Statewide League 2008

[roorat]

Winter warms to state league
BRETT STUBBS
July 23, 2008 12:00am
THE man most synonymous with the former Statewide League and the SFL's coach Darren Winter has thrown his full support behind the proposed rebirth of the competition.
But he also believes it would not be viable or desired to have a State League and the Devils co-existing.

Winter, a five-time Clarence Statewide League premiership player, said the standard of local Tasmanian football has fallen drastically since the death of the old competition in 2000 and reverting to regional leagues.

"I would think everybody in Tassie would be worried about the standard right around the state, not just the SFL but the NTFL and the NTFA," Winter said.

"The quality that we have seen in the past years has probably dropped considerably since statewide."

He said it was time for the 10 invited clubs to bite the bullet and commit to the competition.

"If I was a young player coming through, I would be questioning my club why they aren't giving me the opportunity to play against the best players in the state," he said.

Winter said a strong State League competition would also give late-bloomers who missed out on the development pathway a chance to impress AFL scouts.

And he said with AFL Tasmania footing the bill for travel, footballs and umpires costs would be kept to a minimum.

"I think the structure itself looks pretty good," Winter said.

"The clubs getting an injection of $50,000 to spend on development and whatever else they need to do would be fantastic for the clubs to be able to control their junior development with a full-time staff member and ensure their club stays in good health with their kids coming through for years to come."

Winter, who also coached Burnie from 1998-99, said the return could spell the end of the Devils concept.

"I would struggle to see how we could have both going," he said.

"I certainly think if AFL Tas is going down the path of statewide they would certainly have to consider the Devils going given that was the reason why the Devils came in when the statewide fell apart.

"If they are going to keep the Devils, I don't think we could afford to keep pursuing the statewide concept."
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24064068-13222,00.html

 

[Duff TV]

HBT/Sandy BAy merger

Kingpin, Are you for a merger of HBT and Sandy BAy juniors or not?

If not, how can you ever see Hobart becoming a force without a strong junior set up behind it?

No doubt a combined HBT/Sandy BAy outfit (Blue jumper with a white sash) would be a force.

My god have you just let off so much steam that the computer monitor in front of you has just fogged up?

Clubs have been merging for years so this is nothing new. Franklin/Huonville, Cooee/Burnie Tigers did it and look at them now. Come on mate put the gloves down mate and hop on board. It's gunna and must happen.

HFC could go a step further and play at Nth Hobart attract quailty players and then would win premierships. Gee now that sounds good.

As for the resurrection of the Bay and driven by AFL TAS well what a joke this is and it typify's the bully "do it our way" tactics by this organization.

 

[Barge]

Blue jumper with a white sash?

Stand by everyone, for Kingpin to go completely off!

 

[GreyBudgie]

Seagulls to fly again. What visionaries we have running the Great game in Tasmania, how about while you’re at it Mr. Wade Bring back Cannore, Lefroy and maybe start up New Town from the Dead.

 

[roorat]

NTFL clubs vow to stick together
BY TERRY MORRIS
24/07/2008 12:00:00 AM
THE six North-West football clubs left behind in the push for a State League have given a commitment to stick together for at least the next three years.
East Devonport, Latrobe, Ulverstone, Penguin, Smithton and Wynyard officials met on Tuesday night to plan their future if they are left on their own.
http://northerntasmania.yourguide.c...ntfl-clubs-vow-to-stick-together/1225128.aspx

 

[Kingpin]

Re: HBT/Sandy BAy merger

Kingpin, Are you for a merger of HBT and Sandy BAy juniors or not?

I should think my previous posts on the subject would be quite indicative of my thoughts on the subject Martin.
Hobart and Sandy Bay juniors to play together under a joint venture name in the Junior competition (Southern Tigers etc) but the senior arm of the Hobart Football Club shall be known as just that (Hobart), shall play in a Black with Gold sash jumper and be known as the Tigers.
This is non-negotiable.

If not, how can you ever see Hobart becoming a force without a strong junior set up behind it?

Quite honestly, I see this over-emphasised 'excellent junior setup' statement as sugar coated 'footy-speak' designed to make a club look better than it actually is.
It's like that other great one - 'fastest growing area/region'
It's a sugar-coated way of saying 'Sure, we're crap at the moment, be we have a great junior setup, so we'll be strong in years to come!'
If having a great junior setup was the prerequisite for success, how come New Norfolk only won 2 flags between 1947-2004?
They had as good a junior setup as any club did!
There are quite a number of clubs out there with these 'excellent junior setups' who continue to be ordinary at senior level, year after year after year.
It does help having good juniors yes, but it isn't the be-all-and-end-all - far from it.
If you've a good club culture and it's a place where young footballers want to play their football at (like Hobart used to be) then that is a good start.
Besides which, given the way todays footballers club-hop at ridiculous rates having good juniors doesn't mean as much it implies.
The reasons why Hobart dropped away from becoming a force in the TFL was because of financial incompetence (the good juniors they had left because they knew full well they wouldn't get paid if they made it to the Seniors) and when they got themselves back into a position of power in the SFL they shot themselves in the foot internally.

No doubt a combined HBT/Sandy BAy outfit (Blue jumper with a white sash) would be a force.

Sounds to me like you'd much rather see Sandy Bay back out there before the Hobart Tigers.
You were once a Hobart supporter you say?

My god have you just let off so much steam that the computer monitor in front of you has just fogged up?

Errrr - no not really.
I will admit to punching this computer off the desk the other night, but that was more to do with this hopeless ISP provider - lucky I knew how to pull it apart and fix it
But as for your post, I didn't take it all that seriously because I felt you were taking the piss and trying to be a revolutionary again.

Clubs have been merging for years so this is nothing new.

Soulless franchises that please nobody.
East Launceston - City-South is a great example of a merger that lost both sets of supporters.

Franklin/Huonville,

Ask the Franklin half of the Huonville Lions just how they feel now.
They've been completely forgotten.

Cooee/Burnie Tigers did it and look at them now.

Great onfield results for the better part, but not a great following even when successful.

Come on mate put the gloves down mate and hop on board. It's gunna and must happen.

Nah-ah.
I, and a great many others won't have anything to do with Hobart as the Lions, I can tell you no self-respecting Hobart supporter will EVER follow the Bay.
But if it did happen, you might as well call it the Sandy Bay Seagulls, because there won't be any Hobart about it.
This is the problem, Hobart needs to re-establish itself - the club knows full well that chucking away it's colours and emblem and jumper as if it meant nothing made a lot of people very, very angry.
Deep down they know they have to go back to it if they ever want to have any sort of following or decent club culture ever again but a great majority of Lions supporters are not 'Hobart people' that have been around the club for years and know how it ticks - this is why they seem uninterested in going back.
You have a small number of longtermers around the club who are suggesting a return of sorts.
This is why they played a game in their former colours a few weeks ago, this is why they want to try and play home games in their former colours next season.
They are fighting a losing battle as the Lions, despite making a concerted effort to improve last year's appalling membership of 32, they have only managed 59 as of two weeks ago.
And believe me, they have been trying their backsides off to get former supporters to sign up - they won't while that club is what it currently is. Fact
They get miserable crowds, about half the number when Gillbee was coaching the club.
Becoming Sandy Bay will just be a repeat of the Lions debacle.

HFC could go a step further and play at Nth Hobart attract quailty players and then would win premierships. Gee now that sounds good.

That's all good on paper but there's a hell of a lot more too it than that Martin.
They'd have to ensure they didn't cop another bum-deal like their previous two ground-share arrangements (KGV: 1983-1986 & North Hobart: 1987-1997).
Playing on North Hobart doesn't all of a sudden ensure good players will flock and better results will follow, after all, we won 8 of our last 92 TFL games while we were playing out of North Hobart.
Hobart has to build from underneath. It is very possible that they can be up the top again, but they really need to start building their club first, not pandering to Bill Sorell etc wanting to see Sandy Bay running around again.
As a longtime Hobart fan, I feel it would be the ultimate betrayal if the club was more interested in facilitating a return of Sandy Bay rather than the Hobart Tigers.

As for the resurrection of the Bay and driven by AFL TAS well what a joke this is and it typify's the bully "do it our way" tactics by this organization.

Interestingly enough, a friend of mine spoke to a former Bay champion footballer (2 William Leitch's to his name) the other day, he was on a committee to resurrect the club a couple of years back.
His reaction to the AFL Tasmania plan was 'What a load of f*cken' bullshit that is! Stupidest thing I've ever heard, and you know how much I love the Bay?'

 

[Kingpin]

Seagulls to fly again. What visionaries we have running the Great game in Tasmania, how about while you’re at it Mr. Wade Bring back Cannore, Lefroy and maybe start up New Town from the Dead.

I vote we have Wellington, Cananore, Lefroy, Derwent, Cricketers, City, North Hobart and Railway as the Southern reps

Carn' the Canaries

 

[roorat]

Devils endangered by plan
BRETT STUBBS
July 25, 2008 12:00am
AFL TASMANIA has revealed it would be prepared to dump the Devils VFL team for a vibrant, healthy state league.
In a circular to the 10 clubs invited to join the competition, the AFL said the state league would take priority over the Devils if there was not enough money to fund both.

The Fact Pack said: "Money is the only issue that will prevent a new Tasmanian state league and the Tasmanian Devils from co-existing in the short term."

The Fact Pack asked the question: "Do we need the Devils if we have have a successful Tasmanian state league?"

"The answer is probably not; however, we don't currently have a state league."

AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade said yesterday it was the board's view to go with both.

"Lets not jump at shadows because we haven't actually got a state league yet and maybe the two can work together but in the end it is probably an irrelevant issue if we haven't got the money for both," Wade said.

The pack also gives an outline of what will happen if the state league falls over, giving options of the two North-West teams rejoining a North-West competition, leaving an eight team North-South league; or a North/North-West competition with the five clubs attracting one or more local clubs and the same set up in the South.

But the pack and Wade said if the clubs operate in profit, the competition would not fail.

"We believe it is an irrelevant question because it is not going to fail," Wade said.

"I keep coming back to the question, why did the last competition fail?

"It failed because the clubs were broke. If the clubs operate in profit, then it won't fail.

"If clubs operate in profit now and are surviving now, why would playing in a state league place them at risk?

"They have still got the same obligations to operate in profit and we could reasonably argue playing in the highest competition is going to increase their profile and therefore increase their chances to generate more revenue through both the public and through sponsors."

The Fact Pack also contained a draft fixture which showed each club would only have three away games outside their region, with all travel costs covered by AFL Tasmania.

Profits from promotional games involving double-headers at Aurora Stadium would be used by AFL Tasmania to cover costs of umpires and footballs -- with each club having to forgo two home games. Clubs can choose to retain the nine home games, but will have to pay for their own umpires and footballs.

If enough clubs do not join a state league, as well as being denied all AFL funding, AFL Tasmania will put all its resources into a revamped Mariners, Devils and state underage program, meaning clubs will have less access to their most talented players.

The fate of the state league remains in the balance with the Hobart Football Club holding a special meeting of members on Monday to vote on joining the new competition.
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24075379-13222,00.html

 

[sportstalk07]

I vote we have Wellington, Cananore, Lefroy, Derwent, Cricketers, City, North Hobart and Railway as the Southern reps

Carn' the Canaries

And reincarnate City-South, East L'ton, Northern Districts, Hagley Westbury and Cressy as the Northern one's (Up the Tigers!)

 

[Barge]

AFL TASMANIA has revealed it would be prepared to dump the Devils VFL team for a vibrant, healthy state league.

In a circular to the 10 clubs invited to join the competition, the AFL said the state league would take priority over the Devils if there was not enough money to fund both.

Dump the Devils for a vibrant Statewide League?

This is as likely as Kingpin agreeing to a Hobart-Sandy Bay merger.

This has got to be Wade/AFLT's best joke ever!

 

[Menza]

I would jump on the Bombers from Kensington park, the mighty Lachlan. Or maybe one of the other Derwent Valley teams that have gone down the gurgler, maybe Plenty or Upper/North derwent.

 

[Gibbke]

Launceston, South, North, Burnie, Devonport...and Sandy Bay...

Hmmm...I support this, as long as Sandy Bay is made to play some home games at a central location...Campbell Town, maybe...I mean, it's a long way to drive to Hobart...I propose that every Northern side plays 0.16 times in Hobart each season...I kid, cos I love...

And one other thing - why the hoo-ha about a single "new" side? Wasn't the original SW proposal for NINE new sides? What's the problem with digging up a few body parts, buying some tough string and glue from Gunns, and repatching the carcass back together...wouldn't smell any worse than Q'borough, would it...?

And the Devils rejects playing for Sandy Bay...seriously, right there is the reason why AFL Tasmania should be considered amazing for having been able to suck on the member (not the footy club sense of the word) of the AFL so hard, and still not choke...they are modelling this on the Sydney and Brisbane (Suncoast) AFL reserve sides that play in Canberra and the QAFL...the big difference being that both are reserves sides of AFL teams that aren't about to be axed, and certainly not because they want to preserve their respective state leagues...

I say - a SW comp is set up for juniors to feed the full-time TAC Mariners to satisfy the preoccupation of suits for Tassie to dominate the drafts, the NTFL v STFL in a state final series (not just a GF), all sides feed the Devils, and if we can't have the Devils smacking AFL sides, then let's get behind them as the united, split-home game, Tas rep side we all want them to be as they pick on suburban Vics, or the SANFL, or whoever they get lumped with...

By the way - has anyone got a link to that Fact Pack...?

 

[Gibbke]

And reincarnate City-South, East L'ton, Northern Districts, Hagley Westbury and Cressy as the Northern one's (Up the Tigers!)

Don't forget Ravenswood...

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Don't forget Ravenswood...

Its always best to forget Ravenswood.

 

[roorat]

Footy plan fails to score
Editorial
July 28, 2008 12:00am
HEARD the latest? AFL Tasmania says it is prepared to dump the Tasmanian Devils to ensure a state football league is successfully revived in Tasmania.
AFL Tasmania says it is prepared to dump the Tasmanian Devils to ensure a state football league is successfully revived in Tasmania.

Yes, we live in interesting times as AFL Tasmania becomes increasingly desperate to implement its much-touted business plan for a new state league.

A number of clubs invited to join the new competition are sceptical. And they should be.

Comments from AFL Tasmania become more radical as deadlines for its new league approach.

AFL Tasmania released its business plan for the new state league in June. It involved five clubs from the South -- Glenorchy, Clarence, North Hobart, Lauderdale and merged Hobart-Sandy Bay -- and five from the North -- Burnie, Devonport, Launceston, South Launceston and North Launceston. The proposal is supported by the AFL.

Thankfully, sanity prevailed and a plan to include new clubs was scrapped.

AFL Tasmania said the new league could generate up to $2.5 million of new funding between 2009-2013. And it would underpin the Devils in the VFL and force a restructuring of other leagues around the state.

Clubs were given until August 15 to give their in-principle support to join the league next year.

But cracks quickly started to appear, forcing AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker to warn clubs it was a "once-off" offer. If they knocked it back, Mr Baker said, AFL Tasmania would plough its resources back into the Devils and Tasmania's part-time under-18 side the Tassie Mariners.

But Clarence attacked the proposal's lack of detail and timeframe and great rival Glenorchy rejected the business plan. Clarence said it would not join the new league without the Magpies.

AFL Tasmania softened its stance and extended the deadline to commit to the league to September 23.

But as it emerged clubs in the North were more amenable to the plan, things started to get silly. AFL Tasmania said it would consider resurrecting Sandy Bay, which folded in 1997, to play against the northern clubs if those in the South rejected the plan.

This prompted surprise and anger from southern clubs, notably Hobart, which likened the suggestion to blackmail and said AFL Tasmania was living in a "fantasy land".

Then, in a "facts pack" circulated to clubs last week, AFL Tasmania said it was prepared to dump the Devils in favour of the new state league.

Clubs have every reason to be wary. The statewide league of 1986-2000 folded in a financial mess and some clubs still wear the pain.

And it is being pursued by an administration that says it is now prepared to drop the ball with the Devils -- a program it has failed to establish as a power in the VFL. The program has unique demographic problems but has been held back by poor decision-making.

The appointment of Daryn Cresswell as coach last year failed, the partial alignment with North Melbourne was a disaster and there are ongoing problems scheduling games in the North, North-West and South while trying to placate supporters.

Now, more than ever, AFL Tasmania needs to keep its eye on the ball
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24087836-13222,00.html

 

[Kingpin]

Hobart had their meeting tonight (I was at work so didn't attend) and from what I can tell have not totally rejected AFL Tasmania's proposal outright but have deferred making a concrete decision until more information is known.
Hobart have quite a few sticking points that they want to know more about before making a definite decision one way or another on whether to support it or not.
The supporters and members have totally rejected it - that's a definite. As has SBJFC.
The HFC players want to play in the highest standard competition available to them but want to know more information as does the coaching staff.
There is also quite some of disapproval amongst the supporters on the over-emphasis of Sandy Bay in the name of the club.
The club is also concerned about being a chopping-block in the new league, with the standard of their senior and more to the point, their reserves team being low.

This one's for you Duff, Hobart has been guaranteed that they will be playing all home games at the TCA Ground in the TSL if they sign on.
Lights to be installed at the ground. (Yeah, I can see "Friends Of The Domain" or some violin-playing, ABC-Classic FM listening twats up on the Glebe allowing that to happen )

 

[Duff TV]

This one's for you Duff, Hobart has been guaranteed that they will be playing all home games at the TCA Ground in the TSL if they sign on.
Lights to be installed at the ground. (Yeah, I can see "Friends Of The Domain" or some violin-playing, ABC-Classic FM listening twats up on the Glebe allowing that to happen )[/quote]


I owuld think AFL TAS will not allow, nor should they allow any team to be in the SWL if they demand they play on a bog hole.

Lets get a little real here. Unless a good Mill or two is spent on the TCA well then it will always be the way it is and the home team will never attract the players it needs to compete in the top competition.

It's not rocket science yet the club seems to continue with this "we can do it, we can do it" attitude. maybe there is some grand plan for the ground?

On the positive its great they are not jumping in like the northern clubs who seem desperate for change. Well done Hobart on this front but I just think they would be better off playing out of North Hobart Oval be it SFL or SWL.

No doubt there won't be a Statewide League in 2009.

 

[roorat]

Hobart snubs league for now
BRETT STUBBS
July 29, 2008 12:00am
THE Hobart Football Club has rejected the proposed State League's business plan, but has not completely closed the door on the concept.
A special general meeting last night attended by about 90 members and supporters turned down AFL Tasmania's new league due to the "imprecise nature of the information detailed throughout the proposal", club president Phil Baker said.

Baker said the resolution also called on dialogue to continue and for AFL Tasmania to provide more details on such things as where the under-17s and under-19s would play, when and why the $50,000 grant would be paid, how increased playing costs would be covered, and who would run the competition.

"People are very sceptical about this whole process, and at the end of the day they are going to take a lot of convincing to get this over the line," he said.

"That is why we have rather than simply saying 'go away', we have said we are going to say to AFL Tasmania, 'this is your opportunity lets work through all these issues and lets see if we can sort them out'.

"We will consider it again. The meeting was only adjourned tonight, it wasn't closed off.

"The board has been instructed as soon as we get those answers to come back and we'll reconvene the meeting and a decision will be made."

AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

"That is fine, we are more than happy to discuss and consult and work with them on that," Baker said.

"The positive thing is they are very keen to continue the dialogue, and that is all we have actually asked."
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24094564-13222,00.html

 

[sportstalk07]

Hobart snubs league for now
BRETT STUBBS
July 29, 2008 12:00am
THE Hobart Football Club has rejected the proposed State League's business plan, but has not completely closed the door on the concept.
A special general meeting last night attended by about 90 members and supporters turned down AFL Tasmania's new league due to the "imprecise nature of the information detailed throughout the proposal", club president Phil Baker said.

Baker said the resolution also called on dialogue to continue and for AFL Tasmania to provide more details on such things as where the under-17s and under-19s would play, when and why the $50,000 grant would be paid, how increased playing costs would be covered, and who would run the competition.

"People are very sceptical about this whole process, and at the end of the day they are going to take a lot of convincing to get this over the line," he said.

"That is why we have rather than simply saying 'go away', we have said we are going to say to AFL Tasmania, 'this is your opportunity lets work through all these issues and lets see if we can sort them out'.

"We will consider it again. The meeting was only adjourned tonight, it wasn't closed off.

"The board has been instructed as soon as we get those answers to come back and we'll reconvene the meeting and a decision will be made."

AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

"That is fine, we are more than happy to discuss and consult and work with them on that," Baker said.

"The positive thing is they are very keen to continue the dialogue, and that is all we have actually asked."
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24094564-13222,00.html

So now it's turned from a "give us a committment or else" to a "diplomatic, let's have a f****ing tea party" stance.

No wonder there are a lot of people concerned about this proposal. As I stated in my online blog, it has more chance getting off the ground in 2013 than in 09/10.

All we are after is some clarity and an abililty to stick to the orginal story, instead of the usual chop and change scenario...

 

[Kingpin]

I owuld think AFL TAS will not allow, nor should they allow any team to be in the SWL if they demand they play on a bog hole.

They have stated that they would allow them too in the report I read.
Lets be honest, if we eliminated every ground that became a boghole in wet months we'd be only playing on about 3 grounds.
I had a quick look through the side gate at a junior match going on at KGV a couple of weekends ago while my partner had ducked into the Y next door to pick up a few things, the ground was a slopheap in the middle.
This year is looking like smashing the alltime record driest year ever for Hobart since records began in 1882 (1979 was the driest) and we've still got a couple of grounds that are a bit sloppy, so unless enormous capital is spent on each ground it's a problem that we'll have to put up with unfortunately.

Lets get a little real here. Unless a good Mill or two is spent on the TCA well then it will always be the way it is and the home team will never attract the players it needs to compete in the top competition.

I can remember when the Federal Government and Hobart City Council jointly funded that Work For The Dole scheme to renovate what was then a disgracefully rundown TCA Ground in 1999.
Works commenced the day after Hobart's last training session before the grand final that year (I remember Ollie Howe, Stumpy Reid, Nick Finlay and myself running a lap of honour on premiership night, pissed a maggots with the cup and falling into all the ditches dug out on the oval in the dark )
They actually got the playing surface going really well when that was completed, only trouble was, the AC/DC concert in early 2001 with the massive stage and 18,000 people all crammed onto it and all the trucks driving onto the ground smashed all the pipes under the ground - totally f*cked it in fact.
It was later on that year that we found sewage laying in the forward line, just inside the 40m arc at the Cottage end, and of course the infamous Glenorchy game where one wing was totally flooded.
They'd have to relay the drain pipes to fix that boghole problem around the ground, and of course with a cricket wicket in the middle, they always bog up after rains.

It's not rocket science yet the club seems to continue with this "we can do it, we can do it" attitude. maybe there is some grand plan for the ground?

I think it's more of a case of once bitten twice shy (or in Hobart's case twice bitten....).
The common theme I'm seeing from AFL Tasmania on a club being a continuous member of the TSL is to remain in profit.
We all know how Hobart fell way behind the 8-ball being forced out to KGV for 4 years in the 80's and the problem of North Hobart reaping the profits from Hobart's home games at North Hobart for much of the 11-seasons they played there.
So that may be their train of thought on remaining at the TCA rather than moving down to Letitia Street.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the Tigers running out onto North Hobart again, but if it can't be guaranteed that the same problems wouldn't arise (or not be policed like it wasn't previously) then I think it's probably a wise move by the club.
AFL Tasmania has stated that they would help Hobart with funds for lights at the ground should they sign on.

On the positive its great they are not jumping in like the northern clubs who seem desperate for change. Well done Hobart on this front but I just think they would be better off playing out of North Hobart Oval be it SFL or SWL.

It's interesting, it's the complete polar opposite of 1985-86.
Back then, the northern clubs were dead set against going Statewide whereas the majority of southern clubs were for it (not so much the fans mind you).
I think we need to have a higher standard competition definitely, but there just seems to be too much conflicting information and not enough concrete, cast-iron guarantees on everything.
They can't just say a blanket statement like "The league won't go broke if the clubs operate in profit" and leave it at that. Of course it wouldn't!
What happens if we go into recession again, or petrol prices hit $2.00+ or this mortgage crisis continues to bite deep on everyones pockets or the general cost of living continues to jump out of control like it has the past 3-4 years?
There's lots of variables that need to be thought of that may keep people away from attending football matches across the State.

No doubt there won't be a Statewide League in 2009.

I have a sneaking suspicion it's being done to give the AFL a better impression of Tasmanian football (IE: they've got the State League back up and running, geez they've got their shit together) for our presenting a case to be admitted to the AFL.
I just wonder if this massive push to be admitted to the AFL hadn't been going on at this time whether we would be hearing about a Statewide League...

Maybe it's just the cynic in me....

 

[kenrosewall]

I have a sneaking suspicion it's being done to give the AFL a better impression of Tasmanian football (IE: they've got the State League back up and running, geez they've got their shit together) for our presenting a case to be admitted to the AFL.
I just wonder if this massive push to be admitted to the AFL hadn't been going on at this time whether we would be hearing about a Statewide League...

Maybe it's just the cynic in me....

Not cynical at all Kingpin. That's exactly what is happening.

 

[DOSACHOKER]

Not cynical at all Kingpin. That's exactly what is happening.

I believe that the softening of the stance of Wade/Baker is exactly about the previous 2 posts. King Andrew said get a Statewide league up and about and we may have a chance of getting an AFL team but now the the AFL team is dead in the water for at least 5 years unless a Melb based club curls its toes up they have weakened.

I believe statewide will happen within next 5 years at senior level and in next 2/3 at junior level but in the meantime regional leagues should play for premiership and finals with a then further 2 weeks of statewide crossover finals of top 2 teams of NTFL and SFL (top SFL v 2nd NTFL and likewise the other way) then a state final, make the home and away series 18 weeks with top 4's and start the season at end of February????? any thoughts? and if anyone says what about the post premiership celebrations at regional level surley they can hang on for 2 more weeks before they start getting kicked out of pubs for being ********s, play NTFA and Regionals if grog is your motivator!

 

[SDog]

Not cynical at all Kingpin. That's exactly what is happening.

I dont think thats correct. If you have followed the news lately re the AFL push, AFL Tas has not once commented their thoughts on whether they think a side should be submitted. Its all the state government, has nothing to do with AFL Tas.

Their focus has been simply on rushing the Stateleague and trying to fix the devils

 

[Gibbke]

Not cynical at all Kingpin. That's exactly what is happening.

Totally, 100%...

The AFL sees Tasmania as a recruiting zone and nothing more for its 16 clubs, soon 18...AFL Tas plays ball with this dismissive attitude, and they get paid more for it...we can't offer anything to be an attractive AFL option, but apparently we have a long history of reasonable quality VFL/AFL recruits...

But to get the most out of this, we need a SW comp which concentrates all those kids into one easy to find league (the TAC Mariners were tried and didn't put out), which the AFL is prepared not only to triple funding for ($3m, loose change for Andy), but are prepared to totally disregard Tasmanian clubs and supporters and completely f### the rest of the state's footy for, based upon demographic and sports organisational theories that Tassie (being Tassie) manages to completely defy...

And Wade and AFL Tasmania are quite prepared to be the lackeys here and do whatever Andy says...setting up a SW comp does look pretty good on a footy administrator resume, doesn't it...and if it means a big promotion for these guys a year or two later somewhere else, who cares if it all goes to the wall again after that...?

Two choices - take it up the rear from those who will pay a few bucks more, or flip the bird and go it alone, struggling along in the knowledge that the bullies didn't win...live on your knees or die on your feet...what do you do, what DO you do...?

 

[Barge]

I believe that the softening of the stance of Wade/Baker is exactly about the previous 2 posts. King Andrew said get a Statewide league up and about and we may have a chance of getting an AFL team but now the the AFL team is dead in the water for at least 5 years unless a Melb based club curls its toes up they have weakened.

I believe statewide will happen within next 5 years at senior level and in next 2/3 at junior level but in the meantime regional leagues should play for premiership and finals with a then further 2 weeks of statewide crossover finals of top 2 teams of NTFL and SFL (top SFL v 2nd NTFL and likewise the other way) then a state final, make the home and away series 18 weeks with top 4's and start the season at end of February????? any thoughts? and if anyone says what about the post premiership celebrations at regional level surley they can hang on for 2 more weeks before they start getting kicked out of pubs for being ********s, play NTFA and Regionals if grog is your motivator!

As Mary Poppins said in, well Mary Poppins "Oh Bert, what utter nonsense!"

Using 2007 as an example, Like Clarence after losing to Glenorchy would even be the slightest bit interested in playing Launceston the next week.

Make it Glenorchy v Launceston - they've been slogging their guts out long enough as it is, they're not gonna want another week unnecessarily chucked on the end.

Start at the end of February? Have you any idea how many SFL and NTFL players play cricket?

As for the Grog point - I think you'll find your Premier League and NTFL boys like to celebrate a flag just like any Regional League or NTFA outfit!

Whether there was a State Final next week or not!

It's not like if Glenorchy were to lose to Launnie, they'd then say "Oh well Righto, we did beat Clarence. Let's have a fair dinkum celebration!"

The moment has gone, Choker.

It wouldn't be the same.