Age report made us lose the home game at the 'G against St Kilda - says Caro

[one-eyed]

Tigers do battle on fixture and come out on top
Caroline Wilson | October 27, 2009

BRENDON Gale has achieved his first significant victory in his new role at Richmond after taking his grievances to the AFL regarding the Tigers' 2010 home-and-away fixture.

In the final version of the draw, to be released on Friday, Richmond has been handed an additional two home games at the MCG and won the right to host the season-opener against Carlton on Thursday, March 25. Gale was also successful in switching the Tigers' only Friday night game - against St Kilda - from Etihad Stadium to the MCG.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/tigers-do-battle-on-fixture-and-come-out-on-top/2009/10/26/1256405348232.html

Richmond fought to lift its MCG quota to nine home games of a possible 11 and was handed the June 4 Friday night St Kilda clash only to have it rescheduled at Etihad at the last minute. The AFL was unimpressed when the Tigers' small win was reported in The Age.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/caroline-wilson/fixture-list-a-winner-for-demons/2009/10/30/1256835153129.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

 ??? 

[Smokey]

Richmond fought to lift its MCG quota to nine home games of a possible 11 and was handed the June 4 Friday night St Kilda clash only to have it rescheduled at Etihad at the last minute. The AFL was unimpressed when the Tigers' small win was reported in The Age.

 ??? 

If that is true (which I am really struggling to believe) then it would have to be the most petty, immature, unprofessional, self-indulgent and petulant decision ever made by the AFL or it's salaried representative.  If that comment in that article was sufficient to make the AFL reverse a decision that has a significant and tangible financial impact on one of it's clubs then God help the game of football while it is in the custodial hands of the present incumbents.

[Infamy]

Just highlights how we shouldn't be leaking any unofficial information to the press IMO
Clearly someone at Richmond was making it public that we'd had a minor win over the AFL before it was made official
Pretty stupid if you ask me

(Yes it's still petty, but this is the AFL we are talking about)

[TigerTimeII]

stuff the afl, our code is doomed, give it 10 more yrs and afl will be stuffed

[Tigermonk]

eff the afl, our code is doomed, give it 10 more yrs and afl will be stuffed

Very true our code of football is doomed as well as other sports like tennis
so many changes to the game which the next generation will turn thier back on
Juniors are struggling to field sides & many clubs have folded in the last 5 years show the decline of football
Many clubs switching leagues or being forced into leagues they dont want to be in
As the older generation dies off so will football because the next generation will be upgrading thier playstations & computers & it will be too late

[Smokey]

Just highlights how we shouldn't be leaking any unofficial information to the press IMO
Clearly someone at Richmond was making it public that we'd had a minor win over the AFL before it was made official
Pretty stupid if you ask me

(Yes it's still petty, but this is the AFL we are talking about)

No, I disagree Infamy.  This is $$'s lost to one of the league's member club's bottom line just to satisfy human ego, nothing else.  Disgraceful if it is true - there are no excuses for that type of behavior from either a salaried representative or collective AFL group.  If that egocentric attitude is driving decisions under the stewardship of the current management then the game is stuffed - regardless of whether you agree with the decision.  It is the driver of the decision that is important in this.

[Infamy]

smokey - I'm not saying its right, I'm saying we should be smart enough to know better by now

[tigertough12]

we should just boycott that game and make a statement.....
we have no chance of winning it yet the afl would lose alot more in revenue if we didnt turn up 

[Smokey]

smokey - I'm not saying its right, I'm saying we should be smart enough to know better by now

I hear that Infamy but I'm saying it was such an inconsequential statement of no impact or prejudice to anything that it shouldn't have even been considered by Gale as opening his mouth.  That reversal will strip some $$'s from our bottom line so it effectively becomes a fine and every league person (players and officials) are under constant threat and reminder of saying the right thing - I can't lay any blame at Gale's feet as I don't see the comments as anything more than informational and of no consequence.  This is petty ego ruling a business impact decision - unprofessional at the highest level.  I must repeat again though - this is my opinion IF the above is true which I find it every hard to believe.

[WilliamPowell]

Just highlights how we shouldn't be leaking any unofficial information to the press IMO
Clearly someone at Richmond was making it public that we'd had a minor win over the AFL before it was made official
Pretty stupid if you ask me

(Yes it's still petty, but this is the AFL we are talking about)

Agree 100%

As one very wise person once told me (this is 4-5 years ago -so there wasn't any GC17 & GWS) "there are 17 teams in the AFL and the 17th is the most powerful, you don't mess with them and you don't upset them"

This is petty ego ruling a business impact decision - unprofessional at the highest level.  I must repeat again though - this is my opinion IF the above is true which I find it every hard to believe.

Firstly smokey, I have no doubt that what Caro has written is true about the AFL changing its mind...

Why?

Because of what you've actually said "This is petty ego ruling a business impact decision". This is the AFL in a nutshell sadly...

[mightytiges]

Just to play devil's advocate here but unless Caro revealed it was Benny, Gary or someone from the RFC who told her the info how do we know she didn't first hear of the initial switch of the St Kilda game to the 'G from a source outside the RFC or AFL House itself?

Anyway if this is true then it's nothing but a show of hypocrisy from the AFL. They deliberately release snippets of information about the fixture prior to its release to satisfy the media's interest  . IIRC we also had the Crows' whole draw leaked about a week or two before but did they have a home game moved away from Footy Park  . The excuse that our little "win" was published in the Age is petty and utterly staggering beyond belief  . It makes you feel like holding up placards on the night to a primetime national audience of "the MCG is our home" and "up yours AD"  .

[one-eyed]

I didn't catch all of what Caro said just now on 3aw but she said she didn't get the info for the story from Benny Gale. I think she was implying the AFL are blaming March which Caro said is unfair. Seems Demetriou just didn't like the churlish nature of her story. Caro said there's been some bizarre fixture changes. Anyway it's going to cost the Club $200,000 according to Russell and Healy but according to Caro Demetriou reckons Richmond will make more money having the game at Etihad as if the game was at the MCG we wouldn't have got the extra stadia deal money for that game.

[mightytiges]

So playing at a smaller stadium with known poor returns where many of our supporters don't like going to is going to make us more money  ???. Demetriou has also conveniently ignored the fact that Docklands is St Kilda's home ground and not ours  .

[WilliamPowell]

I didn't catch all of what Caro said just now on 3aw but she said she didn't get the info for the story from Benny Gale. I think she was implying the AFL are blaming March which Caro said is unfair. Seems Demetriou just didn't like the churlish nature of her story. Caro said there's been some bizarre fixture changes. Anyway it's going to cost the Club $200,000 according to Russell and Healy but according to Caro Demetriou reckons Richmond will make more money having the game at Etihad as if the game was at the MCG we wouldn't have got the extra stadia deal money for that game.

Healy said that "whispers" had said that Caro got her story about the RFC fixture changes from March and Gale has told the President to butt out. Bruce Eva said (Russell isn't on at the moment) it was going to cost the club $200K

Caro said that he story about the fixture changes was about praising Gale not March. She didn't say who she got her story from but said to blame March was unfair

Caro went onto sat that the AFL are arguing that with new deal at Etihad the RFC wont ab eout of pocket $200k.

Eva (who's a Saints supporter) said that St Kilda aren't happy with the game being at Etihad as they wanted more games at the MCG (because they are a finals team now  ) and that they had been told it was going to be at the MCG and then got chopped back to Docklands