TOPIC:

This really is an issue which should be debated so I have given it a thread of its own.
The state is full of 'when we people' 'when we supported WP' and so on, profoundly disloyal people. Personally, I think supporting both the WAFL and AFL is fine.

When one of my relatives was younger, I refused to talk to him about the AFL unless he followed the local competition a wee bit; it was a simple matter of Western Australian patriotism, I stressed. It worked a treat -- he is very peeved at the recruitment restriction which has been placed on the Lions.

they can support & buy memberships to what they like
but everyone knows that league is no different to a vampire bat slowly leeching every cent out of the game while doing squat to stamp out racism , illicit drugs & gambling
and of course that would be silently supporting everything that is wrong with the comp and it's modus operandi

AR as those with half an idea know the WAFL was infiltrated by Vics back in the mid 1980s (Walker, Kerr, Cummiskey & co) who's sole purpose looking back was to get WA money into the VFL to save their bankrupt clubs in the VFL.
The WA footy fraternity fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Now I am not saying there shouldnt have been a PROPER National Football League eventually started at some point but it should have been done right and certainly not the abomination that did occur which was just a VFL with a few clubs from Interstate tacked on.
You could not have a proper serious National Competition with the perennial poor clubs on and off field the likes of St Kilda, Footscray, Melbourne, North Melbourne clubs etc involved as SA & WA clubs had far more right to be involved than those listed above.

When the ball started rolling, there were a few people warning not to go yet and that a lot better deal could be had. Impatience cost the WAFL big time. Most of the people I knew couldn’t give a rat’s because they were all totally consumed by the WAFL and the Eagles were just another VFL team. How many people could foresee the situation we are in today? A lot less than those say “I told you so”. 30 years later, we’re all experts.

ArkRoyal wrote: BH -- exactly -- people need to remember that the governemnt had to set up the foootball commission to stabalise the code in this state.

the pro Victorian culture has always been there in our culture, sadly. At Subiaco, what do the following have in common besides having coached the club between the 1920s and 1980:

Keith Slater
Charlie Tyson
Peter Burton
Jack Ensor ?

In terms of 1986, itself, we also need to look at whom was running the club. Once again, in Subiaco's case, it was a Victorian, Michael Carlisle.

The Government of the time stumped up more than a Million $$$ to bail out the West Coast shambles / Indian Pacific & take ownership of the VFL Licence Papers in that process
As a measure of control the WAFC was formed to protect that outlay into the future