Adam Simpson meets with AFL to discuss the inequalities that interstate teams put up with

[Back One Out]

Is Kranky Al still whining about the home ground advantage on Grand Final day?

Jesus Christ

I guess people celebrate their team winning the flag in all sorts of different ways

 

[Farang83150]

Of course they aren’t happy.

They aren’t interested in the fact that the league attempts to reduce their travel burden.

Unless they are playing at Optus or the G it is a disgrace.

Your a collingwood supporter you and your team know FA about travel.

 

[doppleganger]

Against freo?

Lol

You must be so proud of your boys

So an entire team never ever having played at a ground before was no issue to Collingwood bursting out of the blocks the first time they played on it.

But because WC had one bloke who hadn’t played at the G it became a factor for them!?

Perhaps Collingwood were just quick starters? We jumped Freo, Richmond and GWS in the last month of games.

But yeah, you stick to your oooga booga MCG disadvantage.

 

[JackOutback]

So an entire team never ever having played at a ground before was no issue to Collingwood bursting out of the blocks the first time they played on it.

But because WC had one bloke who hadn’t played at the G it became a factor for them!?

Perhaps Collingwood were just quick starters? We jumped Freo, Richmond and GWS in the last month of games.

But yeah, you stick to your oooga booga MCG disadvantage.

People can argue the extent of the advantage, but anyone claiming there is no advantage in playing the most important game at one team’s home ground is being deliberately obtuse.

 

[kranky al]

Yet you only named three interchange players!!

Well fmd so i did

In comes coniglio

 

[Demonic Ascent]

We earned that gf - you get experience on the mcg most weeks

And it showed when you burst out of the blocks with six straight goals.

No way you do that at optus

Right the Pies got early goals in the GF because the game was at the G

I guess west coast acclimatised in half an hour to be able to get on top for the remainder of the game. Except the first 5 minutes of the last quarter where it was the MCG factor again. But after that west coast overcame it again.

Give me a spell.

 

[doppleganger]

People can argue the extent of the advantage, but anyone claiming there is no advantage in playing the most important game at one team’s home ground is being deliberately obtuse.

GF experience is much more important compared to any advantage you may receive from how many H&A games you have played at the G.

 

[bh90210fan]

GF experience is much more important compared to any advantage you may receive from how many H&A games you have played at the G.

Yeah finals experience is important, you could say the same for teams playing a final against us here in Perth.

There is a definite advantage in playing the grand final on your home ground though, where you play a minimum of 14 times every year plus finals, against sides which are lucky to get 2 games on the mcg a year

 

[kranky al]

Right the Pies got early goals in the GF because the game was at the G

I guess west coast acclimatised in half an hour to be able to get on top for the remainder of the game. Except the first 5 minutes of the last quarter where it was the MCG factor again. But after that west coast overcame it again.

Give me a spell.

If we didnt have 2015 under our belt we were gawn.

 

[doppleganger]

Yeah finals experience is important, you could say the same for teams playing a final against us here in Perth.

There is a definite advantage in playing the grand final on your home ground though, where you play a minimum of 14 times every year plus finals, against sides which are lucky to get 2 games on the mcg a year

Playing a final at Optus isn’t any different to a HA game at Optus.

Melbourne played Eagles in R22 and it was 56K crowd, 95% Eagles. PF was a 59K crowd, 95% Eagles.

The Dees simply shat the bed, having played and won at Optus in R22 meant nothing.

A GF isn’t the same as playing Collingwood at the G in R17 in front of 45-50K which 90% are Collingwood fans.

WC playing a glut of HA games doesn’t help prepare them for the GF. But playing in a GF can.

 

[Andronicus]

It’s been announced that the Eagles will face Melbourne in Alice Springs this year........... on display for 5000 odd people in a paddock?

Harsh. It's in the NT, not Tasmania.

Some of them might be normal.

 

[bh90210fan]

Playing a final at Optus isn’t any different to a HA game at Optus.

Melbourne played Eagles in R22 and it was 56K crowd, 95% Eagles. PF was a 59K crowd, 95% Eagles.

The Dees simply shat the bed, having played and won at Optus in R22 meant nothing.

A GF isn’t the same as playing Collingwood at the G in R17 in front of 45-50K which 90% are Collingwood fans.

WC playing a glut of HA games doesn’t help prepare them for the GF. But playing in a GF can.

Finals are altogether different to any h&a game. They are sudden death and everything goes on the line just like a grand final.

Opposition fans have 50% of tickets available to them for any finals played at Optus, whereas at the gf Victorian mcc and afl members take up over 40% of the ground themselves.

You’re basically saying that grand final experience outweighs home ground advantage. Let me ask you then, would Collingwood be favourite to win a qf against Fremantle at Optus next year, seeing as they’ve already played one this year against West Coast?

 

[kranky al]

I haven't caught up on the thread but I assume West Coast supporters are happy as they get to play Melbourne in Alice Springs which reduces the travel burden on the team.

Actually having looked at the whole fixture we have 3 games at the g


Cant complain.

 

[flyinghi64]

Well I guess whatever Simmo said pretty much fell on deaf ears.
Premiership team get's 3x Friday night games and shipped of to the desert.
Just wow.

 

[doppleganger]

You’re basically saying that grand final experience outweighs home ground advantage. Let me ask you then, would Collingwood be favourite to win a qf against Fremantle at Optus next year, seeing as they’ve already played one this year against West Coast?

I am saying playing in a GF is better preparation for a GF compared to a HA game.

What do QFs have to do with GFs?

Collingwood actually plays well in minor finals like QF, but sh1t the bed in GFs.

 

[Americanpies]

If we didnt have 2015 under our belt we were gawn.

But our premiership players are the ones that played worst - Sidebottom, Pendlebury...

What won it for you was your KP set up. You have the best KP players in the AFL in McGovern, Kennedy, Darling, plus the rest... I don't think it's the finals experience of these guys... it's just that they are all very good players, mature, big strong bodies.. and the Pies don't have the big strong bodies to match these types.

If you had played the Grand Final against Richmond, you'd have lost, and by a big margin. They have the big bodies at each end that would have contained you.

Our players did extremely well.. I mean we had Goldsack who had been out all year, Howe and a bunch of kids in our backline against the best forwards in the comp.

 

[Randomizor]

Well I guess whatever Simmo said pretty much fell on deaf ears.
Premiership team get's 3x Friday night games and shipped of to the desert.
Just wow.

Yeah but if they put you on prime time they wouldn’t be able to give Essendon that schedule. Think for once /s

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I haven't caught up on the thread but I assume West Coast supporters are happy as they get to play Melbourne in Alice Springs which reduces the travel burden on the team.

Part of living in WA is heaps of travel, comes with the business.
Did find this a strange fixture by the AFL considering both sides are up and about. 40-50k crowd at the MCG for this game I would think. But who knows what they are thinking. Maybe there is just a cycle that says the Non Vic sides just take turns playing Melbourne there.
For me it is a stupid fixture by the AFL with both current sides outlook. But nothing surprises anymore at AFL house.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Of course they aren’t happy.

They aren’t interested in the fact that the league attempts to reduce their travel burden.

Unless they are playing at Optus or the G it is a disgrace.

We are not all the same us Eagles supporters.
I looked at this fixture as the same as fixturing Collingwood V Richmond at Etihad, it would be stupid.
I see this fixture with both sides current outlook as simply stupid. Don't care about the travel.

 

[LoungeLizard]

Well we had state of origin for how many years? You didnt dominate then.

As i said theres only 22 players in a side.

You really are serious aren't you?

SOO never fielded the best side, clubs stopped players from playing.

The majority of the best young players in the country come from Vic.

Victoria dominate the u18 comp, that is where the players get drafted from, but i suppose WC have better drugs hey?

 

[flyinghi64]

Yeah but if they put you on prime time they wouldn’t be able to give Essendon that schedule. Think for once /s

Yep, my bad.
Forgot about having to look after the big teams that don't make finals.

 

[Farang83150]

but i suppose WC have better drugs hey?

Not according to Sam Murray or Josh Thomas or any of the other, what was it 11 players (wonder if that includes Lachie Keeffe?) that are on the gear....

 

[kranky al]

But our premiership players are the ones that played worst - Sidebottom, Pendlebury...

What won it for you was your KP set up. You have the best KP players in the AFL in McGovern, Kennedy, Darling, plus the rest... I don't think it's the finals experience of these guys... it's just that they are all very good players, mature, big strong bodies.. and the Pies don't have the big strong bodies to match these types.

If you had played the Grand Final against Richmond, you'd have lost, and by a big margin. They have the big bodies at each end that would have contained you.

Our players did extremely well.. I mean we had Goldsack who had been out all year, Howe and a bunch of kids in our backline against the best forwards in the comp.

Yet we flogged richmond in perth...

Of course we probably wouldnt at the mcg though right?

 

[bh90210fan]

I am saying playing in a GF is better preparation for a GF compared to a HA game.

Yes, so playing in any final is better preparation for a final compared to a h&a game. Wouldn’t Collingwood have an advantage over Freo playing a final at Optus next year?

What do QFs have to do with GFs?

Weren’t you comparing melbourne’s final to their h&a game against us? You’ve only responded to a portion of my post

 

[doppleganger]

Yes, so playing in any final is better preparation for a final compared to a h&a game. Wouldn’t Collingwood have an advantage over Freo playing a final at Optus next year?

Most ‘experts’ think you need a bit of finals experience before you can take the next step.

I don’t really think it really matters for minor finals, as the minor finals are hard to differentiate from H&A games now anyway.

The only final that has a different experience is the GF.

Weren’t you comparing melbourne’s final to their h&a game against us? You’ve only responded to a portion of my post

That was to highlight the actual experience is similar.

They played in front of 56k fans, about 95% Eagles, in R22.

The QF was 59k fans, about 95% Eagles, in the PF.

Melbourne just didn’t show up, just like Richmond didn’t....despite Richmond being at home.

But Collingwood did show up in the QF, IMO it was our best performance against WC out of the three losses.

Perhaps the ‘foreign’ ground allows a team like Melbourne and Adelaide n WC in GFs a cop out...but reality is some teams just go to water in finals.

The GF is a completely different experience to a H&A game, in 2015 the Eagles were novices up against a hardened Hawks team....once they fell behind the inexperienced Eagles were gone.

In 2018, the Eagles had the experience of a GF loss behind them...and were not up against a ruthless team going for B2B2B, instead it was a Pies team who lost their nerve and tried to play safe and hold on. The Eagles thus took over and should have won by 3-4 goals.

Once you qualify for a GF anything can happen...how many fecking H&A games you played at the ground is not even worth worrying about...it hasn’t helped Collingwood performances on GF day at all.