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Joined February 2018
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Sports commentator in Tassie.
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It's time the AFL Commission put an end to the expansion debate by giving a firm commitment and timeline – and the Tasmanian Devils…
Given the workload on the players in a long season would a bye be a good thing to give players a mental break during the season?
BREAKING: NRL to forge ahead with 17th team in 2023
As a Tasmanian who has fought for years for our own AFL team whilst I think it’s great it is also soul destroying. The NRL are starting up a team in their heartland within TWO years. We have to go through a Royal Commission type process just to get it to the President’s table with the hope we might get something with 5/6 years…
BREAKING: NRL to forge ahead with 17th team in 2023
Great article Canberra Pear. Here in Tassie footy has gone backwards since GWS and GC have entered the competition. This is manifested in declining participation, clubs folding (including Smithton a heartland town), declining AFL attendances to Hawks and Kangas games, declining investment, loss of teams from our state league, and reduction in kids drafted. We have looked on in envy at the investment into “developing markets”. Pretty much we now need an AFL Team to breathe new life into footy and stop the downward spiral. Pretty sad really considering we were pretty competitive against SA and WA not so long ago.
Capital idea for AFL expansion
Meanwhile here in good old Tassie our state women’s league has fallen over. More clubs struggling. Only had a couple of kids picked up in the rookie draft. Gil nowhere to be seen. I am really happy for Gold Coast footy and I think it could be a blueprint for us if we can somehow get a licence. I point to the GC as a model have how you can turn things around with the investment in an AFL team. All the best.
Trade and draft review: Suns rise and rise again
I hope they improve this year. Us Tasmanians are paying a million bucks for the pleasure of watching the North Melbourne vs Suns blockbuster in July! Fun times. Thanks AFL!
Do we even want the Gold Coast Suns to succeed?
Spot on Republican. In the ten years of the expansion teams I have literally seen the AFL code start to die before my eyes here in Tasmania. Clubs and Leagues have folded including the Smithton Football Club in a town of 8000 people. The State League has lost its North West Clubs, AFL attendances to Hawthorn and North Melbourne games have declined (ironically the Gold Coast and GWS ones are the worst – no away support). Player numbers are dropping off and I’m not sure the AFL really care. Somehow the Holy Grail of conquering the Gold Coast must be achieved regardless of the cost. Anger is building down here and we are going full on to make our case. This is our last roll of the dice. Get rejected this time and it will be a heartland lost.
Gold Coast gifted not one, but four priority picks by AFL
Yes Tom – as a Tasmanian taxpayer who contributes towards the 7 million dollars we PAY for AFL content we must continue to pump money, concessions into the Gold Coast. We got criticised for only getting 9000 to a Hawks vs Gold Coast game a couple of years. If we are going to pay a million bucks a game for the privilege of watching the Suns at least make them competitive. Now the NT have been gifted to the Gold Coast I wonder who we will be gifted to?
Gold Coast gifted not one, but four priority picks by AFL
Thanks Edward – yeah us Tasmanians will keep on paying a million bucks a game for blockbuster Kangas vs Giants games. After all business is business and we are the great givers of the AFL. A once footy loving state reduced to begging for content. There is no room for emotion though Edward is there. The fact that a once heartland of AFL is really struggling is probably of no concern to you. As long as the sport loving public of the Gold Coast can wander down to Metricon and see all the big teams everything is dandy. Oh well we will have an NBL team soon. Thanks Larry Kestleman.
The Gold Coast Suns make a better expansion team than a Tasmanian one
Firstly as a Tasmanian it irks me that we have to pay 1 million bucks a game as taxpayers to secure blockbusters such as Hawthorn vs GC or Kangas vs GWS. Putting that aside the number of Gold Coast supporters at the SCG today was downright embarrassing. How can we expect young players to enjoy their footy when their efforts are met with absolute silence. At least if Tassie had a side we could gather a thousand or so expats to make some noise.
GWS are tearing up the AFL, so where are the fans?
Yeah here in Tassie we PAY 7 million a year to host AFL games. How fair is that?
Why the AFL's China venture misses the point
That’s great Sam. I’m glad things are going well up there and its fantastic the code is growing. Down here in Tassie clubs are folding – we are struggling a fair bit. Well done on getting the 25 million last year. I must admit I’m jealous. Last year us taxpayers down here paid 7 million down here to watch our 7 games. One million of that was to watch your Suns play the Hawks and guess what? When we only got 9000 it was all our fault and we apparently we don’t love our footy anymore. Unfortunately there aren’t many Suns fans in Tassie which didn’t help. Oh well. I hope you enjoy seeing the Bombers and Collingwood up there, they have never played in Tassie. All the best for the year ahead. I better get online for the Kangas vs Giants tickets at Blundstone Arena before they sell out.
Sunny times ahead for the Gold Coast
Yet in England there are theoretically 92 teams that have the opportunity to play EPL in the next four years. Burnley a town of some 75000 is in the EPL currently
Time for the Tasmanian Devils in the AFL
The population of Hobart is on par with Geelong. Our ‘very small economy” seems to manage to pay 7 million a year to watch the Kangas vs Giants, the irony is when we don’t pack the stands for Hawks vs Suns its our fault. Yep there it is the Gold Coast (650k pop) get gifted a team and 200 million and Tassie (we actually love the game) PAY 7 mill a year for no team and second rate fixtures. Anger is building.
GWS: The next expansion club crisis?
I live in Tassie and am proud of our beautiful state. To say it offers nothing to young people is pretty insulting. We have had a number of cricketers move to our state over the years and have thrived and represented Australia. This is a footy community fiercely proud and very welcoming. Our stunning natural environment, laid back lifestyle, clean air and friendly down to earth people would be an attraction to AFL players.
2019 AFL season preview: Gold Coast Suns
Thanks for calling us a backwater here in Tassie Paul. This backwater has produced some mighty fine champions over the years. This backwater also has to fork out 7 million a year for the privilege of watching the Kangas vs Giant and Hawks vs your Suns. Furthermore when we don’t pack stadiums for these fixtures we get blamed for not loving footy. You don’t know how angry we are getting having to PAY as taxpayers to get AFL content. Get us our own team and we will pack stadiums and we will get the Suns 6k members within 24 hours. Anyway looks like we are getting an NBL side soon! Go Huskies!
2019 AFL season preview: Gold Coast Suns
Wow a Tasmanian team on top in a national competition!! I’m hoping the Hurricanes can go all the way. Thanks Cricket Australia for giving Tassie an opportunity. It really has brought the state together and hopefully one day we can have an AFL or NBL team.
A clear favourite has emerged in the BBL, and we’re close to knowing the challengers too
Your statement “The long term path for Tassie is being restarted presently – and that is rebuilding the footy pathways via returning Tassie to the TAC Cup. There’s a generation to go before any thought of a stand alone side could take shape.” makes our blood boil in Tassie. These were hoops the Gold Coast didn’t have to go through. Where were their “footy pathways”?
AFL expansion - time to make it fully national
I’m Tasmanian and I would love a team. We love our Hurricanes in the BBL and we would be a seething tribal cauldron for visiting teams, unlike Metricon which has 80% of fans supporting away team.
AFL expansion - time to make it fully national
Be fair Macca – first up Tasmania wasn’t playing, that will make a huge difference and a couple of those were Kangas vs Suns and Hawks vs Suns. Hardly blockbusters. Tassie vs anyone will be huge. Geelong has 200k and they have a team
AFL expansion - time to make it fully national
As a Tasmanian that actually PAYS as a taxpayer to watch blockbusters such as Kangaroos vs Giants I want our own team. Yes whilst others get hundreds of millions of subsidies WE PAY. I don’t care about Hawthorn and North Melbourne. I can tell you now we would have more support than GC or GWS. Tasmanians are passionate about their footy and fiercely tribal about our state. Attend a Hurricanes game in the BBL and you will see it in spades. I dream of a packed UTAS stadium or Blundstone Arena with the green gold and primrose jumper dishing it up to a Collingwood or Essendon. We will fight for our own team.
Divide and diminish: The AFL’s failed decade in Queensland
Meanwhile down here in Tassie where we have as many Hawthorn members as there are Gold Coast suns members we can only look on with envy. Tasmania vs Melbourne yesterday would have got 15000 in either Launceston or Hobart. The passion at Hurricanes Big Bash games tells me that we would create a cauldron down here that would be fantastic for the AFL. Please give us a team.
Divide and diminish: The AFL’s failed decade in Queensland
Come on – The Tassie Devils were years ago and how many NBL teams folded in the Years since? Our Hurricanes crowds are pretty good. AFL crowds are too considering we are watching other people’s teams, only one crowd under 10000 in the 80 games and 20 years we have hosted Hawks, Saints and Kangas games. Please give us a chance.
Dear Mr Gallop, would you like Tasmania? The AFL has left it wide open
As a Tasmanian I believe you underestimate our passion for our own state and sport in general. We have a strong bid and its well financed. In fact our bid was on the table well before the other aspiring clubs The AFL don’t want a bar of us so the A League is an opportunity we would grab with both hands. How boring to have more teams in Sydney or Melbourne. Tasmania United would bring a bit of romance to the league like a Bournemouth or a Leicester or a Huddersfield. We are ready to go.
A-League to expand in 2019
A good argument for a second division is the ability to engage a community that hasn’t got a team = more young people playing the game. Not many Tasmanians cared about the NBL until this year – they give us a team this year and bang! huge interest and sell out games in Hobart. Tasmania, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Ballarat, Coffs Harbour, Mackay – plenty of regional areas that would engage with football through a second division. Could these places compete at A League level? Burnley does in the premier league with a population of 70k.
Do the A-Leagues exist so well-connected businessmen can run a club any way they see fit?