while at the same time looking to the future.

After 10 years in the doldrums since last playing finals and the infamous walkout of players in 2013 they went about getting their off-field administration in place, hired who they thought was going to be the best coach for their group and focused heavily on the recruitment/retention of players at the Club.

I am happy for them as they start seeing the rewards of a long slog. Even better if it riles up Victorians along the way.

I hope the Gabba once again becomes a graveyard for travelling teams.

As for the Suns, I have said plenty about the appalling way this Club was set up and the endless lists of mistakes made by both Club and AFL. For McLachlan to say they made no errors in the set up is an insult to all football fans.

Has the AFL ever has such an inept CEO in its history?

The Suns are suffering from a couple of current day phenomenon’s that don’t get discussed as much, such as:

1. The AFL is completely over saturated with journalists (both AFL and newspaper).

They are all out for themselves to be the loudest, most controversial, the most “clicks” etc. Smashing the team(s) at the bottom of the ladder and/or stories of players from QLD/NSW heading “home”, next coach under fire likely to sacked etc. usually gets a response, so those journalists keep going to the well for the same stories.

The smallest thing becomes a story covered for 2-3 days only because there is simply not the content created by the AFL to keep all these people in a job.

2. The instant gratification era. If something doesn’t work instantly (no matter the history or circumstance) then its no good and has to be replaced.

It is very interesting how Premiership droughts are spoken of because on one hand it becomes a huge story which is celebrated when a drought is broken (Sydney 2005, Geelong 2007, Western Bulldogs 2016, Richmond 2017 etc.) however on the other it also seems the basis for determining whether a team is worthy of a place in the AFL?

Fremantle haven’t won a Premiership since their introduction in 1995, and don’t look likely of doing so anytime soon. Melbourne has not won a Premiership since 1964 when the suburban comp VFL only had 12 teams contesting the league with the longest travel being down the highway to Geelong. They played finals in 2018 after 12 years of not making the Top 8.

3. Calls to move teams.

The lazy call is to “send them to Tasmania” – is this going to make the current list any better? Tasmania will have all the same retention issues that Northern AFL Clubs have had historically had and the Victorian media will be just as repetitive of linking any Victorian talented draftee to a ‘big Vic Club’ as soon as the day after the draft.

Will North Melbourne and Hawthorn be pushed aside and their academies handed over to the Tasmania team?

The AFL and the Queensland Government have spent a lot of money on the Gold Coast to date. The AFL (e.g. Gil and Hocking) should actually get up here have a look around and make a strategic plan of how to get the Suns competitive and sustainable.

The resource aspect is one of the biggest issues that the Suns face.

People should also be clear that resources means People in an off-field capacity. The facilities at the Carrara Sports Precinct stack up to, and in some cases are much better than, any other Club in the AFL (except Brisbane who don’t have any facilities until Springfield is built in 3 years time).

There is a lot in place but plenty to go.

If the AFL are serious about the Suns then they need to consider, and pay for, additional salary cap and off-field spending with no luxury tax associated with it.

They have absolutely zero chance of recruiting any A-Grade player at the moment so they need assistance to retain their draft picks for at least 4 years.

They are essentially where Brisbane found themselves 4-5 years ago and the AFL at that time did absolutely nothing to assist so I don’t expect that we will see anything substantial from McLachlan and Co in the short term.

I definitely agree that Tassie is more passionate for the game – no doubt there at all.

However, similar issues will certainly face a Tassie team. If cities like Brisbane (previously), Gold Coast and Sydney (when looking at GWS) can’t retain players over the journey then you would have to think Hobart/Launceston will have similar issues. Young guys in their 20’s are going to want to be in the thick of the AFL celebrity bubble that Melbourne/Perth/Adelaide offers and I can’t see how Hobart competes with this (same issue that afflicts Gold Coast).

First thing that the Tasmanian Government, along with local councils in Launceston and Hobart, need to do is dump their current financial support for Hawthorn and North Melbourne. It will force the AFL into action because the approx. $4M coming off Hawthorn balance sheet and the approx. $2M coming off the Kanaga’s balance sheet would not go unnoticed by those clubs or the AFL.

On the Queensland front:

The Brisbane Lions played a very mature game of footy last night. In seasons gone by they would of coughed up that lead at halftime but the team is stronger, fitter and wiser and they continue to believe in the game plan and structure that Chris Fagan has put in place.

People will want to talk down the Giants performance but that is not giving the Lions the credit they deserve. They were harder at the footy for the bulk of the contest, their forward line speed worried the Giants defenders (notably Shaw and Davis) and their defence marshalled by Harris Andrews did their job.

They have come an exceptionally long way when you consider where this team was at only 3 years ago.

They drafted and recruited smartly without any of the advantages that powerful Clubs in VIC, SA and WA have when luring players and have now ended up with a committed bunch of players, possible finals appearance coming in 2019 (maybe even a home final if they can finish 5/6) and a new Elite Training Facility on the way in Springfield.

Lots of positive vibes in Brisbane at the moment.

The clash with the Port Adelaide this weekend should be a cracker.

The Gold Coast Suns are done and dusted for 2019.

It is weird that people are carrying on about them losing 11 in a row when most experts didn’t have them winning a game at all in 2019.

The wooden spoon was always going to the Suns. Looks like the Crows will get Pick 2 not Pick 1 this year.

Injuries are now also playing their part and the one player I didn’t think they could afford to lose in Sam Collins is now also likely cooked for the season. He has been a rock solid player in a defence that sees plenty of footy on a weekly basis.

The usual calls for them to be packed up and shipped to Tasmania are as predictable as they are stupid.

A Tasmanian side is going to face almost all the same issues with regard to recruitment and retention that teams in NSW and Queensland face as the Melbourne media link any decent player drafted to Tasmania with a big Melbourne club that can offer more money, historic huge fixtures at the MCG, media exposure and the list goes on.

Off the field they have got plenty right, including staff appointments, elite facilities, plenty of hours engaged in the community etc.

The biggest issue the Suns have is lack of talent and lack of depth on their list and this cannot be rectified in one off-season, it cannot even be done in 3 off-seasons.

Have a look at Melbourne, Carlton, St. Kilda, Fremantle, etc. – clubs who are based in heartland football states that have spent plenty of years in the doldrums during the AFL era and in some cases still trying to get their list in shape to play finals footy.

The Suns really need to look up the road to see how the Lions responded each year since 2013 when they were at their lowest ebb with players walking out on the Club and without the ability to lure anyone to the Gabba.

Will be interested to see which kid is nominated as the Number 1 pick this year and whether the Suns follow the Brisbane model of trying to recruit his friends so they hopefully stay up here together (like McCluggage, Berry x2 and Cox).

You seriously think that Perth building a 100,000 seat capacity stadium would of been a drawcard and tourist experience?

There is not a single city in Australia that needs a 100,000 seat capacity stadium.

Other than Grand Final day when else is the MCG at capacity?

To suggest a city the size of Adelaide or Perth should of built a stadium of that capacity is ridiculous considering that they don’t sell out the brand new stadiums of 55k and 60k respectively now.

Gerry you really need to learn some history of the VFL/AFL.

No interstate team decided to “join” the VFL.

The VFL sent South Melbourne to Sydney.

The VFL were absolutely broke beyond belief and sold licences (approx. $4M in late 80’s) to Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles to join the VFL in 1986 to basically prop themselves up.

Every team that has joined the AFL since the Eagles and Bears were invited/created by the AFL themselves to increase revenue.

No more than any of the other ruckman on your list.

The point is you talking him up beating someone comprehensively and then shown clearly that was not the case.

So two extra hit-outs is considered “comprehensive”?