Couldn't find this story on the Footy Message Board, so HERE it is...

Tassie could be the 18th AFL team.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/04/...8261636317.html

Good on them but we cant have the Tassie Devils.

One good point is that it drags easy cash away from the Hawks and will probably hurt their membership from the Isle.

Nasher as a Taswegian, will we keep you or will you be lost to the local cause?

Im a Tasmanian. And while i dont live there now, I will return to the state to raise a family and settle down.

The demons will always be my number 1 team, but ill have a soft spot for Tassie and support them a lot, ill raise my kids to go for the Tasmanian side.

One good point is that it drags easy cash away from the Hawks and will probably hurt their membership from the Isle.

Just one more reason to get this done!

Tassie deserves a team. Theirs will survive, but I predict GC and WS will be dead within 15 years (Just look at the membership and attendance numbers of the two very successful QLD and NSW teams which already exist. The AFL's desperation to beat NRL is going to end up in tears).

Nasher as a Taswegian, will we keep you or will you be lost to the local cause?

8 years or so too late for me. I might've been persuaded as a kid and into my late teens, but my allegience runs way too deep now.

It might mean I can take my family to a few more AFL games now, though if they're all in Launceston I probably won't bother (but obviously will for MFC games).

Vlad didn't say anything about Tassie being the 18th team. He said that Tassy came after WS and GC.

Vlad didn't say anything about Tassie being the 18th team. He said that Tassy came after WS and GC.

Exactly, it's much ado about nothing.

It's years away from ever meaning anything, seems like a bit of a patronising announcement to shut up the Tasmanians in my opinion.

I think this whole expansion thing will be a total & utter Disaster!! But it is not my call. Both of these clubs are going to pull the young talent for the next ten years. It's why North had to go to the GC but they didn't (although they still might be Forced to go to Sydney) another story i know.

We at least have the MCC as Back up now. We will need them i have no doubt. Other clubs apart from Essendon are going to be hit hard at Etihad Stadium.

Let's wait & see.

Mods 19th not 18th

the expansion of the league is the wrong way forward. currently the Dees ,Bombers and Eagles are rebuilding. come the end of this year someone will(should) take to Richmonds list and delist a great number of players. Carlton has just finshed with the Hawks before them .....Saints. there is not enough quality talent around to fill two more teams. the argument from the gold coast is more kids will play the game. how many kids play in Victoria compared to those who make it to any form of rep side. the gold coast might be more user friendly than Brisbane but listening to SEN on a regular basis people give a differant view than the one painted by Andrew Demitriou. i dont have figures in front of me but overall crowds are up every year but Sydney and Brisbane are on the decline. clubs complain about the impending arrival of an extended season yet dont block the motion of extra teams. 16 teams works on many levels. Tassie should get a team before the other two , too make it truly national. no offense but send them the Kangaroos. they have allready indicated they will be unlikey to break even this year.

the expansion of the league is the wrong way forward. currently the Dees ,Bombers and Eagles are rebuilding. come the end of this year someone will(should) take to Richmonds list and delist a great number of players. Carlton has just finshed with the Hawks before them .....Saints. there is not enough quality talent around to fill two more teams. the argument from the gold coast is more kids will play the game. how many kids play in Victoria compared to those who make it to any form of rep side. the gold coast might be more user friendly than Brisbane but listening to SEN on a regular basis people give a differant view than the one painted by Andrew Demitriou. i dont have figures in front of me but overall crowds are up every year but Sydney and Brisbane are on the decline. clubs complain about the impending arrival of an extended season yet dont block the motion of extra teams. 16 teams works on many levels. Tassie should get a team before the other two , too make it truly national. no offense but send them the Kangaroos. they have allready indicated they will be unlikey to break even this year.

Rivalries and Derbys create interest, as it has in WA, SA and always in VIC.

I think it is the AFL's intention to create and foster these rivalries and it is their belief that the interest and support will come from that.

I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with that line of thought.

Vlad didn't say anything about Tassie being the 18th team. He said that Tassy came after WS and GC.

He didn't even say that. He said that, if, in the future, a new team was considered, Tasmania would lead the race for that new license. It means that there's no commitment to Tasmania until the AFL formally decides on a new license. He also reaffirmed the AFL's stance: expansion will first take place into NRL areas.

I saw an article on the new gold coast team targetting ablett and riewoldt as recruits. Down the bottom it mentioned a few others from the GOld Coast that would be targeted and Petterd was named. If they do target him what are our chances of keeping him and how much would losing him hurt the teams development.

I saw an article on the new gold coast team targetting ablett and riewoldt as recruits. Down the bottom it mentioned a few others from the GOld Coast that would be targeted and Petterd was named. If they do target him what are our chances of keeping him and how much would losing him hurt the teams development.

I have had a feeling for some time that miller is the one they will chase as he is out of contract next year and is an ex QLD boy. Tall KPP cannot be drafted at 18yrs and expected to fill a key role.

I have had a feeling for some time that miller is the one they will chase as he is out of contract next year and is an ex QLD boy. Tall KPP cannot be drafted at 18yrs and expected to fill a key role.

Whilst I understood your logic, I don't think that Scott Clayton will be setting his sights that low as to draft Miller as an uncontracted player.

GC17 have access to draft up to 16 uncontracted players. Given that they'll have a core group of young talent on low salaries, they can utilise their salary cap benefits to target some high priced recruits. Clayton has stated that they won't be specifically targetting ex-Queenslanders.

Whilst I understood your logic, I don't think that Scott Clayton will be setting his sights that low as to draft Miller as an uncontracted player.

GC17 have access to draft up to 16 uncontracted players. Given that they'll have a core group of young talent on low salaries, they can utilise their salary cap benefits to target some high priced recruits. Clayton has stated that they won't be specifically targetting ex-Queenslanders.

Potential captain as well?

I cannot see any club not having their "stars" in water tight new deals by the end of the year locking GC17 out. (eg G Ablett)

So assuming they don't have any stars recruited who will captain them. All of a sudden a player like miller looks a lot better.

so once again assuming that all clups sign up their start forwards (NR etc), I am sure that the 2nd tier forwards like miller will be looked at. So I agree with what you are saying that SC will be initially setting sights higher but none the less if there are no star forwards they are still going to require a couple of established tall forwards until the young-ins come through.

Also there is room for trade so while SC has stated they will be targeting young talent I wonder how MFC would feel about a low 1st round for a player like miller if he has a similar year to last year? I for one hope that we keep him as when players like watts and jurrah start coming through we still need 1 or 2 strong bodied players to lead.

I hate this crap, why do they have to change it for, it was fine the way it was.

Expansion into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney is the right way to go. The other codes are weak at the moment except soccer which is building. Remember the state the VFL and its clubs were in before the national expansion in the 1980s. Its also important to look at the reaction from the other codes about AFL expansion into Gold Coast and Western Sydney. They are running scared. The NRL has no cash reserves to support any expansion, the ARU is hamstrung by needing to get SA and NZ approval for any further Australian teams and soccer is still at an early stage in terms of the A League. And then there is Basketball...

Bring it on and back the game, its much more fun to play and watch than the rest. As for those who say we lack the player depth to go to 18 teams consider the dramatic increase in Aboriginal players and Queensland players since the expansion, an increase which is largely explained by the development dollars that have been allocated, development dollars available due to the increased media rights from the expansion.

It's expanded enough, It's already a national game, there is no need to inscrease the amount of teams as that increases the amount of money it costs to stay alive. The bigger you are the harder you fall.

I have had a feeling for some time that miller is the one they will chase as he is out of contract next year and is an ex QLD boy. Tall KPP cannot be drafted at 18yrs and expected to fill a key role.

If miller left that would be a massive blow to the club, we cant afford to lose him.

Just to clarify (and this will probably seem like a stupid question) but as GC17 are entitled to 1 uncontracted player from each club at the end of next year, does this certain individual they choose have any say in the matter? or can GC17 just say "tough luck, we're taking you"???

isnt spencer from the sunshine state, they wana stich his contract up.

Whats the Feeling out there? I am staggered at what the AFL want to do at this point in time.

Just makes it harder to win a Flag i predict. Demetrio is just so Full on about it. Is it Right or are we being Conned? Not that we as supporters had one chance to say a single word or pass a vote on the Matter?

Part of me wants the whole GC Sydney thing to totally fail, as i think Demetrio is just ultimately power hungry. $1 Billion Smackers gives the AFL a lot of spending money.

Expansion into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney is the right way to go. The other codes are weak at the moment except soccer which is building. Remember the state the VFL and its clubs were in before the national expansion in the 1980s. Its also important to look at the reaction from the other codes about AFL expansion into Gold Coast and Western Sydney. They are running scared. The NRL has no cash reserves to support any expansion, the ARU is hamstrung by needing to get SA and NZ approval for any further Australian teams and soccer is still at an early stage in terms of the A League. And then there is Basketball...

Bring it on and back the game, its much more fun to play and watch than the rest. As for those who say we lack the player depth to go to 18 teams consider the dramatic increase in Aboriginal players and Queensland players since the expansion, an increase which is largely explained by the development dollars that have been allocated, development dollars available due to the increased media rights from the expansion.

can you explain to me why SA , an AFL state cant even support two teams, GC and WS are a big mistake

can you explain to me why SA , an AFL state cant even support two teams, GC and WS are a big mistake

That's an oversimplification of what is happening to Port.

Setting aside the problems that they were facing when they came into the league, the facts are that they get an awful stadium deal at AAMI Stadium and the SA authorities treat them like second class citizens.

Bianco defaulting on their sponsorship also isn't the fault of Port or footy fans in SA.