Coach North under Alastair Clarkson

[Area51]

We've won the spoon this year but are still supporting North (and others) via our smaller distribution - along with three other clubs. North and a bunch of other never-going-to-pay-their-own-way clubs. campaigners. North get $8m more a year than the four doing the heavy lifting, it's time the supporters of clubs paying their way started getting noisy.

 

[CURVE]

I think the AFL should bring back the 1921 plan, merge North Melbourne and Essendon, call them North Melbourne and have them wear Blue & White Vertical Stripes.

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

Its not poor form either, its common sense. If a club were as uncompetitive as north after years of handouts, then the spotlight should be on them.

Yeh, we got pick #22, #23 (both playing their first year this season) and 4 plodders that couldn't get a game in their previous clubs. I still can't work out how the hell we are not top 4.

 

[WillHayward]

Capital Kangaroos playing out of Canberra with the odd game in Albury and Wagga.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Garbage threads like this belong on bay13.

 

[Handsuper47]

If they are to merge with anyone it should be Gold Coast. Both have been abysmal for ages. Gold Coast have been in the comp for what, 13 years now? Still can't get any higher than 12th.

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

You should, that way you would maybe get the underlying point.

Which was - it is easy to suggest mergers (or folding, or relocation for that matter) when it is not your club involved.

How do you think North supporters would like being forced to merge? How do you think supporters of the Tassie side (I am one) would like being forced to not be a stand alone entity from the outset?

I'm sure you wouldn't like it being done to your club, but it's okay in your mind to be done to other clubs. Poor form.

Hence my post.

No one cares mate.

30 years ago supporters of every stripe would come together and support and defend struggling clubs and be outraged about what the then VFL was trying to do to proud historic clubs, angry at the greed and arrogance of the "proles will like what we tell them to like" attitude of the suits running the game, like when everybody rallied to save Footscray, or gave money during a recession to the 'save our skins' campaign to save the Tiges. Now without any prompting from a Ross Oakley-esque figurehead, and despite being in a good financial position, at the first sign of serious onfield trouble North have been copping "yous should faarkin fold!" day in day out for years, didnt need to be 5 years of horror performances, and the death of a 150 year old football club, and what that would do to a community of supporters, is treated as high comedy.

Also as you point out, people pretend to care about Tasmanian football, but would have you as the Tas-New Zealand-NT-Southern BullRooDemonDogs if they thought it would benefit whatever club they support. Tasmanians have said they will have nothing to do with any relocated or compromised side under any circumstances, yet its late August 2024 and we are still having these "discussions".

Far beyond being footy 'banter', this is an indictment on how far the Australian character has fallen, and proof if proof be needed that Australian Rules Football has been transformed into being another sterile, corporate, consumer entertainment product. Means about as much as X-factor or The Block.

I tip my hat to you Ross Oakley, in the end you won