The Good Friday game, let's make it Geelong vs Hawthorn.

[greatwhiteshark]

People forget that a large number of neutrals go to these big games such as Anzac Day eve, Anzac Day, Easter Monday etc.
So why are they not going on Good Friday?
People said they wanted a game on Good Friday so the AFL have fixture one, if Good Friday is so boring and there is nothing to do why are you not rolling up to watch it?
There would be easily 20k plus neutrals on Anzac Day so where are the neutrals on Good Friday?
It’s not as if the Pies and bombers are great sides which leaves us with I got nothing to do so I will go to the footy.
Personally I think they should get rid of Good Friday footy as clearly people are busy and don’t have time to go to the footy.
From a neutral point of view a north v saints game is exactly the same as a Pies v bombers game.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

The AFL does not need to do any more moronic `linking` to the Good Friday Appeal. It's a pretty farfetched attachment to give it to Geelong/Hawthorn.

The AFL and participating clubs give their pulling power, time and money to the appeal. That's all the linking they need.

Rotate it, give it to North, give it to Gold Coast I don't care. As long as the participating clubs get out and about over the long weekend and help increase the donation pool as they have done then that's enough. It's not about the AFL. We don't need to celebrate Jeff Crouch.

GC aren't relevant. This is Melbourne thing. No reason why non Vic clubs can' have their own fixtures in different time lots. We've had an ANZAC day game at Manuka for example and it doesn't affect anything.

 

[Numtums]

People forget that a large number of neutrals go to these big games such as Anzac Day eve, Anzac Day, Easter Monday etc.
So why are they not going on Good Friday?
People said they wanted a game on Good Friday so the AFL have fixture one, if Good Friday is so boring and there is nothing to do why are you not rolling up to watch it?
There would be easily 20k plus neutrals on Anzac Day so where are the neutrals on Good Friday?
It’s not as if the Pies and bombers are great sides which leaves us with I got nothing to do so I will go to the footy.
Personally I think they should get rid of Good Friday footy as clearly people are busy and don’t have time to go to the footy.
From a neutral point of view a north v saints game is exactly the same as a Pies v bombers game.

Have the AFL considered that people (like myself) refuse to watch or attend sport on a Holy Day and are voting with their feet?

I wouldn't give a hoot if you put Hawthorn vs Essendon on good Friday, I won't attend, nor will I watch it out of protest. Others are probably doing the same or spending the day with Family.

For some (sadly dwindling due to the Leftist agenda), Religion is more important than Football.

There should be no Football on Good Friday, period!

 

[99cents]

Typical. Hawks build something, so only natural everyone wants to tear it down

You really rushed to play the victim there MM

 

[telsor]

People forget that a large number of neutrals go to these big games such as Anzac Day eve, Anzac Day, Easter Monday etc.
So why are they not going on Good Friday?
People said they wanted a game on Good Friday so the AFL have fixture one, if Good Friday is so boring and there is nothing to do why are you not rolling up to watch it?
There would be easily 20k plus neutrals on Anzac Day so where are the neutrals on Good Friday?
It’s not as if the Pies and bombers are great sides which leaves us with I got nothing to do so I will go to the footy.
Personally I think they should get rid of Good Friday footy as clearly people are busy and don’t have time to go to the footy.
From a neutral point of view a north v saints game is exactly the same as a Pies v bombers game.

I think neutrals are often overrated (they might be a significant potion of the BF audience, but those on BF tends to be more motivated than most). but however many there are, a large part of them are are probably in the AFL or MCC members reserves, neither of which really apply for games at Docklands.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Why not have the two 'semi final' games from the previous year on the Friday and Monday?

 

[telsor]

Why not have the two 'semi final' games from the previous year on the Friday and Monday?

Given how many people seem to want every game replaced by the grand finalists...Let's just recreate the entire final series in the first few weeks?

 

[Milanista28]

West coast vs Freo in the new stadium makes so much sense.

 

[pazza]

West coast vs Freo in the new stadium makes so much sense.

I think a double-header on Good Friday would be awesome.

 

[SCRAY72]

North v Carlton when Easter doesn't coincide with round 1.
Geographically the hospital is in the middle of these clubs.

 

[Caracas]

People forget that a large number of neutrals go to these big games such as Anzac Day eve, Anzac Day, Easter Monday etc.
So why are they not going on Good Friday?
People said they wanted a game on Good Friday so the AFL have fixture one, if Good Friday is so boring and there is nothing to do why are you not rolling up to watch it?
There would be easily 20k plus neutrals on Anzac Day so where are the neutrals on Good Friday?
It’s not as if the Pies and bombers are great sides which leaves us with I got nothing to do so I will go to the footy.
Personally I think they should get rid of Good Friday footy as clearly people are busy and don’t have time to go to the footy.
From a neutral point of view a north v saints game is exactly the same as a Pies v bombers game.

Yeah, nah. Much as I'd like to agree that a North V Saints game is the same as the Pies V Bombers for the neutral, that's just patently not the case. It might be the case if both North and Saints were riding high at the moment - but we're not. However, North are putting a lot of effort into it and have championed it for years and, biased as I am, I believe we deserve to keep it. My own view would be North V Carlton. However, I think that would be unfair to the Dogs. I don't know why they got removed from the fixture this year. Am I right in saying that the crowds on Anzac Day weren't so crash hot initially?

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

Great idea! And we can move North to Easter Monday

 

[Caracas]

Yeah, nah. Much as I'd like to agree that a North V Saints game is the same as the Pies V Bombers for the neutral, that's just patently not the case. It might be the case if both North and Saints were riding high at the moment - but we're not. However, North are putting a lot of effort into it and have championed it for years and, biased as I am, I believe we deserve to keep it. My own view would be North V Carlton. However, I think that would be unfair to the Dogs. I don't know why they got removed from the fixture this year. Am I right in saying that the crowds on Anzac Day weren't so crash hot initially?

Scratch that last sentence. The first few Anzac games got great crowds. However, 2004 was only 54,000.

 

[FRUMPY]

Play it at Etihad though, Hawks v Geelong can never fill the MCG

 

[hawkman]

I think a double-header on Good Friday would be awesome.

Put the 2nd game on Fox, so it doesn't impact on the Appeal

 

[MinerBoy]

Have the AFL considered that people (like myself) refuse to watch or attend sport on a Holy Day and are voting with their feet?

I wouldn't give a hoot if you put Hawthorn vs Essendon on good Friday, I won't attend, nor will I watch it out of protest. Others are probably doing the same or spending the day with Family.

For some (sadly dwindling due to the Leftist agenda), Religion is more important than Football.

There should be no Football on Good Friday, period!

Couldn't disagree more. If it's against your religion then simply don't attend or watch, as you said you wouldn't. Perfectly reasonable.

If you're not religious, as is my case, then the game is there and available if I choose to go.

The many and varied religious beliefs of people shouldn't be a factor at all in whether the AFL should schedule a game.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

So drop a near decade traditional fixture that consistently draws 70,000 plus (Easter Monday) for a rotating Docklands fixture that coincides with the Good Friday Appeal?

The Good Friday game should have always been North v Carlton (the two clubs that are located closest to the RMH) and have been lobbying for Good Friday football for decades. That fixture would be a 40,000 lock which is all that Docklands needs

Wow, a whole decade? Shit, that's 10 whole years, can't let a tradition of that length die.

 

[Scotland]

People forget that a large number of neutrals go to these big games such as Anzac Day eve, Anzac Day, Easter Monday etc.
So why are they not going on Good Friday?

Victorians have an aversion to Etihad Stadium.

There also seems to have been no thought go into it except 'let's pick 2 teams and play a game late arvo'.

 

[space_cowboy]

Have the AFL considered that people (like myself) refuse to watch or attend sport on a Holy Day and are voting with their feet?

I wouldn't give a hoot if you put Hawthorn vs Essendon on good Friday, I won't attend, nor will I watch it out of protest. Others are probably doing the same or spending the day with Family.

For some (sadly dwindling due to the Leftist agenda), Religion is more important than Football.

There should be no Football on Good Friday, period!

I don't watch footy on Good Friday for just this reason.

It's a day of abstinence for many people... no meat, no alcohol, no work... no indulgence of any kind.

I'm not religious, but I recognise that this is the most solemn and important day of the year for Christians... even borderline, al la carte Catholics like myself.

I'm grateful that my team don't play on that day, but I feel sorry for many of the supporters of the teams that do, not to mention the many other people that have to work as a result of footy being scheduled that day.

I really think it was a poor and ill considered decision, and quite contrary the the AFL's stated policy of inclusion and respect for all cultures.

 

[Handsome.B.Wonderful]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...r-poor-holiday-spectacle-20180403-p4z7m9.html

Even the AFL is disgusted on how Good Friday has panned out. Not surprised

Interesting that Jake Niall couldn't even get a direct quote from Gillon at the lunch if he was asked such a "pointed question."

Actually he didn't get a quote from anyone, he just used one that Gil made in October last year before the fixture came out.

Is this an opinion piece or just poor journalism?

 

[Engimal v3]

Victorians have an aversion to Etihad Stadium.

There also seems to have been no thought go into it except 'let's pick 2 teams and play a game late arvo'.

There was actually a lot of thought put into it by North Melbourne, for many years. Unfortunately, the AFL didn't notice much other than "North Melbourne".

 

[Jobe Watson]

Should be Essendon vs. Carlton.

The formerly great, now struggling club Carlton can get another big fixture to boost their audience and Essendon (who are the most talked about club in the league and one of the AFL's biggest and most consistent draws) can be the ones to make this fixture the spectacle that it should be. Plus Essendon could really use another blockbuster game.

 

[underthestars]

It's good Friday for god,s sake - you're supposed to spend the day yelling abuse or mumbling excuses and spend the night in mourning. St Kilda are perfect.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

Should be Essendon vs. Carlton.

The formerly great, now struggling club Carlton can get another big fixture to boost their audience and Essendon (who are the most talked about club in the league and one of the AFL's biggest and most consistent draws) can be the ones to make this fixture the spectacle that it should be. Plus Essendon could really use another blockbuster game.

You can have Sheedy's ACTU Blockbuster game. Essendon vs BLF.

 

[Benny78]

He umpired 4 other grand finals.

Why don’t whoever played in those get to play instead?


Oh yeah, no.

Ummm maybe because those clubs suck?