New kennel sparks jealousy in pack

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-12270,00.html


New kennel sparks jealousy in pack
Print Patrick Smith
June 05, 2008


JEALOUSY and the Western Bulldogs. Words that have been glued to each other for more than 50 years. Nothing has changed in the sense that the words still sit together. But from yesterday they have a very different meaning.

The Bulldogs have claimed just one premiership since it joined the AFL in 1925 and that was captured more than half a century ago in 1954. The Whitten Oval, its offices and its surrounds have been dilapidated symbols of the club's grim struggle to be successful on the field and off it. It has fought mergers, eviction, extinction, relocation and even decimation.

Yesterday the club officially opened its new training and learning facility. Simply put, it is fantastic, part of a $26m rejuvenation of the Bulldog amenity that is a partnership with Victoria University. As fine as it is for the football team, it is also embraces the broader community. It is so good opposition clubs and other codes are jealous. Yep, jealous of the Bullies.

It is a credit to chairman David Smorgon and his administration headed by chief executive Campbell Rose, whose construction of the new Bulldogs is proving the blueprint for the resuscitation of other clubs in the AFL and different sports as well.

This new Bulldog confidence is physically captured in the new gym, the football administration offices, meeting rooms, medical and sport science environment and equipment. Spiritually you feel it in the air. Just in the manner staff carry themselves - proud and self-assured. Is Dog, is good.

The rejuvenation of the club under Rodney Eade - the Bulldogs sit third on the ladder with just one loss and one draw in 10 games and on Saturday defeated the previously unbeaten Hawthorn - sits comfortably with some AFL clubs but not others.

Just as the Bulldogs have re-established themselves there is a feeling among some opposition chairmen that the club should no longer receive extra funding from the AFL through the annual special dividend fund. This year the Bulldogs got $1.7m from the fund and will get the same in 2009.

Two clubs who are questioning the revitalised Bulldogs' right to assistance are Adelaide and Hawthorn. They have support from Richmond, Geelong and others. The expansion into the northern markets and the benefits the traditional clubs must concede to the new franchises has seen all clubs adopt a mode of self-preservation. Smorgon, for one, senses a dog-eat-Dog mentality.

The Hawks president Jeff Kennett raised the issue of ASD at the last presidents' meeting. The dividend, paid to clubs which have inferior stadium deals and historically poor membership bases, finishes at the end of next year.

Because of what AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has described as "growing concern among clubs", a review of whether to continue the ASD scheme past 2009 has been brought forward six months.

Presently, the AFL administration is preparing a submission on the future of ASDs for the commission. There is no guarantee they will continue beyond 2009, or if they do that they remain in their present form. Demetriou's declaration on Monday that North Melbourne was off the sick list was not a long-term diagnosis. Demetriou was very much talking short-term. Like 2008 and not beyond.

North is already down $1.2m for giving up the chance to play three matches next year on the Gold Coast and if the ASDs are scrapped after 2009 then that is another $1.4m to be found. Combined, that is $2.6m. And it is net money.

If North was to raise the same amount through sponsors it would need benefactors to tip in three times as much - that's $7.8m.

All clubs work on using a third of their sponsorship contracts to service the deals. As good as Eugene Arocca has been as North chief executive, even he concedes life without the Gold Coast money and the $1.4m ASD would be the death of the club - at least in Melbourne.

Critical to North, the Bulldogs and Melbourne is the deal they have struck with the stadiums they call their home grounds: North and the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome and Melbourne at the MCG.

North Melbourne and the Bulldogs don't make any meaningful money until they draw more than 35,000 at their home games. It effectively cuts off gate receipts as a significant income stream. Three years ago Smorgon went to Ian Collins, who runs Telstra Dome, after putting a submission to the venue owners to rewrite their agreement. Smorgon says that when he and his chief executive Rose went to follow up with Collins they were told no deal could be struck and that, in fact, Collins had not even opened the envelope containing their submission. Worse, it would stay unopened in his drawer.

The AFL has taken over negotiations with Telstra Dome on behalf of the clubs. It is slow work. Demetriou said yesterday that the AFL was yet to meet officials from Telstra Dome or the MCG.

So even for the Bulldogs, who have so doggedly and successfully rebuilt their club, the formula remains a potentially deadly one. Unless the AFL renegotiates a better stadium deal or continues to support the club financially, then the Bulldogs cannot survive.

Nor can North. Nor can Melbourne. Jealousy can truly be a curse, one way and the other.

It's simple.

If the AFL withdraw the ASD, we take them to court and charge them with

1. Unconscionable conduct over their fixturing policy and
2. The denial of natural justice in their mis-treatment of the Bulldogs over our stadium deal.

And then Adelaide and Hawthorn can get stuffed OR

They can send us broke and replace us with Western Sydney so that our 27000 paid up members and 300,000 uncommited supporters can be replaced with 5000 paid up members and 5000 uncommited supporters in Penrith.

Work that one out.

Why do people not get it, it's not that complicated?

Give us a fair go or compensate us for taking a rogering so the AFL can line their pockets.

This is a greedy capitalist regime in its purest form. GIVE US A FAIR GO BY GIVING US HOME GAMES AGAINST THE BIG CLUBS. We accept AFL hand outs like it's a mercy payment, geez if they gave us an equal amount of home games against the clubs with bigger membership support it would sure ease some of the financial strain placed on clubs such as ours. If I had a dollar for every time my Bulldog family said they wanted to shoot Collins I'd have $436.00 :mad:

And Hawthorn and Adelaide can **** off

The difference between Nth, Melb and us is the other 2 teams have caused theyre own demise by stupid decisions in the board room over many years, Melbournes is componded even worse by it coming onto theyre onfield performance, Nth who i respect very much as a good fighting team has not.
Our struggles were board room many years ago and membership, but we have overcome the boardroom problems and fought our way back, we show initiative and promise and as much as we say Demetriou doesnt like us he must now see us as being a club with promise and we have done all he could have asked for.
These teams whingeing are only doing it because they need more money through there own mistakes and want a piece of ours.
The AFL didnt give us the money for the ELC it was backed by government,councils,sponsors and so on through our initiative.
My personal view is Smorgan, Rose, Alberti and the rest upstairs must be one of the most brilliant board going around.
Yes there are other clubs richer but those boards inherited it, our board has built us.

IIRC our stadium deal ends in '09.

Hopefully by that stage we have a membership figure of 30,000 and significant on-field progress to use as bargaining chips when Rose and Smorgon pound down Ian Collins' door for a better stadium deal. With support, it would seem, from Demetriou.

It is in the AFL's best interest for TD management to give us a good deal. Then they would be able to signifcantly reduce, or (wouldn't it be nice) remove the ASD altogether, thus making it appear that they are taking the 'handout' off us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by westdog54

IIRC our stadium deal ends in '09.

Hopefully by that stage we have a membership figure of 30,000 and significant on-field progress to use as bargaining chips when Rose and Smorgon pound down Ian Collins' door for a better stadium deal. With support, it would seem, from Demetriou.

It is in the AFL's best interest for TD management to give us a good deal. Then they would be able to signifcantly reduce, or (wouldn't it be nice) remove the ASD altogether, thus making it appear that they are taking the 'handout' off us.

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What would you do if you were Ian Collins though?

Why would he give us a better dividend? What else are we going to do?

The AFL can exert a little influence by telling him they will schedule any decent game at the G but we can't do much more than sell a couple of home games interstate.

We will be playing our home games at the Dome, we know it, the AFL know it and unfortunately Ian Collins knows it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sockeye Salmon

What would you do if you were Ian Collins though?

Why would he give us a better dividend? What else are we going to do?

The AFL can exert a little influence by telling him they will schedule any decent game at the G but we can't do much more than sell a couple of home games interstate.

We will be playing our home games at the Dome, we know it, the AFL know it and unfortunately Ian Collins knows it.

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I think I have the answer to this.

Employ the services of Mick Gatto Negotiators Inc.

I think he could get Collins to come around to our thinking.

All in favour?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EJ Smith

I think I have the answer to this.

Employ the services of Mick Gatto Negotiators Inc.

I think he could get Collins to come around to our thinking.

All in favour?

---

http://www.hscripts.com/freeimages/i...e-clipart4.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ledge

The difference between Nth, Melb and us is the other 2 teams have caused theyre own demise by stupid decisions in the board room over many years, Melbournes is componded even worse by it coming onto theyre onfield performance, Nth who i respect very much as a good fighting team has not.
Our struggles were board room many years ago and membership, but we have overcome the boardroom problems and fought our way back, we show initiative and promise and as much as we say Demetriou doesnt like us he must now see us as being a club with promise and we have done all he could have asked for.
These teams whingeing are only doing it because they need more money through there own mistakes and want a piece of ours.
The AFL didnt give us the money for the ELC it was backed by government,councils,sponsors and so on through our initiative.
My personal view is Smorgan, Rose, Alberti and the rest upstairs must be one of the most brilliant board going around.
Yes there are other clubs richer but those boards inherited it, our board has built us.

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Could you put a line gap in between your paragraph's for ease of reading purpose's...Not that I read your post's anyway.;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mantis

Could you put a line gap in between your paragraph's for ease of reading purpose's...Not that I read your post's anyway.;)

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Ok Mantis just for you, maybe you might start reading them.

Aparently I actually made sense in a post once, keep reading and let me know when another does, I must be due soon its been a while.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EJ Smith

I think I have the answer to this.

Employ the services of Mick Gatto Negotiators Inc.

I think he could get Collins to come around to our thinking.

All in favour?

---

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...4/vote_yes.gif

Why would Ian Collins start caring about us now. When he resigned from the Presidency at Carlton, I first heard about it on the radio and did not hear the full story from the start. The way the Triple M boys were talking I thought he was dead. Those 4 minutes were some of the happiest in my life until I found out he had just resigned. Life is cruel sometimes.