Footy media , love’m or hate’ m ?

[DavidSSS]

Hard hitting Ralphy:

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Complete contrast to the lauding of Geelong retaining players on lower salaries. Don't get me wrong, what Geelong have done there is very smart, but if you say that it is smart for Geelong to retain older players on a lower salary after paying them plenty for many years, why then criticise Richmond for doing the same?

As for North Melbourne's picks, you just have to ask how a team with the number 1 draft pick has their next pick at 55. Were they taken away from North? Doubt it, they traded them away. That's the price you pay for trading away future draft picks for players. Can we give away next year's first and then ask for a concession pick because we no longer have a round 1 pick? No, and nor should we be able to do that.

The above is just to attract attention, and they are succeeding. It's the old equation: good stories about Collingwood sells papers, bad stories about Richmond sells papers. The only way to respond to this sort of crap is to ignore them, if they continue to get clicks and comments and sell papers on the back of a story which contradicts what they previously said then they will continue to write this crap.

DS

 

[mrposhman]

I don't think cola ever had anything to do with the cost of living, apart from in name. It was introduced when other concessions to Sydney and Brisbane were removed, it was always designed to help keep players.

You are right there, and any assistance on this needs to take into account the net loss of players to football states from the non-traditional footballing states.

Gold Coast and GWS certainly can show a net outgoing of players (in terms of quality), but I don't think the same argument can be made for Brisbane and especially Sydney.

I have no problem with providing extra assistance to these cubs, at the end of the day they are going nowhere so it makes sense for all involved in the AFL to make them as profitable, or probably more likely, the least loss making that we can make them. That needs to be driven by improving quality on and off the field and I'm open to an increase in their soft cap, as well as some increase in their TPP, however this needs to be shown that they cannot give it all to their best players. I'm not sure how they would do this, but they need to be challenged on ensuring they don't massively over inflate players salaries (which GWS in particular have done).

 

[jb03]

With the media now aware of Cotchin and Reiwoldt playing on very low wages, the media will push for the banning of playing playing on wages that are below their ability and standing.

 

[TigerForce]

With the media now aware of Cotchin and Reiwoldt playing on very low wages, the media will push for the banning of playing playing on wages that are below their ability and standing.

You know what could become another media ear sore next season? The constant questioning on if Taz and Hop are performing well just like the Jack/Lynch cohesion questions we copped in 2019 and 2020.

 

[Baloo]

With the media now aware of Cotchin and Reiwoldt playing on very low wages, the media will push for the banning of playing playing on wages that are below their ability and standing.

Or introduce a Premiership Tax. Every Premiership in the last 5 years reduces your salary cap by 10%

 

[Brodders17]

It certainly won't because I agree with you. Cola was a sound policy and Eddie McGuire killed it by convincing the footy public of a lie.

An increase in normal salary cap would also be a sensible move. Sydney, GWS and the Gold Coast are always going to have to pay a player retention tax. No-one grows up dreaming of playing at Carrara or Homebush and very few of their players are going to be local.

You can be the best run club in the history of the game and you will still face a never ending battle to keep kids who want to go back to their home state. Money is an essential tool in that fight, especially with free agency as it is.

On 2nd thoughts, I change my mind. They deserve nothing!

 

[TigerMasochist]

Hard hitting Ralphy:

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Idiot Raaalphy.
Strong clubs been plundering weaker rivals for over 100 years. HQ always tries to have measures in place to control things, but as the game gets more professional and more n more money keeps coming into the game and youngsters are forced to travel interstate to start their careers. There comes a tipping point regarding restraint of trade and opportunity of movement etc.

No song and dance when Geelol got plastic Jezza. No song and dance when Carlscum list manager SOS snaffled a bunch of Gee Whizz kids. No song and dance when the AFL created a couple of new tupperware clubs that left already struggling clubs who'd been established over 100 years crippled n on their knees.
*smile* meedjia *smile* heads just pandering for knee jerk reactions n insta fixes.

AFLHQ makes the rules n everyone's gotta play by them as best they can. Some clubs do it well, while other clubs simply suck.

 

[Legends of 2017]

Idiot Raaalphy.
Strong clubs been plundering weaker rivals for over 100 years. HQ always tries to have measures in place to control things, but as the game gets more professional and more n more money keeps coming into the game and youngsters are forced to travel interstate to start their careers. There comes a tipping point regarding restraint of trade and opportunity of movement etc.

No song and dance when Geelol got plastic Jezza. No song and dance when Carlscum list manager SOS snaffled a bunch of Gee Whizz kids. No song and dance when the AFL created a couple of new tupperware clubs that left already struggling clubs who'd been established over 100 years crippled n on their knees.
*smile* meedjia *smile* heads just pandering for knee jerk reactions n insta fixes.

AFLHQ makes the rules n everyone's gotta play by them as best they can. Some clubs do it well, while other clubs simply suck.

It goes in cycles. No media comment when the above happens. Media uproar when we got Lynch. Then all quiet when the above happens. Now outrage when we go after a couple of players ,who from all accounts will be forced to leave anyway due to bad list / salary cap management. Then there will be all quiet as other clubs do the same before it ramps up again when we go after someone in a couple of years time

At least, that’s how I think it seems to work

 

[ToraToraTora]

The only guy in the media I’ve heard back us up is Dwayne Russell. Said several times yesterday that if clubs aren’t run well enough to avoid cap issues, develop an environment that makes their players want to stay etc etc then why should anyone be claiming that there needs to be greater equalisation, help etc for them ? Why should a less competent club than Richmond be afforded assistance just because they’re not performing well enough v Richmond both on and off the field ?

He then said “full credit” to Richmond for managing their list professionally, attracting players, creating a culture and environment that makes players want to stay - often on unders - and showing other clubs how it should be done.

And finally, he mentioned that Gale, O’Neal, Hartley and co are obviously outstanding people and operators and that maybe other clubs should look at their personnel a bit more rather than expect endless concessions. (Thought that was a bit of a shot at the very overrated Dave Matthews).

Yes Donk is the worst footy commentator of all time. But his radio show isn't bad.

 

[Eddie from Elwood]

I don’t have a lot of love or respect for the majority of the footy media, personally think most of them are just gossip columnists with not a great deal of footy nous. How bad is the industry going when Mark Robinson is the number 1 journo , there would not be a sport in the world that has a “ Robbo” in their top 100 journos, geez even the tidley wink tour of the Galápagos Islands has better journos. Barret oh golly gosh his another of the top journos , then we have Jon Ralph , baby Jesus is starting to cry .

I find a lot of the young up an comers start of ok , however after a year or 2 seem to have this new found entitlement and become arrogant pigs like the others.

I definitely prefer the ex players , generally better knowledge and are much more humble, I don’t mind Caro, takes no *smile*, Sam Edmond seems good.

Though the US sports have there normal yankee cockiness, I find their journos , much more educated and sell a story much better.

#pissblobbooff

Our journos find their stories on the trending list on Twitter........need I say more!

 

[The Big Richo]

Putting aside the specifics, I think there's a point there about what should be a concern for the competition.

Free agency is altering the landscape of the competition. We've seen a team in Geelong go on a run of high finishes that is unprecedented in the equalisation era, thanks in part to being ahead of the curve in terms of using the drafting system.

We've also seen two premiership teams in Hawthorn and us win further premierships after utilising free agency.

As a competition we would want to be paying close attention to how all that is working, there would be nothing worse than losing the ability for teams to compete with every other team.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Putting aside the specifics, I think there's a point there about what should be a concern for the competition.

Free agency is altering the landscape of the competition. We've seen a team in Geelong go on a run of high finishes that is unprecedented in the equalisation era, thanks in part to being ahead of the curve in terms of using the drafting system.

We've also seen two premiership teams in Hawthorn and us win further premierships after utilising free agency.

As a competition we would want to be paying close attention to how all that is working, there would be nothing worse than losing the ability for teams to compete with every other team.

It's not really a problem TBR.
Teams can *smile* up as much as they like n then when the *smile* hits the fan they go cap in hand to Gilligan n his socialist equalisation dept for another bunch of handouts so they can keep *smile* things up for another few years until the well run clubs roll around n pillage them again in revenge for the *smile* ups being gifted all the life saving early talent. AFL loves it because these clubs are totally beholden to HQ for every facet of their survival and they're content to simply survive on the handouts n bleat that life is unfair n the handouts are never enough.

 

[RoarEmotion]

Putting aside the specifics, I think there's a point there about what should be a concern for the competition.

Free agency is altering the landscape of the competition. We've seen a team in Geelong go on a run of high finishes that is unprecedented in the equalisation era, thanks in part to being ahead of the curve in terms of using the drafting system.

We've also seen two premiership teams in Hawthorn and us win further premierships after utilising free agency.

As a competition we would want to be paying close attention to how all that is working, there would be nothing worse than losing the ability for teams to compete with every other team.

It’s interesting. We want socialism and capitalism at the same time. Teams are going to compete how they can. As much as we may say culture makes a small difference in percentage performance on game day - it must make a huge difference on trading. Which player is going to want to go to Essendon or North (pre clarko) right now for unders? Who will want to stay there for unders?

There is no doubt to me that having a happy place to work with the prospect of success is a very attractive proposition for mid/late career players where it isn’t going to be that way at their club. (Tarrant a classic example).

Staying relevant pretty huge. If you have FA this is how you compete since everyone should have the same salary cap. Don’t think any way to get rid of this unless you get rid of FA or somehow corrupt / control it to limit based on salary from the club that loses the player. But that isn’t FA and restraint of trade will be an issue.

Good for us and KMG also great for us too.

 

[The Big Richo]

It’s interesting. We want socialism and capitalism at the same time. Teams are going to compete how they can. As much as we may say culture makes a small difference in percentage performance on game day - it must make a huge difference on trading. Which player is going to want to go to Essendon or North (pre clarko) right now for unders? Who will want to stay there for unders?

Certainly success is making a huge difference on trading. We are already seeing players from weak teams go to strong teams via free agency and I can't see how you can prevent that and still have truly free agency.

The you have the other issue that Ralph points out, a team like us will have Riewoldt happy to pay for bugger all because of the chance of success but North need to pay twice as much for a player half as good. Again I don't know what you do about it but it means all salary caps aren't equal.

 

[TigerFurious]

Who here is genuinely surprised that good players want to play for successful clubs? If you are then congratulations because you are now qualified to work at AFL HQ.

Honestly, did the AFL’s brains trust seriously think their free-agency model would somehow work differently to every other sports comp in the world? Good players want to win silverware and are willing to get paid less than market value to do it.

Clubs like North need to do what we did and “git gud”.

 

[The Big Richo]

Clubs like North need to do what we did and “git gud”.

So they've only got another 30 or so years to put up with?

 

[TigerFurious]

So they've only got another 30 or so years to put up with?

Builds character.

 

[mrposhman]

Certainly success is making a huge difference on trading. We are already seeing players from weak teams go to strong teams via free agency and I can't see how you can prevent that and still have truly free agency.

The you have the other issue that Ralph points out, a team like us will have Riewoldt happy to pay for bugger all because of the chance of success but North need to pay twice as much for a player half as good. Again I don't know what you do about it but it means all salary caps aren't equal.

I think its actually more ludicrous to think that some things will remain equal. Its just not going to happen unless you bring more and more regulation into it, which would stifle the game IMO.

Yes people use Geelong as an example to stay at the top (and they have) but how many premierships do they have to their name over the last 10 years - zilch. It doesn't guarantee success, much like only getting high end draft picks guarantees success, which it doesn't. Winning premierships is hard, but the league doesn't grow by stifling teams because they are "too successful". What it does it sets a template for the others to match. If they do, the it falls back on the innovators to get a different competitive edge.

 

[The Kop]

People seem to forget that we were plundered by other clubs at the end of 2016 - lost a number one draft pick, rising star winner and former vice captain so he could go and win premierships!

 

[mrposhman]

So they've only got another 30 or so years to put up with?

Something like that haha, but seriously premierships aren't won within 5 years. They take a long while. Our drafting to win our premierships started in 2006 with Jack and Sheds, then 2007, then 2009. Those 3 drafts provided the bulk of our top end draft picks and then we filled out gaps in around that. It took us 11 years from the start of building that dream team, to climb to the top, so why should others think they can do it with less? Its typical of society in general now that they think everything needs to be given to them.

At the end of the day, even if this current group keeps us going for another 5 years, we will slide towards the bottom again, its inevitable, but being able to stay at the top and then rebound when you do inevitably fall is what makes an average team into the comp, into one of the best run clubs around.

People should stop trying to complain about us (we haven't broken any rules in building this list) and actually try to match and emulate us, but that isn't through taking *smile* shortcuts like most want.

North are actually doing the right thing, but I'm not certain the draft is working for them. The majority of their top picks are all in the same area of the pitch. Our 2006-2009 drafts set us up, and provided one of the all time great full forwards in Jack, a generational type defender in Rance and 3 of the all time greats in Cotch, Dusty and Shedda through the midfield. Add to those that we shored our defence up for a decade with Grimes and Astbury and that core of 7 stars set us up for the next 10-15 years.