18 clubs. Does it affect us?

[hujsh]

Apparently all 16 club presidents have voted for the 17th and 18th clubs. How does it affect us? Obviously there will be allot less "the bulldogs are going to West Sydney" talk. Does it mean there is less money for us in terms of sponsorship? The draw should be more accurate. What do you reckon?

[GVGjr]

It's interesting that the 18 clubs have all supported this.

The concerns I have are:

Is the depth of AFL standard footballers really there to support another 80 players?
When I look at the lists of the majority of teams I don't think the depth is there. The modern game has become very quick and very technical and I think we are in a transition period where the depth is being tested.

After the license fees are divvied back to the clubs, which is an obvious attraction to the struggling Victorian teams, will this ensure their ling term survival?

I don't know what the answers are but they are the questions I have.

[The Coon Dog]

My biggest concern is which players do we have to give up? The AFL will ensure both new teams are successful (or at least competitive) & the ideal way is to have ready made players from day 1.

[hujsh]

My biggest concern is which players do we have to give up? The AFL will ensure both new teams are successful (or at least competitive) & the ideal way is to have ready made players from day 1.

Any club that gives away players needs draft pick compensation.

[FrediKanoute]

Any club that gives away players needs draft pick compensation.

But after the new sides get the first 10 picks in a draft........The club needs to ensure that its players are signed up and not coming out of contract when the time comes for the new sides to be created!

[hujsh]

But after the new sides get the first 10 picks in a draft........The club needs to ensure that its players are signed up and not coming out of contract when the time comes for the new sides to be created!

I thought the idea was to snatch players from other clubs, not wait till they came out of contract.

Just typing that sounds stupid.

[Raw Toast]

My biggest concern is which players do we have to give up? The AFL will ensure both new teams are successful (or at least competitive) & the ideal way is to have ready made players from day 1.

This is one of my fears, though if we could employ Kevin Sheedy to do a bit of wheeling and dealing for us over this I wouldn't mind - he had a habit of building up the Dons list when everyone else felt were being ripped off. Didn't he get Lloyd and perhaps even Lucas when Freo and Port entered the comp?

[hujsh]

This is one of my fears, though if we could employ Kevin Sheedy to do a bit of wheeling and dealing for us over this I wouldn't mind - he had a habit of building up the Dons list when everyone else felt were being ripped off. Didn't he get Lloyd and perhaps even Lucas when Freo and Port entered the comp?

Got the no.1 pick i think, which was Lloyd.

[BulldogBelle]

It's interesting that the 18 clubs have all supported this.

After the license fees are divvied back to the clubs, which is an obvious attraction to the struggling Victorian teams, will this ensure their ling term survival?

For sure the AFL has dangled other carrots infront of all the existing teams to sell the idea of introducing the two new teams.

For us the license fee amount that comes our way through the induction of these two teams will help us and the other struggling teams as for long term survival only time will tell.

[BulldogBelle]

My main concern is loseing players. Some teams are going to lose some good players out of all this. Hopefully they limit the number of players from the other clubs that can be taken.

Maybe 2 players from the top 8 and 1 from the bottom 8?

Will this affect the draft within the next few years. l assume they will be able to start drafting well b4 the teams start playing. Probably getting priority picks.

And of course money, hopefully a bigger pie with TV rights so we will not lose out here.

So does this now leave Canberra instead of Gold Coast for the next failed melbourne club?

[Desipura]

My biggest concern is which players do we have to give up? The AFL will ensure both new teams are successful (or at least competitive) & the ideal way is to have ready made players from day 1.

I know one thing it wont be a Craig Somerville type

[Dancin' Douggy]

I don't think we've got too much to worry about. I imagine we'd only lose Cooney, Griffen, Murphy, Lake, Gilbee, Everitt, Higgins Cross, Williams and Grant.

[Dancin' Douggy]

IMAGINE RICHMOND'S PAIN IF NEXT YEARS NUMBER ONE PICK GOES TO A YET TO BE ESTABLISHED CLUB!!!!!!!! MMMWWWOOAAHAHAHA (long drawn out evil gloating laugh)

[Sockeye Salmon]

We have a lot of Queenslanders and I think it's fair to assume we will be targetted as well - the (financially) weak always are.

Aker is too old
Hudson is originally from Vic so he'll be OK, will be too old in 2011 anyway.
O'Shea is from Rockhampton. That's still a long way from the Gold Coast but closer than Melbourne.
Harbrow is from Cairns, see O'Shea.

If I were running the GC franchise I would be targetting Williams and Hahn & maybe Reid and Mulligan (if they show anything between now and then).


Addison is from Sydney as well.

[bornadog]

In the long term, this means that any club that isnot financially viable in Melbourne, only has two paths to follow, merge or fold. I don't believe there will be the option to transfer interstate, unless they go to Tassie.