A.F.L. Thread II

[SirBloody Idiot]

Absolutely pathetic that Fletcher gets done for tripping but Franklin doesnt.

Eh, if you aren't going to ping Fletcher for that trip you might as well throw the rule out completely.

EDIT: If anyone caught all that before the edit, I swear it was the keyboard...

 

[benchmark00]

Israel Folau to sign with GWS within the next 24hours.

 

[Jono]

On The Couch ftw

 

[benchmark00]

Ind33d.

 

[pasag]

I hear after this they'll be going for Mark Webber, Bernard Tomic and Tim Cahill.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Lucky you have Cameron Mooney taking your set shots now.

I laughed so so hard.

 

[howardj]

Izzy going to make it?

 

[Matt79]

Will be very interesting. The consensus seems to be that he's got a bigger task ahead of him than Hunt, in terms of body shape, skill set and likely role. I think he could make it as AFL standard, but he'll never be a patch on what he is as a league player, nor justify - in pure onfield standards - the salary he'll be getting. Whether that salary is justified when you take into account the attendent publicity and marketing benefits is a different question.

That's not a crack at NRL vs AFL either btw, I doubt Nick Riewoldt could become a top line League player if he switched. We've been through this 'great athlete rather than great footballer' thing before.

 

[Ausage]

Will be very interesting. The consensus seems to be that he's got a bigger task ahead of him than Hunt, in terms of body shape, skill set and likely role. I think he could make it as AFL standard, but he'll never be a patch on what he is as a league player, nor justify - in pure onfield standards - the salary he'll be getting. Whether that salary is justified when you take into account the attendent publicity and marketing benefits is a different question.

That's not a crack at NRL vs AFL either btw, I doubt Nick Riewoldt could become a top line League player if he switched. We've been through this 'great athlete rather than great footballer' thing before.

Completely agree with all of this. Apparently his kicking ability is nearly nonexistant. Expect some genuine H Playfair/C Mooney moments imo.

Going to put it out there that on the whole it's a dumb move by the AFL.

 

[Matt79]

Depends - will likely generate more column inches and awareness in Sydney than the Swans have in their existence to date.

 

[Ausage]

Depends - will likely generate more column inches and awareness in Sydney than the Swans have in their existence to date.

But do you subscribe to the all publicity is good publicity theory?

Stuff like this gets portrayed here as (and I hate using this term) an act of war by the AFL. It fires up parochial NRL fans against the invader from the south so to speak. These NRL fans are the people the AFL is presumably trying to lure to the game. It will harden the people of the west against the team/code, and using a QLDer who's only played for teams that people down here hate with a passion is just the icing.

The AFL would be best off starting quietly, providing a good product to watch every week on FTA and building a fan base slowly. Why bother with short term gimmicks when this is pretty obviously a long term project?

 

[benchmark00]

I reckon Folau has far more potential than Hunt.

Folau has such a good body shape to be an excellent footballer. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure he, like KHunt, won't be a good AFL player, but Folau has the body shape to be a very good forward.

You can teach skills pretty easily, especially because playing AFL is a full time job. What, like I've said many times before, he'll struggle with is the game sense stuff. The worst player in the AFL has still been playing footy his whole entire life.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Tom Williams hasn't been playing his whole life, but... Oh.

 

[benchmark00]

But do you subscribe to the all publicity is good publicity theory?

Stuff like this gets portrayed here as (and I hate using this term) an act of war by the AFL. It fires up parochial NRL fans against the invader from the south so to speak. These NRL fans are the people the AFL is presumably trying to lure to the game. It will harden the people of the west against the team/code, and using a QLDer who's only played for teams that people down here hate with a passion is just the icing.

The AFL would be best off starting quietly, providing a good product to watch every week on FTA and building a fan base slowly. Why bother with short term gimmicks when this is pretty obviously a long term project?

It's a great excercise for mine.

As I've described before, the rationale is this: Get non footy followers in Western Sydney to go to the game just out of interest to see how Folau is going/going to go. Upon watching the match, the spectator will be very impressed at the spectacle and become a repeat fan.

NRL fans don't understand that AFL is a sport best watched live, unlike NRL which is pretty much made for TV. Once they come to a game, they'll see that so much more will happen off the ball and it's so much more interesting.

 

[benchmark00]

Tom Williams hasn't been playing his whole life, but... Oh.

Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls board.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I think one of the biggest factors is that the AFL believes that its coaching structures are good enough to get these players to an acceptable level; citing examples of guys like Tom Williams and the Irish recruits.

 

[Ausage]

It's a great excercise for mine.

As I've described before, the rationale is this: Get non footy followers in Western Sydney to go to the game just out of interest to see how Folau is going/going to go. Upon watching the match, the spectator will be very impressed at the spectacle and become a repeat fan.

NRL fans don't understand that AFL is a sport best watched live, unlike NRL which is pretty much made for TV. Once they come to a game, they'll see that so much more will happen off the ball and it's so much more interesting.

AWTA actually. I'm still firmly in the won't work camp, but AFL is definitely better watched live.

 

[howardj]

I think Hunt will make it - easier to play as a defender than full forward. Plus, Hunt was scouted as a real AFL talent when he was younger. Hunt also comes across as very ambitious/determined, and is a good kick.

I don't know even about the marketing value of someone like Folau. I don't think he has a big following, particularly in Sydney. And he sure is not a great speaker/spruiker. People may be curious for the first game, but that hardly means long term support just on the back of one guy.

 

[pasag]

Honestly, a good $6 mil marketing campaign in the region would get better returns plus you wouldn't get the resentment of the AFL who as Ausage notes will only be viewed as bullies and poachers by NRL fans.

 

[benchmark00]

Petrie suffers second broken foot - AFL Premiership - Fox Sports

YOU ABSOLUTE ****ING ****.