VFL>SANFL....... Yeah right!
Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:56 pmLook at the bolded comments below from that tosser that runs the vfl, Gannon.
VFL the place to go
22 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Ron Reed
FINALS fever is not the familiar, frenetic commodity it once was at the stadium formerly known as Princes Park -- but it's back, nonetheless.
On Wednesday, the Storm rugby league team trained at the venue.
Next up, one after the other, were the combatants in Sunday's VFL grand final, Geelong and Sandringham, banging through goals at the social club end as if they were "Jezza" and the "Dominator" in the good old days.
Back then, there would have been thousands watching the Blues pursue another flag.
This week, you could count the onlookers on your fingers.
Sandringham coach Mark Williams, an old Blue himself, sat alone as he spied on the Cats, the atmosphere relaxed enough for him to exchange pleasantries over the fence with old acquaintance Ron Watt, one of the opposition's coaching staff.
As has been documented with much hand-wringing, this is as close as any Victorian teams will get to grand final glory.
If you're a footy fanatic who needs a fix, this is where you'll find it.
Football Victoria chief executive Ken Gannon hopes this will translate to a crowd of about 12,000 on Sunday, up from 9000 last year.
Gannon is an old hand who was once in charge at the Cattery, so he won't be bereft of emotional involvement.
But it will run a distant second to his life's work these days, which is to nurture the Victorian game at all levels below the AFL -- no minor task, especially in the current climate.
He admits to some frustration about the perception of the VFL, believing many otherwise expert footy-heads don't know what they're missing.
"This is, without any question whatsoever, the best competition outside the AFL -- better than the SANFL, better than the WAFL," Gannon said.
But nor would he dispute that an image problem exists -- even, he says, a form of cultural cringe that has seen star players such as Melbourne's Aaron Davey and Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell forced to wait to be drafted.
It has to do with the competition being a bit of a bastard child -- the "parents" were the old rough and tumble VFA and the AFL reserves -- still struggling to create its own identity after only seven years of existence.
It's "a bit of both," says Gannon.
Most of the 13 clubs act as AFL feeders but the terms of the relationships vary widely.
Geelong pays a fee of $85,000 to allow it to fulfil much of the traditional reserves role, and it can play as many AFL-listed players as it wants.
Sandringham, though, is limited to 12 Demons, with 10 spots reserved for VFL core players.
Williams is faced with a delicate dilemma that pretty much sums up the unique nature of the competition.
He had the option of squeezing four players -- Nathan Brown, Daniel Bell, Nathan Jones and Nick Smith -- from Melbourne's losing semi-final into a side that thrashed Northern Bullants in the preliminary final.
You wonder what effect such a scenario would have on the team ethic, but Williams insists it is not an issue.
"They love it. They pull on a Sandringham jumper and they play as hard for it as they do for Melbourne," he said.
"We place as much importance on attitude as on how they play."
Nor is there a problem with confused agendas.
"We win firstly and develop players secondly," he said. "It's the only way to survive. So we're playing for sheep stations this week."
Crowds average about 2000 and are mostly from the old VFA communities, but Gannon will be disappointed if he doesn't see some new faces.
"People are saying we've got to make sure footy in Victoria is strong. Well, if we all love footy, come and support it -- simple," he said.
VFL the place to go
22 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Ron Reed
FINALS fever is not the familiar, frenetic commodity it once was at the stadium formerly known as Princes Park -- but it's back, nonetheless.
On Wednesday, the Storm rugby league team trained at the venue.
Next up, one after the other, were the combatants in Sunday's VFL grand final, Geelong and Sandringham, banging through goals at the social club end as if they were "Jezza" and the "Dominator" in the good old days.
Back then, there would have been thousands watching the Blues pursue another flag.
This week, you could count the onlookers on your fingers.
Sandringham coach Mark Williams, an old Blue himself, sat alone as he spied on the Cats, the atmosphere relaxed enough for him to exchange pleasantries over the fence with old acquaintance Ron Watt, one of the opposition's coaching staff.
As has been documented with much hand-wringing, this is as close as any Victorian teams will get to grand final glory.
If you're a footy fanatic who needs a fix, this is where you'll find it.
Football Victoria chief executive Ken Gannon hopes this will translate to a crowd of about 12,000 on Sunday, up from 9000 last year.
Gannon is an old hand who was once in charge at the Cattery, so he won't be bereft of emotional involvement.
But it will run a distant second to his life's work these days, which is to nurture the Victorian game at all levels below the AFL -- no minor task, especially in the current climate.
He admits to some frustration about the perception of the VFL, believing many otherwise expert footy-heads don't know what they're missing.
"This is, without any question whatsoever, the best competition outside the AFL -- better than the SANFL, better than the WAFL," Gannon said.
But nor would he dispute that an image problem exists -- even, he says, a form of cultural cringe that has seen star players such as Melbourne's Aaron Davey and Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell forced to wait to be drafted.
It has to do with the competition being a bit of a bastard child -- the "parents" were the old rough and tumble VFA and the AFL reserves -- still struggling to create its own identity after only seven years of existence.
It's "a bit of both," says Gannon.
Most of the 13 clubs act as AFL feeders but the terms of the relationships vary widely.
Geelong pays a fee of $85,000 to allow it to fulfil much of the traditional reserves role, and it can play as many AFL-listed players as it wants.
Sandringham, though, is limited to 12 Demons, with 10 spots reserved for VFL core players.
Williams is faced with a delicate dilemma that pretty much sums up the unique nature of the competition.
He had the option of squeezing four players -- Nathan Brown, Daniel Bell, Nathan Jones and Nick Smith -- from Melbourne's losing semi-final into a side that thrashed Northern Bullants in the preliminary final.
You wonder what effect such a scenario would have on the team ethic, but Williams insists it is not an issue.
"They love it. They pull on a Sandringham jumper and they play as hard for it as they do for Melbourne," he said.
"We place as much importance on attitude as on how they play."
Nor is there a problem with confused agendas.
"We win firstly and develop players secondly," he said. "It's the only way to survive. So we're playing for sheep stations this week."
Crowds average about 2000 and are mostly from the old VFA communities, but Gannon will be disappointed if he doesn't see some new faces.
"People are saying we've got to make sure footy in Victoria is strong. Well, if we all love footy, come and support it -- simple," he said.
