I have a suspicion that many of the tickets “sold” for TIO games are very cheap.
No it’s not, AFL by far. Probably 80/20 in favour compared to RL
Just as a point of reference, Cairns is about 40/60 & Townsville is 20/80 the other way
1 Like
I’m sold. Would love to see this become a reality
2 Likes
If you think gold coast is a rabble that can’t attract or keep good players, just you wait for the Darwin Crocs.
3 Likes
Darwin has changed since I have been there then.
Yep. Imagine what a Sam Walsh #1 draft pick would be thinking when an Essendon comes knocking 2 years into their career?
They’d need to be permitted to have a list of 50 and a 30% salary cap allowance, and funding from the govt out the ■■■ to even attempt it.
1 Like
Not saying your wrong about Townsville but I worked up there and because of the ADF I found AFL surprisingly popular. Went to a GC Suns practice game and was impressed with the atmosphere.
I will say, I have nothing against the NT, I am simply speaking from having grown up there/lived there for 20 years. Honestly it’s just the vibe of the place, I can’t see an AFL team working. NT stands for Not Today, Not Tomorrow…
2 Likes
Horses for courses.
There was a time when I’d have much preferred to live in Darwin than the Gold Coast.
I’m 50/50 on it.
The…holistic savings are certainly an interesting point.
I’m not impressed by potential crowds.
You’d get bigger crowds in Ballarat if you gave them a team. You’d probably get bigger crowds in Ballarat if the Bulldogs kept their name and made that their home ground.
The whole, oooh, they couldn’t travel doesn’t make a lot of sense given they’d have the best home advantage in the country.
Again, I’d prefer Osaka and J-Berg over Tasmania and Darwin (and Gold Coast).
But what reeeally gets me going is the potential revamped fixture.
So…20 teams, 19 rounds, then three pool groups of four playing for the final eight, and the bottom eight simultaneously playing for the 10th pick in the draft…
Ooooh baby.
I will say this.
A NT team will actually increase the talent pool, which is more than Tasmania or the Gold Coast can say.
I lived there 1999 - 2012
So I read about the first third and then skimmed. Which, to sum up, was “we can do it if the Commonwealth Government funds it”. Because there is a $15m a year funding hole. And that’s before considering the cost of new stadium(s) and training facilities.
No discussion of the impact of travelling 8 hours every two weeks. No discussion of the dilution of talent adding 19th and 20th teams into the comp. No discussion of the issues with the conditions during the dry season.
No discussion of what happens to local culture and pride if the team is a wrecking ball on-field.
3 Likes
If dilution of talent is a concern, and it is for me, then give the NT Gold Coast’s licence right friggin’ now.
1 Like
Except Gold Coast is doing exactly what the plan was - youth involvement is exploding in the area. The NT (and Tasmania) can’t do that.
1 Like
The Gold Coast Suns have played eleven seasons.
I don’t know how many AFL players southern Queensland has unearthed in that time, but I will bet my House that an NT team would uncover way, way, way more in eleven years.
1 Like
Except they’re already in the system, but being overlooked. Its about getting kids who currently play rugby to play AFL.
But with an NT team, they wouldn’t be overlooked, would they?
You have a lot of arguments for GC over the NT, talent dilution is Not one of them.
They wouldn’t be going to WA or SA or…the friggin’…whatever the league between Horsham and Ballarat is…
They’d be based at home, with real coaches and real trainers and pathways that didn’t include moving a thousand miles away from their family (which I gather is kind of a big deal for some people).
But sure.
We’re reaping the benefits of all those southern Queensland converts from league at the top level after merely a decade.
And if we’re serious about increasing top-line talent and bugger the cost then we should pull the pin on GC and set up a team in Fiji.
Blooody heeeell.
Call me racist but some areas are just more talented than others.
Is dilution of talent really an issue? In 1980 we had 12 teams in Melbourne, with 15 million in Australia and around 3 million in Vic. We now have 18 teams with about 25 million (around 7 million Vic). A more professional league and far more effort looking for talent. Yet for all the extra money, umpires and training, most people complain much more about the dilution in spectacle than in talent.