Holmes would get a far better package from spilling his guts to the media.

Whatever truths and lies are being kept among a select few, they will eventually be made public.

Anyone know Assange's ph number?

This is the problem. No-one spills the beans (not in public anyway) because doing so is career suicide.

It would take a true whistleblower ... someone prepared to walk away from football and the sports industry in general ... to shake the foundations of the house of cards.

"walked away from the AFL"....more like, "Matthews, we have another job for you and it's currently beyond our control. We're relocating you to Western Sydney for 2-3 years to improve it's damaged brand and help steady this sinking ship. If you choose to accept this mission, you'll be back here at head office before you can say, 'AFL recruiting Giant Phil Scully is our No.1 recruiter'. If you choose not to, you can be the CEO's right hand man in choosing next year's AFL Grand Final entertainment. Now, what's it going to be ?"

Matthews is trying to help the AFL save face by having Phil Scully's packet outside the cap to reduce the already overflowing stigma and stench for the future so it can bark out to everyone's amusement in 2016 that they handled the new venture with 'integrity' despite the difficulties west of sydney and hail it as a success, as it was all handled legitimately.

Matthews coming out and keeping this going isn't helping the AFL.

The AFL were happy in their "GWS knew all along they had to put him in the cap" nonsense and now that meme has been torn apart by Matthews' desire to get what's best for his club.

They won't get it, I don't believe and nor should they.

This is the problem. No-one spills the beans (not in public anyway) because doing so is career suicide.

It would take a true whistleblower ... someone prepared to walk away from football and the sports industry in general ... to shake the foundations of the house of cards.

I wonder if Mike Sheahan has plans.....he's prepared to now sit outside the MCG and feast on hot chips before joining the rest of the clan and enjoy watching a game of football, without having to write about it 5-6 times a week.

He seemed to know much about the approach to lucky Phil in the March press conference for HWSNBN.

I would be on the phone to Sheahan today if i was the MFC with a top membership offer. He is an "elapsed" Demon with contacts in high places. Useful.

The membership figure quoted by Sheeds was for this season. The new tally is for next season.

Didn't they cost $50 and it meant you got $50 off a 2012 membership? Also I think half of them were from Canberra.

i will be watching every GWS game barracking hard for the opposition. I want to see them set some kind of record for beltings in a year. I hope the Swans give them a nice welcome round 1..

"He (Phil Scully) was at the Sydney Swans and his son was playing across town..." Excuse me, i was under the the impression Tom was still a Demon at this time, oh wait, that's right- the fix was already in!!

It's like the arrogant toads aren't even trying to cover up the lie any more

Do they really believe that all this whingeing and bleating and underhandedness is making them attractive to the western Sydney public? Are they giving their public the impression of a team with a strong character or a weak character? Imagine if the NRL carried on like this if they wanted to put a 2nd rugby league team in Melbourne - would it make you feel more or less inclined to support them?

It's not about the "Western Sydney public" - who, I suspect, are about as interested in proper football as the Taliban are in Jean-Paul Sartre. It's about a TV demographic which can be parlayed into a marketing footprint, which can be turned into $$$...

Danial Harford said on Sen today "it seems every time we talk about GW$ we are talking about Tom $cully" I can't see how this is good.

I think it's time that fans were treated with respect by the AFl and clubs .

It's about time a representative body of the paying public /viewers was formed to take on the AFL over issues like GWS fraudulence, the increasing corporatisation of the game, the rule changes, the woeful umpiring, the disgusting food /beer forced on fans, the ridiculous promotion of products throughout the game, the woeful entertainment on GF day, the ridiculous Etihad deal that is breaking some clubs every time they play there.

  

Millions of dollars, from paying idiots like us, gets flushed away on half-wit schemes like GWS whilst established clubs, Melbourne, Swans, Saints, Dogs and Lions see  success become harder to obtain or are forced to move/merge .

  

Community football, local clubs, Auskick etc receive little benefit from the expansion of the AFL.

In order to sell more burgers in West Sydney, the goodwill and history of our great club has been eroded and stolen for a fraudulent and artificial franchise. The TS saga aside, this would never have happened had the clubs/fans had a say.

If the NSW AFL had put forward it's own proposal for a new team then fine.

What I object to most is that the huge headless glutton we call a CORPORATION has stolen an organic culture and replaced it with culture LITE .

Most people are too stupid or sated to notice but, as with cricket, this sort of crap will destroy the game.

I suggest a symbolic protest during which the fans start bringing their own food and drink to games again and refuse the slop they sell at grounds.

The individual players should have their salaries capped at half a million. Twice as much as the PM is more than enough .

The argument will come back that kids will choose cricket or basketball over AFL if we cap the salaries. Cricket is already ruined by TV and corporatisation and basketball is broke.

Fans of all clubs should rise up and make some simple demands for the benefit of a game we have founded and funded for generations. 

It's time we stopped the game being run by people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing .

I think its time that fans were treated with respect by the AFl and clubs .It's about time a representative body of the paying public /viewers was formed to take on the AFL over issues like GWS fraudulence ,the increasing corporatisation of the game ,the rule changes ,the woeful umpiring ,the disgusting food /beer forced on fans ,the ridiculous promotion of products throughout the game ,the woeful entertainment on GF day ,the ridiculous Etihad deal that is breaking some clubs every time they play there .

* add in-your-face betting agency advertising, the most distasteful development of the lot IMO.

Here's the article where Sheedy mentions the 12,500 members . Wouldn't bother reading the rest of the article because it's along the same lines - tripe !

"ex52k2" made the observation of 456 members ( according to the GW$ web site ) . Amazing what can be done with numbers . Or just make it up as you go along !

I've commented in other similar threads about how GW$ memberships and crowd numbers will be exaggerated to ridiculous levels and it didn't take long ..............

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-greater-western-sydney-empire-strikes-back/story-e6frf9jf-1226208602677

The 12500 members was for 2011 - their website says 456 for 2012.

Good words Biffen. All i can say is i agree, and i will add....the loud music between quarters stops people from having that Chat about what has just happened. I love loud music, but i dig talking to my dad at the footy. Demetrio has gone too far i believe. Can we pull it back....just a bit. Fans pay a lot in membership, but to the AFL we have no voice, and i think that is wrong.

How was the Etihad deal EVER allowed to go ahead....is this the way Vlad intends to prune the competition?

Yeah I hate the loud music as well, it doesn't help that it is generally rubbish music as well. Its the football not the big day out.

Yeah I hate the loud music as well, it doesn't help that it is generally rubbish music as well. Its the football not the big day out.

It is played in the MCC reserve just as loudly too, so no one is spared. Its great to chat about how good or bad a quarter has just been and with BARNESY pumping at 11 it is bloody hard to hear anything. The only song i want to hear at the ground is Grand Old Flag.

Good words Biffen. All i can say is i agree, and i will add....the loud music between quarters stops people from having that Chat about what has just happened. I love loud music, but i dig talking to my dad at the footy. Demetrio has gone too far i believe. Can we pull it back....just a bit. Fans pay a lot in membership, but to the AFL we have no voice, and i think that is wrong.

How was the Etihad deal EVER allowed to go ahead....is this the way Vlad intends to prune the competition?

Further theft of what was once free .The quiet time between quarters now used to sell burgers and KFC and coke or Gambling .All these thing combine to lessen the whole experience . Advertisers dont pay for the game .WE pay to get in and they pay to [censored] crap to us .Therefore we should ban it .

GWS are also petitioning the AFL to be awarded the 2014 premiership cup now on the proviso that they perform the work later. This falls under the GWS clause "delayed workification"

Love it! Falling off my couch with laughter!

It is played in the MCC reserve just as loudly too, so no one is spared. Its great to chat about how good or bad a quarter has just been and with BARNESY pumping at 11 it is bloody hard to hear anything. The only song i want to hear at the ground is Grand Old Flag.

One of the joys of going to the footy used to be chatting to friends, and to strangers who sometimes became friends, before the game and at the quarter breaks.

Now at the G this is nigh impossible due to the blaring announcements and 'music', all played far too loudly to understand.

I have written to the MCC several times about it, but of course have never had the courtesy of a reply.

I guess that is "progress".

Since the events of 186 so much has gone down, not only for the MFC but also the members and fans. Not to mention the daily bullshite that was the $cully corporation. I really feel we need some sort of get together between club and supporter over this summer. We need to reconnect. I love the MFC like family, but i despise the organization that governs the game. I am not getting at the club at all. But we all need a bit of TLC as the articles keep being written as to how the AFL have shown us NO respect over this. And we at least deserve the same as any other vic club. I just want to see the MFC and supporter unite before next year in person. Not just on here.

Agreed WYL .

I suggest an acid party in the Botanical gardens dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland .

No ,seriously ,

It would be nice to have some fans gets together and decide on a course of action to take on the AfL over these cultural issue such as food ,music and advertising .It's no fun at the footy- you just get processed like a chook .

Ah...this is funny.. People still reel in surprise. Why. There is no spearation of AFL-GWS..its the same beast.

And yet it now only dawns on the masses that is all a sham. Always was. Will continue to be. .

The truth ...or the new-truth is reinvented on the fly and the spin-meisters gather. This isnt the end of it, watch this space !!!

Just one continuous joke Im afraid

Agreed WYL .

I suggest an acid party in the Botanical gardens dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland .

No ,seriously ,

It would be nice to have some fans gets together and decide on a course of action to take on the AfL over these cultural issue such as food ,music and advertising .It's no fun at the footy- you just get processed like a chook .

Sounds like you want an "Occupy MCG" movement

I'm in

Good words Biffen. All i can say is i agree, and i will add....the loud music between quarters stops people from having that Chat about what has just happened. I love loud music, but i dig talking to my dad at the footy. Demetrio has gone too far i believe.

I highly doubt Demetriou has anything to do with the volume of the music at the MCG.

I highly doubt Demetriou has anything to do with the volume of the music at the MCG.

Yes Nasher, he is just in charge of the entire operation though and that organization is primarily geared to take $$$ from we supporters in all different ways.