TOPIC:

we attended the grand final like we have done religiously for god knows how long. Doesn't matter who is in it, we go. The build up was totally non-existent. The banners went up, that's it. There was a fellow absolutely screaming shit into a microphone blasting the wax out of everyones ear drums, christ it was loud. The venue is not adequate for what is being presented. The game itself was actually of a very high standard until just before half time, when Subi took it apart. Up until then the goalkicking was 1000 times better than what Id seen the night before, it really was. But they must move the GF from this venue asap.

Considering the GF's are televised live into our lounge rooms, you wont get 30k crowds anymore. Even if it was a SF v EF grand final, you'd be better off playing it at Fremantle Oval. The game would allow a packed venue, incredible atmosphere, and the people who actually love the WAFL and attend it regularly would still get in to watch it. The blow ins would not bother getting a ticket and therefore would stay home & watch it anyway. The game is about ratings as much as it is about the gate. I can only imagine what clubs lose at the gate by playing at Subiaco Oval anyway, the management fee's would suck up most of the $$$ no doubt about it.

Imagine a SD v S grand final at Bassendean? It would resemble the old days for sure and give the pinnacle game an atmosphere something that would be talked about everywhere. And that is what the WAFL needs. What are people talking about today ?? They are talking about how pathetic the crowds was, on TV it looked like nobody was there, and there you have it - a shit canning image once again for the WAFL.

By the way the SANFL grand final had 25,000 plus on the weekend. West Adelaide (Black with a Red Sash) won the flag, their first since 1983. Aligned clubs Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows didn't make it. The VFL crowd was as shitty as the WAFL crowd, but that is expected. The SANFL are the only state organisation who genuinely still cares about its competition and history. WA & VIC don't.

My guess is we will be whinging about the same incompetence next year, and the same sea of empty blue seats will make us a bigger laughing stock than we are this year. That is progression, backwards progression, but still progression. What a pack of dick brains running this whole show. No one gives a stuff. Its the same repetitive bullshit each year about this time, and still nothing changes. Maybe next year hey?

jardine wrote: we attended the grand final like we have done religiously for god knows how long. Doesn't matter who is in it, we go. The build up was totally non-existent. The banners went up, that's it. There was a fellow absolutely screaming shit into a microphone blasting the wax out of everyones ear drums, christ it was loud. The venue is not adequate for what is being presented. The game itself was actually of a very high standard until just before half time, when Subi took it apart. Up until then the goalkicking was 1000 times better than what Id seen the night before, it really was. But they must move the GF from this venue asap.

Considering the GF's are televised live into our lounge rooms, you wont get 30k crowds anymore. Even if it was a SF v EF grand final, you'd be better off playing it at Fremantle Oval. The game would allow a packed venue, incredible atmosphere, and the people who actually love the WAFL and attend it regularly would still get in to watch it. The blow ins would not bother getting a ticket and therefore would stay home & watch it anyway. The game is about ratings as much as it is about the gate. I can only imagine what clubs lose at the gate by playing at Subiaco Oval anyway, the management fee's would suck up most of the $$$ no doubt about it.

Imagine a SD v S grand final at Bassendean? It would resemble the old days for sure and give the pinnacle game an atmosphere something that would be talked about everywhere. And that is what the WAFL needs. What are people talking about today ?? They are talking about how pathetic the crowds was, on TV it looked like nobody was there, and there you have it - a shit canning image once again for the WAFL.

By the way the SANFL grand final had 25,000 plus on the weekend. West Adelaide (Black with a Red Sash) won the flag, their first since 1983. Aligned clubs Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows didn't make it. The VFL crowd was as shitty as the WAFL crowd, but that is expected. The SANFL are the only state organisation who genuinely still cares about its competition and history. WA & VIC don't.

My guess is we will be whinging about the same incompetence next year, and the same sea of empty blue seats will make us a bigger laughing stock than we are this year. That is progression, backwards progression, but still progression. What a pack of dick brains running this whole show. No one gives a stuff. Its the same repetitive bullshit each year about this time, and still nothing changes. Maybe next year hey?

Well said Jards !

Ok just out of interest does anyone on here really think that if we had a Commission that did care about the WAFL, promoted the hell out of it, talked it up. Made grand Finals a huge celebration of WA football then more people would attend? And if so how many more?

I was thinking yesterday about our football history here in WA and asked myself where and when will our great history ever be paraded to the public again?
The WAFC have clearly shown they have no interest in telling anyone about our great history, we see no parade of former stars at the WAFL Grand Final, not even kids on the ground in club colours singing and dancing.
The two AFL clubs certainly are never going to do anything to acknowledge our great footy history so therefor the greats of yesterday are pretty much just doomed to be forgotten.
Should John Todd, Mal brown, Percy Johnson, peter Featherby, Mal Whinnen, Bill Dempsey, Jim Sewell etc etc etc just be forgotton about completely?
Surely WAFL grand Final day is the one day we pay tribute to our football heritage.
With it all being ignored for so long now I feel there is nothing that can be done to bring it back. It saddens me greatly.

Greatwhiteshark wrote: Surely WAFL grand Final day is the one day we pay tribute to our football heritage.
With it all being ignored for so long now I feel there is nothing that can be done to bring it back. It saddens me greatly.

GWS that last bit sums up my feelings exactly. Its gone now in my opinion. They have killed it.

Regarding the SANFL GF, their GF crowd was down 10000 or so from the huge crowd last year. Even though smashing our crowds it must be some concern for them

DG wrote:

Not comparing apples with apples DG. I would alsoe respectfully suggest that you are being extremely disingenuous by using the number of games you have to determine the average: there were 23 rounds and 4 weekends of finals. Which means the REAL average is 26.

No-one can think that the coverage by 7 and all its collateral damage was better than the ABC coverage.

The problem as well is even some of the older people who used to watch WAFL are no longer interested, not just the AFL fed young ones coming up.

An example for me that sums up the interest in the WAFL was overheard by myself last Saturday morning as I walked into a shopping centre. As I walked through the entrance, there were two older gents talking, and the exact words I heard coming from one as I walked past were "I no longer follow the WAFL, the standard is just not there"

I thought to myself, as I carried on was that this outlook pretty much sums it up. Either the older supporters pine for the past and the standard back then, or the younger ones think of it as some amateur competition.

swan42 wrote:

DG wrote:

Not comparing apples with apples DG. I would alsoe respectfully suggest that you are being extremely disingenuous by using the number of games you have to determine the average: there were 23 rounds and 4 weekends of finals. Which means the REAL average is 26.

No-one can think that the coverage by 7 and all its collateral damage was better than the ABC coverage.

I didn't put this together swan just copy & paste. I put this up for anyone who is interested & for the record I'm all for the ABC.

DG wrote:

Those figures are pretty darn good tbh, to get 66,000 people watching a wafl prelim and then 80k the GF is a hell of a lot more than I expected.