AFL 2009

[David]

Gee its good to go fishing on the forum.

You get lots of bites and land one every now and again

It's called trolling, gundog.

And I'll ban you for it next time.

[Scotty]

So better than rewriting history, just say thank you for letting you crows join an elite compertition, and when they have 11 premierships like us you will have something to crow about.

Thank who? The Melbourne Football Club?

[David]

Haha.

Of course, lets forget the fact it was the licence money paid by all interstate clubs that propped up the suburban competition that was the VFL, gundog.

Dont be so narrow-minded.

[David]

To me the most successful clubs are those with the most premierships, not in the VFL/AFL, but in the AFL only (i.e. 1990 onwards).

Strongly disagree.

It's all the same competition. Just like everything else (Father Son rules etc) stats and history can't be compared and won't be. It wasn't a new competition that started, it was the same competition that grew and then changed the name to reflect where it was going.

I have a lot of time and respect for the Victorian clubs, and I always will. I also admire any club that either moves or is formed to join the competition, competing with the history of the existing clubs.

The VFL wouldn't be survived if it weren't for the new clubs joining and paying extravagant licence fees. But these new clubs wouldn't have had a competition to join if it weren't for the VFL as it was.

[gundog]

So better than rewriting history, just say thank you for letting you crows join an elite compertition, and when they have 11 premierships like us you will have something to crow about.

Thank who? The Melbourne Football Club?

well ultimatly yes as we are the oldest club and one of the foundation clubs of the VFL/AFL.

And yes the licence money came in handy, but again we created our own problems and once being mighty and powerful to now mear shadow of our former selves.

But ya gotta love your club no matter what.

Now a dose of reality, 3 or 4 victorian clubs must move, merge or die and that is a fact of life.

And my club is one of them along with the Kanga's and Dogs and a couple of others.

[Bacon]

you must be proud of some of the 11 premierships that you won when it was a 4 team competition. must've been hard work.

I like that the Power try and claim their 36 sanfl premierships, but u never hear the Dogs or Roos claiming their VFA ones.

Nice to see though that u recognise the need for less vic clubs. Shame the vics still don't

[maccatak11]

Please don't think i am trying to discount or downplay the importance of the history of the VFL, but i rank it alongside the SANFL and not above it. I am not a Port Adelaide supporter, but if people are going to say that essendon have won 16 premierships (14 in the VFL and 2 in the AFL) then Port Adelaide have won 35 premeirships (34 in the SANFL and 1 in the AFL).

The change of name from the VFL to the AFL was more than just symbolic. I guess it comes up every year before the ANZAC day clash just how victorian-centric the AFL is, highlighted by the absaloute farce that is the ANZAC day game.

All of the things that the AFL has set up to promote equity oin our competition (the salary cap, the draft etc) are completely undermined by unequitable draw which makes the rich richer and the poor poorer due to the programming of matches and television timeslots. This makes the AFL EXTREMELY hypocrytical in my opinion.

I know this is slighlty off the "Melbourne are crap, lets pay out gundog" theme of the thread, but it really gets me going when people spout such victorian dribble.

[Scotty]

It's an AFL super thread. Feel free to talk about anything football related

[David]

I rank the VFL along side the SANFL as well - but the SANFL didn't change it's name, the VFL did. If the SANFL changed it's name and let other clubs from other states join, then I would NOT want the history of my club and the flags won, lost. It would continue and I'd be damned if I was to start fresh.

I don't like the Melbourne-centric feeling. I don't like the number of clubs in Victoria. I don't like the fact 6 teams are called "interstate teams" in a national competition.

But we did join their competition. It then grew, and grew. I think Victorian teams have every right to call the flags they won in the past, their own, and continue that number on.

I don't however think that Port Power can claim 36 flags in the AFL. Port Magpies are still in the SANFL, and have those flags. Leave the "business name, entity finished/started" debate out of it.. the Port Magpies were in the SANFL, they then started a new team based and using their history and heritage and continued their SANFL team.

[rcon]

I don't however think that Port Power can claim 36 flags in the AFL. Port Magpies are still in the SANFL, and have those flags. Leave the "business name, entity finished/started" debate out of it.. the Port Magpies were in the SANFL, they then started a new team based and using their history and heritage and continued their SANFL team.

Yeah, if Port had ceased in the SANFL, it would be much easier to swallow that they had "carried" their tradition with them, but they didn't so "Port Power" can more correctly (in my mind) be classed as a spin-off.

I guess it comes up every year before the ANZAC day clash just how victorian-centric the AFL is, highlighted by the absaloute farce that is the ANZAC day game.

Why farce? If you're getting at why only 'woods and 'dons play in it every year, that would be because they decided, of their own initiative, to come up with the concept and promote it at their own expense. Nothing stopping other clubs doing something similar

All of the things that the AFL has set up to promote equity oin our competition (the salary cap, the draft etc) are completely undermined by unequitable draw which makes the rich richer and the poor poorer due to the programming of matches and television timeslots. This makes the AFL EXTREMELY hypocrytical in my opinion.

Until the comp has every team playing each other exactly once, or exactly twice (ewww, waaayyyy too long a season), their "equity" push will always seem a farce. DOWN WITH SOCIALISM!