Melbourne. Out. Tassie. In

[Stalin]

Melbourne fricken suck to a ridulous extent

How can the dogs and saints already be so far ahead

[mightytiges]

The only thing that has saved the Dees from relocation over the years is the name "Melbourne". AFL honchos want the brand name Melbourne FC so other sports can't use it.

[Diocletian]

Second for the chop after North.

Gaz Coast won't last too long after Ablett leaves. AFL will stop throwing money at them & GWS when they see that they still can't draw crowds even after being gifted half a dozen premierships.

[mightytiges]

Second for the chop after North.

Gaz Coast won't last too long after Ablett leaves. AFL will stop throwing money at them & GWS when they see that they still can't draw crowds even after being gifted half a dozen premierships.

Expansion sides in the short-mid term are about TV money for the AFL. While the new sides rate well on Fox (Suns vs Dogs tv ratings were the highest yesterday), then the AFL won't care if they need to pump in $100m over 5 years if it boosts the upcoming TV deal up by $500m.

[Diocletian]

They won't keep throwing money at them if they barely average 10,000 crowds and their manufactured success starts alienating all the supporters in Aussie Rules states and turning them off the game even more... No-one gives a stuff about AFL in Western Sydney and never will and the Gold Coast is the black hole of Australian sport, every team in every sport has failed up there. A-League, NBL even the NRL's had four cracks and it's a Rugby League state....they don't rate on TV in those markets either...the Swans never have and Brisbane only did when they were good...though they still got killed in the ratings by the NRL.....,AFL and the TV networks will wake up eventually.

[dwaino]

It took the Broncos to bottom out and the Lions to win 3 flags for the crowds at the Gabba to surpass those at Suncorp. Though even then the Lions didn't win any new fans, everyone still went for the Broncos. Hard task to top them though as they are one of the biggest League clubs going around. Having said that, I wonder how differently the Bears and the AFL might have faired had they stayed on the Gold Coast. The Goldy has always had a stronger Aussie Rules following, possibly due to so many expat Vics and it being so different from Brisbane yet only an hour down the freeway. Southport are and have just about always been the strongest footy club in QLD (and should have been the expansion side IMO. Port could so why not the Sharks?) and when playing rep footy there myself the GC teams were usually stronger than rest with the exception of maybe Metropolitan East. Then it's no surprise that so many of the QLD blokes that get drafted are actually from the GC. The Bears could have worked had they stayed at Cararra and made the GC their own rather than moving up the road to compete with one of the biggest clubs sporting clubs in the country

[Stalin]

They won't keep throwing money at them if they barely average 10,000 crowds and their manufactured success starts alienating all the supporters in Aussie Rules states and turning them off the game even more... No-one gives a stuff about AFL in Western Sydney and never will and the Gold Coast is the black hole of Australian sport, every team in every sport has failed up there. A-League, NBL even the NRL's had four cracks and it's a Rugby League state....they don't rate on TV in those markets either...the Swans never have and Brisbane only did when they were good...though they still got killed in the ratings by the NRL.....,AFL and the TV networks will wake up eventually.

They will. What are the next tv rights 3 billion?

[Diocletian]

They won't be three billion ....and if GWS & GCS start having a negative effect on ratings and attendences in southern states without significantly improving them in the northern states, then the rights after that will barely crack one billion.