Since getting the fox footy channel, I've been watching a lot more games; and as a result I've noticed the terribly unsatifying effort players put into running through the banners at the start of matches.

As a kid, I remember the players would rip the banners to shreds and oh boy would it be fun to watch. Nowadays, they're either pre-ripped so they don't have to do anything at all (if any of you saw West Coast's banner v. Collingwood today), or they just duck under it.

I don't know about you guys (and I know this isn't a big issue) but it's just another thing from the AFL that I remember, where 'chopping the arms' didn't exist, 'being demonstrative' was normal, a 'push in the back' was actually a PUSH in the back and where players would get pumped up as they came out onto the ground and ripped the banner to bits.... but I suppose we don't want players jarring their fingers after going too hard at the tissue paper do we?...Sigh.

Edited June 23, 201213 yr by insertdemonspunhere?

I miss the old TAB outlet, bunkered away beneath the red seats at the 'G.

It was white and untidy; and it stank of rotten farts and cigarettes butts drowning in the frothy remains of a beer glass.

My Poppa and I won a few bucks on Falvelon from memory, watching the race at three-quarter time - being a footy season it was probably the Stradbroke or Doomben 10,000 I was watching.

I went out on a limb and backed Coco Cobanna (?) in a Derby or Oaks as well.

Those were the days.

They've changed a lot of them so it's not as much of a waste - plenty of them are only crepe paper at the bottom where the players go through and the rest is plastic and re-useable.

Wouldn't hurt my enjoyment of the footy if the players just ran out and started playing without the banner being involved.

It is a weird custom native to our game and I'm not sure if that makes it a good thing or not. I like it just for the fact that it perplexes people foreign to our sport much the same as having these jaunty American Civil War-era anthems blasted out of the speakers and mascots in velvet jackets paraded out to play a rendition on a trumpet before the game.

I have noticed a few players, James Podsiadly most recently, who don't even run through the banner, but rather skirt around it. Probably just some sort of superstition, but for some sad reason, it really [censored] me off, because I thought these cheer squad members had put in the time to make these banners, the least you can do is do them the honour of running through it.

Woudnt miss either the banner or extraneous national anthems Would swap both to go on the ground after.

As an active cheersquad member I ask myself the same question. We had 2 sessions this week with 6 people attending each to eventually get this week's banner together. It's an essay....again. This week it has become a very hard task because of our lack of numbers. All for 5 minutes. The sponsors pay handsomely for their name on the banner.We like to acknowledge player milestones but Jack isn't getting much acknowledgement for his 50th this week.

Beamer is the only player who now seems to use ripping through the banner as a rev up. Our current captains lift the crepe.....a long way off Neita who shouldered through in a smash and crash fashion. Our lack of active members is a reflection of our ladder position. In the last 6 years there have been occasions when we'd like to call off the banner for lack of interest. The position of our Club? We'll make it happen because otherwise we'd be the laughing stock of the AFL. It's easy to say "Walk Away" but there are a few dedicated committed members who would never allow this to happen. It's not easy getting out there every week but tomorrow we'll be giving GWS every assistance needed to pole their banner at the ground and then get it up. We've been told they may have 12 members turn up. And we're all going to forge ahead no matter how hard this is and we live and dream about happier days when we have members queuing up to help

Edited June 23, 201213 yr by posdee

As an active cheersquad member I ask myself the same question. We had 2 sessions this week with 6 people attending each to eventually get this week's banner together. It's an essay....again. This week it has become a very hard task because of our lack of numbers. All for 5 minutes. The sponsors pay handsomely for their name on the banner.We like to acknowledge player milestones but Jack isn't getting much acknowledgement for his 50th this week.

Beamer is the only player who now seems to use ripping through the banner as a rev up. Our current captains lift the crepe.....a long way off Neita who shouldered through in a smash and crash fashion. Our lack of active members is a reflection of our ladder position. In the last 6 years there have been occasions when we'd like to call off the banner for lack of interest. The position of our Club? We'll make it happen because otherwise we'd be the laughing stock of the AFL. It's easy to say "Walk Away" but there are a few dedicated committed members who would never allow this to happen. It's not easy getting out there every week but tomorrow we'll be giving GWS every assistance needed to pole their banner at the ground and then get it up. We've been told they may have 12 members turn up. And we're all going to forge ahead no matter how hard this is and we live and dream about happier days when we have members queuing up to help

Hi mate im a trident member and if you send me a P.M i would lve to help you guy's out when ever i can. I use to do the banner in the earley 90s as a kid and loved it. Cheers

.

Hats off to banner builders.

I agree with the above sentiments , if you've gone to the trouble of making it , the least they can do is run through it.

Showing abit of joy about playing AFL football and ripping through the banner seems to be uncool nowadays.

Hi posdee,

Great effort with the banner and thanks to you and the cheersquad for the effort week after week.

Can I suggest you look at the scully banner thread. Might get a great and apt message from it for our former no 1 draft p_ick!

Can I suggest you look at the scully banner thread. Might get a great and apt message from it for our former no 1 draft p_ick!

I'd like the banners to have a few more pointed barbs at the opposition aswell.

The messages over the years have become a little too PC IMO.

As an active cheersquad member I ask myself the same question. We had 2 sessions this week with 6 people attending each to eventually get this week's banner together. It's an essay....again. This week it has become a very hard task because of our lack of numbers. All for 5 minutes. The sponsors pay handsomely for their name on the banner.We like to acknowledge player milestones but Jack isn't getting much acknowledgement for his 50th this week.

Beamer is the only player who now seems to use ripping through the banner as a rev up. Our current captains lift the crepe.....a long way off Neita who shouldered through in a smash and crash fashion. Our lack of active members is a reflection of our ladder position. In the last 6 years there have been occasions when we'd like to call off the banner for lack of interest. The position of our Club? We'll make it happen because otherwise we'd be the laughing stock of the AFL. It's easy to say "Walk Away" but there are a few dedicated committed members who would never allow this to happen. It's not easy getting out there every week but tomorrow we'll be giving GWS every assistance needed to pole their banner at the ground and then get it up. We've been told they may have 12 members turn up. And we're all going to forge ahead no matter how hard this is and we live and dream about happier days when we have members queuing up to help

This may be a privilege and role of being an active cheersquad member, but if you guys are really struggling to get numbers to do the banner every week is it an idea to maybe post the details of the banner making on demonland? Perhaps if you had a PM system where people interested PM you or another active member you may be able to get a few extra to come along.

I personally haven't done it before but I did a short film doco on footy fans and one of the people that was featured was involved in the banner making for Collingwood. It's a thankless job that you guys do for the love of the club, but I imagine the pride of seeing the boys bust through it at the start of the game makes it worth while.

Also, quick question: How do you guys do the banner making for interstate games? Make components in Melbourne then build it up interstate? I've always been curious.

I'm not loosing any sleep over it

As a kid I used to be in the Cheer Squad. We took it in turns to make the Banner at home. I remember making some in the lounge room and my brother and I would proudly get on the red rattler Sandringham train and take it to the G. The train would wait as we attempted to get it through the doors, which were pretty small and then take up several seats and isle space on the train as we jealously guarded our prize banner, much to the dismay of the opposition supporters. Then we would carry it to the ground often with cheers from other D supporters.........those were the days.

Oh yeah, and It took several of us to hang on to it as the team as one would crash full pelt through it.

Edited June 24, 201213 yr by Wadda We Sing