Why Lions fans have had enough (From 5/5/2015 Non NSW and QLD club supporters will be carded)

[HowYouDoin]

Our lack of main channel exposure is also another reason why we're slowly heading towards irrelevancy. It's common knowledge that all programs that air on 7two/mate will rate half as less as they would on the main channel. Heck, the highest rated game in brisbane this year is actually the Collingwood vs Essendon game, which just happened to be the only AFL game that aired on 7 in brisbane this year. Coincidence? I think not.

In short, we don't need to be the Sydney swans to be relevant here, we just need proper promotion + main channel tv exposure + a decent season and we will do alright.

 

[Monterronaldo]

It sounds obvious but I really think the manner in which we have lost our games has been blow so far this season. We had just come off a great off season. The marketing rode the excitement off our momentum generated last season where we finished strongly as a team and also had Tom Rockliff and Lewy Taylor snare All-Australian and Rising Star honours respectively. Then we had the big names of Beams and Christensen join us which made our midfield a significant not only here but in Victoria. Our memberships increased and We have seen good numbers for our home games compared to last year (WCE match was 17,000 compared to 10, 000 when we played them last year at the Gabba). Unfortunately we have been shite so far and that is killing off the excitement very quickly. I read an article which claimed that across all codes Sydney fans tend to attracted to success more than any other (Just quoting the article correct me if I am wrong) and to be honest it's not hard to see that successful clubs retain more supporters and therefore generate more revenue.
We have a list (excluding injuries) that is capable of making every team we play earn the 4 points against us but for many reasons that isn't happening. I think is a crucial time for us because more failure will see us in real strife at some point down the track.

I don't have many solutions on how to turn this around but what i do know is that the Academy System must stay for our sakes. The players we have drafted are showing promise. Freeman may or may not be a gun but he definitely has it in him to do a job at AFL level, Dawson looks promising, Andrews has been one of few shining lights in the seniors, Hammelman will get another year if he keeps his current form and Keays is looking almost certain to be drafted by us this year. If an Academy priority system is maintained it will:

a) Reduce losses of players due to the 'go home' factor
b) Install confidence in the local talent that if they work hard enough they have a shot of being drafted (The nature of the draft can and has seen young players pursue rugby due to their ability to offer contracts early on) and therefore increase the local talent on our list.
c)Improve club culture. No disrespect at all leveled at the passion of interstate players but it would be much easier to convince players to play their heart out for a club that represents the place where they grew up.

Hopefully Man-**** McGuire can wake up to himself and lay off the anti-academy crusade he is on.

 

[lionbear]

This is scary times for queensland football.

Reality is we now have players heading up there saying I will be home again in 2 years, this is back to the early nineties and Buckley's "Regular finals football times"

And Eddie is pushing the media train so hard in a direction that will really hurt us long term, if we can't have first rights on Queensland talent, and back to a point where players are not comitting to the team, then we are stuffed..

 

[ZoBlitz]

I was just reading this story about some of the issues that have been discussed and was depressed by the following quote:

The VFL/AFL history of Brisbane has numerically reached a point where the years before glory and post domination are almost equal.

It was 12 seasons after Christopher Skase and the grizzly koala that Matthews, Michael Voss and a handful of old Fitzroy players took the Lions to the finals in 1999.

Before 1999, Brisbane had won only 87 of 267 VFL/AFL games.

Brisbane played in six consecutive finals series from 1999 to 2004, for four grand finals and three flags, and won 106 of 150 games.

The Bear has not returned since 2005, but the bad news is back.

We are into the 11th season since Brisbane's grand-final defeat to Port Adelaide and Lions fans have seen just 88 wins from 227 games.

Brisbane is the only team, not including the two new clubs, to have played in only one finals series in this period.

Of course picking 1999 as the beginning of the era of domination is a little arbitrary considering we made finals 95-97 but anyway...

 

[Sausages]

We need our chief to step up and call him out.

I wanna fight.
I want the players and coaches to fight.
And I'd like to think our chief can go toe-to-toe with anyone else.

If all we have is a "them against us" to carry us through - good!

WinstonChurchill.wav - 'We will fight them on the beaches...."

 

[Sydney Bloods]

Our lack of main channel exposure is also another reason why we're slowly heading towards irrelevancy. It's common knowledge that all programs that air on 7two/mate will rate half as less as they would on the main channel. Heck, the highest rated game in brisbane this year is actually the Collingwood vs Essendon game, which just happened to be the only AFL game that aired on 7 in brisbane this year. Coincidence? I think not.

In short, we don't need to be the Sydney swans to be relevant here, we just need proper promotion + main channel tv exposure + a decent season and we will do alright.

and this is something killing the game. even finals banished to mate rate substantially lower, but i believe this is done on purpose by seven A to protect gardening shows and B to lower expectations for the next rights deal.

what other reason could there be for so many carlton games? 7 are tanking the rights deal.

 

[Albi_Mangler]

Our lack of main channel exposure is also another reason why we're slowly heading towards irrelevancy. It's common knowledge that all programs that air on 7two/mate will rate half as less as they would on the main channel. Heck, the highest rated game in brisbane this year is actually the Collingwood vs Essendon game, which just happened to be the only AFL game that aired on 7 in brisbane this year. Coincidence? I think not.

Not sure I really understand or agree with this. Either the general tv viewing audience are so lacking in intelligence that they are unable to work a remote control - or the quality of games and general interest is actually driving the low numbers. I believe that having the games on 7mate is actually better, it is after all HD.

I understand it is a different sport but last year the A-League FTA game was shown on SBS2 Friday nights and the reason for low viewer numbers was often a similar line, that it was not on the main channel. Funny enough this season SBS changed the game to the main channel and found no substantial increase.

 

[maroon and blue]

Unfathomable, the malaise our players are in, even if you don't like work you do it, the game plan may or may not suck, but hey we won some games late last year and the players seemed totally committed. Something has changed and we are not being party to the truth, surely the players as a group could identify the problem. at the moment we are being fed snippets of information, obvious comments like "players aren't committed". But why, its as if there is a disconnect between the coaching staff and the players. They are not talking to each other openly. Or to us. And the disconnect must be of a large magnitude for men to drop their bundle as the players have. Where is the team, coaches, meeting where they spill their guts. It appears at the moment to be management v workers. Not good.

 

[Sausages]

Unfathomable, the malaise our players are in, even if you don't like work you do it, the game plan may or may not suck, but hey we won some games late last year and the players seemed totally committed. Something has changed and we are not being party to the truth, surely the players as a group could identify the problem. at the moment we are being fed snippets of information, obvious comments like "players aren't committed". But why, its as if there is a disconnect between the coaching staff and the players. They are not talking to each other openly. Or to us. And the disconnect must be of a large magnitude for men to drop their bundle as the players have. Where is the team, coaches, meeting where they spill their guts. It appears at the moment to be management v workers. Not good.

Send 'em all home. Pick 22 from Qld/NT/Fitzroy VAFA. Include those of the current squad who love the jumper.

We'll get smashed, sure. But I'm REALLY TIRED of the never-ending saga of go-home/play elsewhere/f*** brisbane, I don't wanna live there rubbish that seems AOK with anyone who benefits from it.

First verse, "F*** Tha Police" - that's what's playing in my head now. Insert AFL HQ/another club as you see fit instead of police. I hate 'em all. Except the Tiges. Love the Tiges.

 

[Skoob]

I was just reading this story about some of the issues that have been discussed and was depressed by the following quote:


Of course picking 1999 as the beginning of the era of domination is a little arbitrary considering we made finals 95-97 but anyway...

So, in the interest of balance, we are 2 years from finals and 4 from our next premiership.

 

[Last of the Roys]

Time to bump this thread after two wins in a row.

Obviously we managed to avoid our equal worst losing streak of all time as the Brisbane Lions by beating Carlton last week (the losing streak ending on 7 matches).

This week we ended our equal second worst home game losing streak of 5 losses in a row (and 6 losses in a row in QLD). [By the way, our worst home game losing streak was 8 games in a row between 2010-2011].

 

[Chezzalenko Reborn]

Glad the beams trade has worked out for both clubs. Crisp was sensational again tonight and De Goey running around in the 2s doing whatever he wants. Beams one of your best players this year too. Smiles all round

I have to say, I love your avatar

 

[IQ3]

I have to say, I love your avatar

cheers

 

[Sherrinator]

cheers

Good username too

 

[Hollow Knight]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/back-to-the-future-in-radical-zone-plan-20150604-ghh30v.html

We may as well just about shut up shop.

Northern Academies were introduced to ameliorate an inequity, but then Eddie's puppet Gill comes in and toys with a policy to make the inequity even wider.

The National comp is under serious, serious threat in the Gill era. He just doesn't get it.

I miss Demetriou.

 

[Crawb]

Sydney will get looked after.
GWS and GCS are the AFL's pet projects so they'll be treated well.

We're done put a fork in us no way we can be a good team with zones. Once SA/WA clubs finish Top 4 every year maybe VFL house will change their mind...

 

[jackess]

By then it will be a 2 tiered comp with Brisbane permanently in the bottom competition.

I just hope when Eddie, Gil and co ruin the AFL the state comps will still be strong so we have some decent footy to follow.

 

[jjami15]

It's a ploy to make us walk away from the academies and frankly it's becoming tiring and therefore so be it. Long live soccer because that's going to be the number one sport in the country soon and in part thanks to small minded people. Don't worry about trying to tap into over 10mil people, half the population of your own country to try and grow the game because it's so goddamn Vic centralised. A few weeks ago I was down in Melbourne and loved it as it was like my Mecca but imagine for a minute if it was nation wide. It's just a capatilist run business with people only worried about lining their own pockets.

 

[dlanod]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/back-to-the-future-in-radical-zone-plan-20150604-ghh30v.html

We may as well just about shut up shop.

Northern Academies were introduced to ameliorate an inequity, but then Eddie's puppet Gill comes in and toys with a policy to make the inequity even wider.

The National comp is under serious, serious threat in the Gill era. He just doesn't get it.

I miss Demetriou.

Zoned access to Victoria is about the one thing that'd just make me walk away from the game because it would take any pretence of even a semi-equal competition out of the equation.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Unfortunately AFL will be another sport I don't give a **** about if more rules like these zones for Victorian clubs come in. Vic clubs need to look at what they have that we don't for a change.

 

[Bucking Beads]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/back-to-the-future-in-radical-zone-plan-20150604-ghh30v.html

We may as well just about shut up shop.

Northern Academies were introduced to ameliorate an inequity, but then Eddie's puppet Gill comes in and toys with a policy to make the inequity even wider.

The National comp is under serious, serious threat in the Gill era. He just doesn't get it.

I miss Demetriou.

Just amazing how little common sense the people in power have. Eddie should take a look at all that Collingwood have that the likes of GWS, Lions and Suns will never have.

 

[SizeMatters]

I'm personally fine with it. More and more kids are taking up soccer in Victoria and introducing a zone academy will limit this. Sure they have more juniors but they also have 10 zones to divide Melbourne into. The Lions academy would have access to more players to develop at a younger age then half the clubs put together would down in Melbourne. I would be more worried about the SA/WA clubs getting academies.

Give the northern academies a chance to grow and get stronger first though... maybe in 15 years time ?

 

[Caiphus]

Maybe let them have metro because we are a low chance of keeping metro kids anyway, but country zones should be a huge no.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Lol. Burn the joint down and start again.

 

[Albi_Mangler]

More and more kids are taking up soccer in Victoria and introducing a zone academy will limit this.

Read this a few times and wonder if it is this true? It doesn't make sense to me how AFL zones will limit kids playing another sport. I actually think that nothing will stop soccer eventually becoming number 1.