Does Geelong's 'lifestyle' factor give them an unfair advantage for free agency signings?

[PhatBoy]

Id say its more that teams dont generally get much practice playing on a ground shaped like half a peanut, so they make a lot of mistakes.

Probably why Sydney, who’s ground is the most diametrically opposed to ours, fare best down there while west coast, who’s previous home ground most closely resembled ours, haven’t won there in 17 years.

Professional footballers who get paid to kick, mark and hand pass the ball can’t deal with a sideline. That’s what it is.


Makes me wonder why we are so much better than all of them when we travel.

Probably crowd support again.

 

[The_Todd07]

Id say its more that teams dont generally get much practice playing on a ground shaped like half a peanut, so they make a lot of mistakes.

This argument always makes me laugh.
There is absolutely nothing stopping teams from marking out the width of GMHBA with witches hats and training based on those dimensions.

 

[Noidnadroj]

Can you point out the neutral games in Melbourne that we get.

Can Cats supporters point out what ‘disadvantage’ they get playing at Marvel or MCG, given they play there all the time, oppo teams don’t train there, the grounds are pretty standard dimensions and the Cats get loads of support there.

Is it the 1-hour car ride?


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[PhatBoy]

Can Cats supporters point out what ‘disadvantage’ they get playing at Marvel or MCG, given they play there all the time, oppo teams don’t train there, the grounds are pretty standard dimensions and the Cats get loads of support there.

Is it the 1-hour car ride?


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They’re the other team’s home ground, and not ours.

Most of the grounds in the league are relatively genetically sized but for some unknown reason it’s still considered the equivalent of solving the peace issue in the Middle East whenever any other club wins away from home. When Geelong do it it’s because they’re supposed to.

 

[PhatBoy]

If people want to keep hanging shit on us about our ground and it’s size and the fact that we seem to have the only 22 known human beings who can establish were the playing surface starts and ends on a football field, maybe acknowledge that we also travel better than every other team in the comp.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Geelong don't have unfair advantages.

Geelong have made a point of making their circumstances and situation into positives for themselves.

BTW, for 150 years "sleepy hollow" was a distinct disadvantage for Geelong.


Geelong also have a great culture.

A culture is the sum of the people involved.

Geelong focus on bringing in and developing people of character.

It is why they have a good culture, b/c they prioritize good people and growing good people.


Some say Sydney is the same.

Who runs Sydney?

Ex Geelong people.

 

[azyboy]

The flip side of this is that Geelong can be a fishbowl experience. One team town can create immense scrutiny. Take a look at Billy Brownless’s interview on Front Bar. Great place when you’re up and winning. Drink cards, worshipping fans etc. Didn’t leave the house though for days after a loss. Would’ve been tough for some in the late 90s and early ‘00s when we were shite. Billy has done well out of the town though don’t get me wrong!

I do get confused about people in the one breath bagging Geelong as a shithole and then crying that Geelong has an unfair advantage in the next breath. Make up your mind people.

In general though it probably is a selling point. Quieter lifestyle with most of the perks of city life - good restaurants, bars, schools, infrastructure, more affordable housing (though this has jumped in recent years). I live in Sydney these days but love going back there and the work they’ve done in town in most cases leaves me feeling proud of the joint.

Nothing to be ashamed of or to be argued against. Just a little ironic that for so long we did struggle to attract players and then with a little success, we’ve become quite the destination club. Culture and stability plays a fair part in that.

 

[Trent the flight Steward]

The flip side of this is that Geelong can be a fishbowl experience. One team town can create immense scrutiny. Take a look at Billy Brownless’s interview on Front Bar. Great place when you’re up and winning. Drink cards, worshipping fans etc. Didn’t leave the house though for days after a loss. Would’ve been tough for some in the late 90s and early ‘00s when we were shite. Billy has done well out of the town though don’t get me wrong!

I do get confused about people in the one breath bagging Geelong as a shithole and then crying that Geelong has an unfair advantage in the next breath. Make up your mind people.

In general though it probably is a selling point. Quieter lifestyle with most of the perks of city life - good restaurants, bars, schools, infrastructure, more affordable housing (though this has jumped in recent years). I live in Sydney these days but love going back there and the work they’ve done in town in most cases leaves me feeling proud of the joint.

Nothing to be ashamed of or to be argued against. Just a little ironic that for so long we did struggle to attract players and then with a little success, we’ve become quite the destination club. Culture and stability plays a fair part in that.

What you notice is Geelong is predominantly a team of country players, they're recruited because of the country factor, you can live in Newtown and walk to training, you don't see guys who grew up in Melbourne select Geelong as a place to go in free agency. Tassie if they get in will have similar advantages to Geelong

 

[Costanza_]

Corio Bay is the French Riviera of the Southern Hemisphere, with Geelong the Monaco-like jewel in the crown. The leagues best players routinely take a 50% pay cut to live there.

 

[Sttew]

Corio Bay is the French Riviera of the Southern Hemisphere, with Geelong the Monaco-like jewel in the crown. The leagues best players routinely take a 50% pay cut to live there.

But that’s because Geelong’s a tax free haven

 

[dangerwood]

Anything but good management. It's Steve Hocking, it's father sons, it's Geelong being in Geelong, it's GMHBA.

Geelong has more advantages than anyone and any success they have is a result of the unfair advantage they have.

 

[pz5151]

It's definitely not unfair but Geelong has advantages in retention and recruiting just as all other clubs too.

Geelong: There is a disproportionate number of country players in the league and at least some of these would prefer living in a smaller city, meaning before Tassie enters, it's the only option. The Geelong Falcons are also know to be the best source of underage talent in Victoria.

All the Melbourne clubs: Appeals to those who want to live in the heart of footy, be the superstar of the town, especially for the big 4 clubs. See why Buckley moved down to Melbourne originally.

Sydney: have often been able to attract those types who wanted to not be recognised walking down the street. Tony Lockett

Tony Lockett

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Last 5

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10.2

3star

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8.4

3star

HB

1.8

2star

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6.3

5star

T

0.5

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4.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

8.2

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5.6

3star

HB

2.6

3star

M

4.0

4star

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0.0

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G

1.4

5star

, Buddy Franklin, etc.

Brisbane: lifestyle and warm climate.

Adelaide: the large number of South Australian players

Perth: Both the WA talent, as well as the secondary advantage they have of being able to provide a more welcoming environment for indigenous players since Perth has so many more Aboriginal people than Melbourne.

It's about how you market yourselves.

 

[Jables]

This COLA-like advantage demands league intervention, what with free agency coming in around the end of 2012 and the Cats having last won a flag in 2011. What can men do against such reckless FA mastery?

 

[Noidnadroj]

They’re the other team’s home ground, and not ours.

Most of the grounds in the league are relatively genetically sized but for some unknown reason it’s still considered the equivalent of solving the peace issue in the Middle East whenever any other club wins away from home. When Geelong do it it’s because they’re supposed to.

So I take it you can’t come up with any reason why Geelong have a disadvantage playing at Marvel or MCG. Saying it’s the other team’s home ground doesn’t actually make it a disadvantage. When there’s no logical reason why there’d be a disadvantage then it probably means there isn’t one.

There’s nothing wrong with that, good luck to Geelong. But let’s not pretend Geelong games at Marvel or MCG aren’t neutral.


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[PhatBoy]

So I take it you can’t come up with any reason why Geelong have a disadvantage playing at Marvel or MCG. Saying it’s the other team’s home ground doesn’t actually make it a disadvantage. When there’s no logical reason why there’d be a disadvantage then it probably means there isn’t one.

There’s nothing wrong with that, good luck to Geelong. But let’s not pretend Geelong games at Marvel or MCG aren’t neutral.


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We have a disadvantage because it’s not our home game.
If our games there are so neutral you should have no problem your team going down the highway and you should support our request for 11 home games

 

[dangerwood]

So I take it you can’t come up with any reason why Geelong have a disadvantage playing at Marvel or MCG. Saying it’s the other team’s home ground doesn’t actually make it a disadvantage. When there’s no logical reason why there’d be a disadvantage then it probably means there isn’t one.

There’s nothing wrong with that, good luck to Geelong. But let’s not pretend Geelong games at Marvel or MCG aren’t neutral.


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Are you serious? Your coach complains about having to travel 2km down Flinders st from your actual training venue. Give me a break.

Imagine the outcry if you had to play a final at Marvel instead of the MCG.

Ill concede MCG is neutral territory if you can honestly tell me it doesn't matter to you if you play at Marvel rather than MCG.

PS. Don't bother, I won't believe you.

 

[STPer18]

Geelong don't have unfair advantages.

Geelong have made a point of making their circumstances and situation into positives for themselves.

BTW, for 150 years "sleepy hollow" was a distinct disadvantage for Geelong.


Geelong also have a great culture.

A culture is the sum of the people involved.

Geelong focus on bringing in and developing people of character.

It is why they have a good culture, b/c they prioritize good people and growing good people.


Some say Sydney is the same.

Who runs Sydney?

Ex Geelong people.

That's literally what Tom Hawkins said on 360 last night. Zach Merrett and he were in and Robbo wanted to know how Hawkins has never gone through what Merrett was going through with Essendon at the minute, and Tom said at its simplest it came down to having good people at the club from the moment he walked in the door. There's no magic sauce, funny how Geelong the location has gone from being routinely laughed at to now providing an unfair advantage for its footy club out of the blue - simpletons looking too deep.

 

[Boxhead_31]

Get your hand off it.

Wasn't it the Richmond fans bitching and moaning about having to drive down to KP in 2017 that started their dislike of Geelong?
That and 40 years of the Ablett's tearing them a new one

 

[#40]

Struggling AFL clubs should ask large regional centres to put in a bid for the club to be based in there. I reckon Bendigo could support its own AFL club.

 

[CharacterFirst]

That's literally what Tom Hawkins said on 360 last night. Zach Merrett and he were in and Robbo wanted to know how Hawkins has never gone through what Merrett was going through with Essendon at the minute, and Tom said at its simplest it came down to having good people at the club from the moment he walked in the door. There's no magic sauce, funny how Geelong the location has gone from being routinely laughed at to now providing an unfair advantage for its footy club out of the blue - simpletons looking too deep.

Didn't see the interview on 360, but my user name gives the game away.

Geelong are about building people of character.

They are not perfect, and not everyone turns out a winner, but they set the standard and lead the league in so many areas b/c they focus on developing and bringing in good people.

 

[pz5151]

Struggling AFL clubs should ask large regional centres to put in a bid for the club to be based in there. I reckon Bendigo could support its own AFL club.

Doesn't Bendigo have like 60k people? You'd need to have half the town attending each week

 

[#40]

Doesn't Bendigo have like 60k people? You'd need to have half the town attending each week

153K

 

[STPer18]

Didn't see the interview on 360, but my user name gives the game away.

Geelong are about building people of character.

They are not perfect, and not everyone turns out a winner, but they set the standard and lead the league in so many areas b/c they focus on developing and bringing in good people.

From about 34mins in.

 

[patmatcat]

In the past no, but now yes. More pressure and scrutiny on players than ever, along with incredible salaries. Being in a regional area can serve as a pressure valve of sorts.

 

[Spearman]

Probably why Sydney, who’s ground is the most diametrically opposed to ours, fare best down there while west coast, who’s previous home ground most closely resembled ours, haven’t won there in 17 years.

Professional footballers who get paid to kick, mark and hand pass the ball can’t deal with a sideline. That’s what it is.


Makes me wonder why we are so much better than all of them when we travel.

Probably crowd support again.

Those Geelong grannies are feral, I'm telling you!