TOPIC:

Demons Forever wrote: I have a feeling this topic has gone very much "off topic".
Is the WAFL really dead?????
Maybe Swan42 has the answer?

Yeah, lets get back on track...

Well its not dead but its a mere shadow of the real deal.

Understand Bazza.
Like lots of things in life it has changed.
The Clubs will adapt and live for another millennium.

Australian rules football depends on the WAFL surviving as a feeder comp to the AFL. The WAFL will always survive in some incarnation for as long as the AFL exists. Is it as appealing as it once was as a competition and as a consumer product? Probably not. But it will survive because the AFL depends on it surviving for their own survival. I just wish the WAFC had leadership that wasn't s servile and compliant who could understand the power paradigm is inverted and its actually WA footy (and SA footy, and TAS footy etc) that keep the AFL alive.

Bazza wrote:

BC wrote:

swan42 wrote:

Beasley Hutton wrote:

swan42 wrote:

Bazza wrote:

Mr AFL wrote: Tiger how would you fixture the Easter and WA Day rounds next year.?

With Easter , I'd make sure we absolutely don't have a repeat of a couple of years ago with the ludicrous fixture of all games on Good Friday, in fact Id swerve on Good Friday in the main, leave it at Subi v EP if you must, but make sure you have a couple of games Saturday and perhaps Sunday and one Monday for sure. The traditional fixture was 2 games Saturday and 2 Easter Monday and it was one of the biggest WAFL attendance of the year.

Bazza I don't recall any Good Friday matches featuring Swans.

As you well know 42 we never get the Public Holiday games to boost one's average attendances up like certain other clubs do some even get all the PH dates...we are still always are up near the top of the attendances in spite of this!

BH for the record I don't think there should be any games nor racing on Good Friday. Similarly, I don't think there should be cricket played on Christmas Day.

why? not all of us are religious so I have no problem....in fact, I would like to be able to work on religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter and have them credited to my annual leave. Also, tell me why someone of a different faith should celebrate Christian holidays? In fact, I'm surprised the Greens haven't called for work places to shut down 5 times a day to allow our Muslim brethren to pray and days off for everyone to follow Ramadan.

In fact why bother having weekends off, Sunday was only ever a day off for religious reasons, and Saturday comes from the Judaism , in fact why have holidays at all, lets just work everyday and go back to pre industrial revolution days with kids down coal mines. ( if the greens let any still operate)

Bc reconcile what happens when a player does have a religious objection to playing at 3pm on Good Friday.

Dazzler wrote: Australian rules football depends on the WAFL surviving as a feeder comp to the AFL. The WAFL will always survive in some incarnation for as long as the AFL exists. Is it as appealing as it once was as a competition and as a consumer product? Probably not. But it will survive because the AFL depends on it surviving for their own survival. I just wish the WAFC had leadership that wasn't s servile and compliant who could understand the power paradigm is inverted and its actually WA footy (and SA footy, and TAS footy etc) that keep the AFL alive.

Dazzler the reality is that the AFL really couldn't care less if the WAFL folds as long as there is a "TAC style" competition. Demonstrably there is not a competition under the VFL that has been enhanced by the parasitic and rapacious AFL.

The sad thing is that if the AFL in concert with the WAFC wanted to have thriving competitions underneath the AFL it would not take that much money to support those competitions which would flow through to the AFL with more developed players.

Dazzler wrote: Australian rules football depends on the WAFL surviving as a feeder comp to the AFL. The WAFL will always survive in some incarnation for as long as the AFL exists. Is it as appealing as it once was as a competition and as a consumer product? Probably not. But it will survive because the AFL depends on it surviving for their own survival. I just wish the WAFC had leadership that wasn't s servile and compliant who could understand the power paradigm is inverted and its actually WA footy (and SA footy, and TAS footy etc) that keep the AFL alive.

Yep Dazzler, that's all it is now a feeder comp, but what happens when the AFL sets a up a full scale reserves comp, they already are taking control of the colts, ?? The WAFL will no longer have a reason to exist, so it better come up with a business plan now for long term relevance.

I agree the colts are a feeder comp which is why the AFL has taken control but don't see how the league and ressies are in the same position. How many draftees get taken out of the WAFL league and ressies each year? A few mature age guys but not many when you think about it. To me, the WAFL is for players who are very good but not quite up to AFL standard for whatever reason and others who have come out of the AFL system.

BC wrote: I agree the colts are a feeder comp which is why the AFL has taken control but don't see how the league and ressies are in the same position. How many draftees get taken out of the WAFL league and ressies each year? A few mature age guys but not many when you think about it. To me, the WAFL is for players who are very good but not quite up to AFL standard for whatever reason and others who have come out of the AFL system.

Well the WAFL league once was feed up from the colts as a next step, this is becoming less and less relevant and now that the colts are gone even more so, so effectively what is a training comp for the two AFL sides to run their reserves squads through as a warm up for the real thing , with the occasional bit of older talent being picked up as you say, apart from that it gives a few second and third raters a chance to have a kick for a few bucks - but even that's not that flash anymore - a lot go country now for better quids.

The WAFL reserves are a few years from being wound up, and if the AFL ever do get a reserves comp going the relevance of the WAFL league will be nil.

Not sure I get where you're coming from.
The WAFL has plenty of relevance.
It has relevance for WAFL supporters.
Maybe it needs to learn to survive on it's own just like the Amateur competition.

WAFL will survive as long as it has supporters and volunteers that love their Club.

WAFL has absolutely nothing to do with AFL other than currently get some funding via the WAFC.

The WAFL is alive get over it.