PaulRB

Agree, and it's at this level that transparent mechanisms to compensate for these differences need to be developed. I.e. more resources would be provided to augment a clubs zone development program to further develop talent in non-football states (zones) than in those areas producing most the talent...

Its an interesting puzzle to see how it might work. Just as an aside Footy is a sport, and ideally the opportunity to win should be even over time... I suspect that for it to work the following "limits" could be used to make the competition "even" and dynamic: A cap on total club expenditure of say 100 million p.a. Allocation of funds to rich clubs reduced, poor clubs supported to 100 million level. Creation of geographic draft zones (to allow clubs to benefit from developing local talent) with additional funds available to develop non-Footy Zones. Shift 50% talent from current draft system to Zoned system (i.e. Zone picks can be taken by their parent club later in draft like current FS) I'm sure I'm missing many factors and several will pronounce the idea lame because the EPL did this or I forgot that... My point is the current system is inequitable, restrictive and at times unwatchable (given the predictability of a game between a top four team and a bottom four team). A two tier system and a restructuring to make the flow of all teams between the two comps INEVITABLE makes for a real competition.

To answer you first question: in a world where there are other interests supporting the success of a club playing in B Div to move up and succeed in the A Div. For example, the Tas Gov't currently pour x million into Hawks and North to play on the island, they would be a stakeholder in a Tas team and support its rise. Alternatively, the AFL would do likewise for their preferred expansion team. Or a third Perth team might get there on the back of some Mining magnates ego trip... Diversity, opportunity. To your point about the interest in Canberra of watching their team in a B Div, the interest would come when their team won the B Div and moved up to the A Div... Highlighting where the concept has failed (Euro football leagues) is akin the the Wright brothers saying "no one else has flown, why should we even try". Others failure to do something is only persuasive if you are also intent on failing. To be honest I don't know how the payments and draft would work in a 24 team two tier competition. But if the AFL were to spend its spare 100 million on creating a B Div and restructuring the comp I'm sure the thought and money available for that coin would create a better solution than GWS.

We'd be looking at winning our first flag in fifty years... in the B League.

Imagine the joy at watching Carlton getting relegated, as they would have several years ago..

I hear what you are saying (despite living in a fantasy world ) and agree that the inequity in the various club's financial position is an issue, both now and in any future model. However, would the MFC got their [censored] together quicker as a club if we'd suffered the humiliation of relegation? My view is the AFL is too controlling and unwilling to create a structure that allows for the evolution of clubs to and from the top level of the comp. Perhaps, when contemplating adding GWS and GC, the AFL could have looked at two 12 team divisions (first division and second division), hived off the two four weakest AFL teams and added 10 licenses (including GWS, GC, Hobart, ACT, etc...) with two teams going up and down each season. This would have had some benefits 1. made the fixture in both divisions able to be even (i.e. play each other team twice) 2. able the market and strength of the teams decise the mix in the top comp 3. allowed the AFL to still pump cash into their expansion projects 4. Allowed footy to access Government support (Tas Gov, ACT gov, NY Gov) to support their fanchises. 5. punished failure in the top division, maintaining interest in the bottom four games 6. rewarded success in the second division...

At the moment the Victorian based clubs (Hawks, North, us etc...) prop up their revenue and membership number by token associations with Football loving areas (Tas, ACT, NT, etc..). Kind of reminds me of the British empire drawing resources from its colonies to prop itself up. Its a construct that the AFL (derived from and serving the interests of the Clubs involved) maintains as a lip service to the aspirations of those areas to have their OWN team. In addition, to providing traditional footy areas to have their own team and identities, a second division with promotion and relegation would be a far better place to for the AFL "birth" an expansion team as it pursues new markets. Both GWS and GC were not at an AFL acceptable level when they entered the AFL competition, and should have started in the second division and had to earn the right to play in the AFL. Likewise, several AFL teams (MFC included) have under performed in part because there was a. a reward for doing so (draft picks) and b. because there was no penalty for being hopeless... A meritocracy determining which Teams play in the AFL as opposed to the "empire expanded" approach to date... For example, Hobart enter a team in the AFL second division and win through to the AFL, after several year they play finals and one day snag a flag! As Bill Murray said "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" and its that kind of story that will expand the competition...

Good luck and best wishes to him. He did his best.

A second division AFL with promotion and relegation allows the game to evolve beyond it's historical base as the markets and opportunities across Australia, New Zealand , etc... emerge. Certainly the issue of only four or five teams ever having a chance of winning the premier league identifies a flaw that would have to be addressed. similarly any AFL second division would have to be aligned with the state leagues. But the state leagues are already "ruined" by the insertion of AFL reserve teams, etc... so it would simply need to be worked through. My issue with GWS is that the AFL is spending millions trying to graft a team on an ambivalent audience in Western Sydney while neglecting to provide a path forward for those passionate supporters of footy in Tas, ACT, NT etc... Look back 50 years to 1964 and the AFL (then VFL) was a state comp. Look forward 50 years to 2064 and if managed and expanded well the AFL will be a different beast to what we see today... I'm sure in 1964 they didn't see us discussing the merits of spending a 100 million dollars establishing a team in Western Sydney.

Given the money in the game I'd suggest the opportunity the AFL are missing is to create a vibrant second division of teams and create an opportunity for the ACT, Hobart, Launceston, Darwin, Auckland, North Shore, etc... and the pick of the independent teams from the state comps (i.e. Williamstown, Glenelg, etc... ?) to play in a AFL National second division. This would explore and allow these teams to develop their markets, develop and sell players to the first division... And allow the AFL to explore promotion and relegation between the two divisions at some future date.

Fit and firing we've added about 5 players to our 22 who'd get a game in most sides (Clark, Hogan, Vince, Tyson, Dawes*, Cross*) with the loss of one (Col). It's gotta help.

I like this team because it starts to highlight how well we've improved our midfield both in the opening 18 but also off the bench. They are inexperienced, but quality with Tyson (pick 3), Viney (top 10), Watts (pick 1), Toumpas (pick 2) and Mitchie (?) to join the experienced hands of Jones (B&F), Cross (solid). These plus flackers in Grimes, Vince, Howe and Dunn means we have quality depth and some experience. IF they all stay fit for lengthy periods of the season they should have some good days. Worry that they only have Jamar in to ruck...

Spirited away is pretty kid friendly… Parents get turned into pigs is about the worst moment, and any sane kid would enjoy that, having seen it many times. Great films. Merry X

If we have any success in the 2-3 years Roos has promised us, Neeld will have to be acknowledged for laying part of the foundations.

The fact that Roos, an experienced successful coach with little to prove, has taken on the role of coach at Melbourne says several things about Neeld's work... 1. the list turnover and fitness work has laid the foundation for the players to compete at the top level in 2014. 2. the bones of the list were within ONE DRAFT and a preseason of significant improvement 3. Dawes and Clark left only the midfield to complete which is the easiest piece... Roo's is no fool and would not sully his reputation with taking on a 5 year rebuild of an unfit, ill disciplined and mediocre list. Neeld did that, to Roos will go the spoils. Smart man.

^^^ Bingo!

I think the nautical term is "Batten down the hatches"! A storm be coming...

One gets the sense that a memo went out recently that ASADA were about to move with the issuing of infraction notices and all the key stakeholders; EFC, Hird, AFL, WADA started to roll out their strategies.

Here it comes... "Only a matter of when" Drum roll. Quote ""How can James Hird be at the helm of the club as the head coach when 4000-plus injections have been given to playing staff, none of which anybody can tell us what it was, most of which we know is not approved for human consumption, and put at risk these kids, and not have WorkSafe Victoria banging on their door that this is an unsafe workplace? "

I feel sick.

I don't think that the EFC can do anything to distance themselves from Hird untill the infraction notices are issued. They are hand in glove on this one (harder to tell who is hand and who is the glove...). If/When the infraction notices arrive the EFC will be faced with a dilemma 1. Accept the Infraction notices and pay out players affected (i.e settle class action) sack Hird and all others associated with affair and move on . 2. Contest the Infraction Notices in court - this is probably Hird's preferred path but likely to be long, ugly and potentially futile, as the EFC fights ASADA, AFL and affected players Class action, while trying to play the 2014 Premiership season. If they lose this course of action they are faced with option 1 but have fully trashed the EFC brand, their relationships with AFL and their affected players... By threatening to take option 2. as it appears Hird is, he must be hoping to cut off the infraction notices before they are issued. This would be the only possible thing that would save his career and reputation.

I'd love it if some of our players played with the aggression of a Serena or Venus Williams, Lauren Jackson,... ... I know is a "footy forum" so misogyny is expected... but in my book misogyny is far more tedious and offensive than the who said it about whoever...

This is gonna get nasty, last paragraph was a shot across Hird's bow that details are known and will emerge... Yikes

Amazing definition. No fat on that...