Demetriou Says Sydney's Game Plan Is Bad For Footy

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Demetriou Says Sydney's Game Plan Is Bad For Footy

Post by Beaussie »

Apparently Demetriou was on Melbourne radio yesterday morning criticising Sydney's game plan and saying the defensive game was not good for footy or development in NSW. An unattractive style of footy that will turn the people off attending game apparently.

Some may think as AFL CEO he has no right to comment on a club's game plan, however I think with his interest being the development of the game in NSW, he has every right to criticise the Swans. Thoughts?
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Post by crocodileman »

Beaussie, I wamt you to revisit some of the threads in here where I comment on the future of the Swans, their style of game, flooding tactics, and their future for this season.

Tell me again - how close to the mark am I? You accused me of crying over spilt milk because of their fortunate win over the Lions, but everything I have said has been 100% accurate and now our CEO agrees with me!
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Post by Dizzys_on_fire »

Is the CEO out of line with these comments?

Given the way coaches and players are treated by their governing bodies in terms of what they are and aren't allowed to say, isn't it a bit of a case of double standards for Demetriou to comment on such an issue?

I haven't seen any quotes, but it sounds unusual for someone in his postion to comment on things like that.
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Post by King-Eliagh »

Demetriou is a complete twit, funny thing is he's gotten so many onside with his big speech aka mel gibson in braveheart about how every young mans sport of choice will be afl. Beaussie you have been very naive and to quote croc

"Beaussie, I wamt you to revisit some of the threads in here where I comment on Andrew Demetriou, his pathetic insights, hot air , and the real future for this supposed afl/nrl war.

Tell me again - how close to the mark am I?"
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Post by Beaussie »

Dizzys_on_fire wrote:
Is the CEO out of line with these comments?

Given the way coaches and players are treated by their governing bodies in terms of what they are and aren't allowed to say, isn't it a bit of a case of double standards for Demetriou to comment on such an issue?

I haven't seen any quotes, but it sounds unusual for someone in his postion to comment on things like that.
I must confess I originally relied upon what I had read at RWO. Below is the full article and comments by Demetriou. It seems he thinks Sydney will not win many games with the current game plan and the style of play is "unattractive".

My apologies for likening his comments to the development of AFL in NSW also suffering as a result of the Swans game plan. I have no doubt that is what he and many football fans think though. Well I've certainly come around to that way of thinking in recent weeks.

Sunday Telegraph wrote:
Swans insulted
By SCOT PALMER and TIM MORRISSEY
May 1, 2005
http://www.sundaytelegraph.news.com.au/ ... 80,00.html

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou ignited a football border war yesterday when he said Sydney wouldn't win many matches unless they changed their style.

As the battle for crowds between the three football codes in NSW intensifies, Demetriou linked the Swans with some of the ugly games that have marred the first five rounds this season.

"There is nothing we can do in Sydney because we don't interfere, but I think unless there is a change in the style and manner in which they play they will lose more games than they win," Demetriou said on Triple M. "And they will probably start to identify that."

Outspoken Swans chairman Richard Colless was almost speechless after he was informed by The Sunday Telegraph of Demetriou's outburst.

"I'm stunned," said Colless.

"Until such time I've had the opportunity to read what Demetriou said and in what context it was said, I'm almost in total disbelief."

Demetriou launched into the former Cinderella side of the competition when quizzed on the attractiveness game ahead of the Adelaide-Kangaroos match yesterday.

He said overall the AFL was happy with the competition, which had seen close results and crowds up 14 per cent, or more than 180,000 people for the same number of games last year.

"But I think amongst all of it there is obviously going to be some ugly games when we're playing eight games a week, all of them televised and scrutinised heavily," Demetriou said.

He said he was certain there would be people within the Swans organisation who wouldn't be happy with the number of wins-losses after the first five rounds.

"The style of play they are using is not helping," he said.

"We don't tell football clubs how they should play but we obviously take notice of how things are going.

"And I, like others, would like to see Sydney winning more games."

Demetriou said he did not link the way Sydney played to the work the AFL was doing throughout NSW in a development sense.

But he conceded there was a brand of football being played on the "other side of the border" that was not particularly attractive.

His assessment of Sydney as an ugly team is certain to have repercussions within the Swans match committee and will no doubt anger Colless, who was strong in his support of coach Paul Roos.
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Post by Grim Reaper »

Sydney is bad for footy....period!
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Post by barrett »

I like the ethos of the Aussie cricket team......to be the best you have to dominate.
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Post by King-Eliagh »

Seriously beaussie u dont listen to croc and myself enough, and to tell u the truth u have ignored us in this thread! Maybe because u wanted to maybe because u didnt. Either way we're both speaking truth and u dont like it :lol:
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Post by Beaussie »

Well, Demetiou is very apologetic now it seems. I still think he was only expressing what many footy fans think, even in Sydney.

Fox Sports wrote:
Supremo says sorry to Swans
By Nikki Tugwell
May 4, 2005
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,86 ... 11,00.html

THE Swans were deeply offended when AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou described their style of play as unattractive.

He predicted Paul Roos' tactics would yield more losses than wins but yesterday he told NIKKI TUGWELL he wished he had left the Swans out of the ugly argument

QUESTION: Are you aware of the impact your comments have had in Sydney?

ANSWER: Yes, it has been interesting. I am surprised by the reaction because I was involved in a pretty broad- ranging interview and one or two lines of what I said have been reported and not a lot of the rest.

Q Do you regret what you said or would you like to clarify your position?

A I think in hindsight I would prefer to have chosen different words to make the point. It was a much broader discussion about a comment by the interviewer that all football is unattractive. I probably should have chosen different words to describe what I was talking about, some of the negative aspects, I understand that.

Q If you had your time over, would you leave the Sydney Swans out of the ugly argument?

A Yeah probably, because they are not the only ones who, from time to time, have played that sort of football. In general I'm still on the record as saying I think we've had a fantastic start to the season. I did go on to say in that interview that I was thrilled with the crowds that the Swans have had and that was very promising.

Q Do you believe the relationship between yourself as chief executive of the AFL and the Swans has been strained?

A I would hope not. I think we have a very good working relationship with the Swans and we'll continue to do so. They are in a very, very difficult market, probably the most competitive market that I can think of with rugby league, rugby union and soccer. We've worked closely in recent times and we'll continue to do that. They're a first-class operation. I think they've got a very promising future.

Q Do you believe your comments have devalued the Sydney Swans brand in NSW and around the country?

A I would hope that they wouldn't think that because I am one of the biggest fans of the Swans. They are a first-class football club with a first-class administration and coaching staff in a very competitive market. I think today all of our clubs understand much better the difficulty of the market that the Sydney Swans find themselves in and how competitive it is to get any penetration in Sydney.

Q The "ugly Swans" association has gained momentum in the past 12 months, are you concerned you have added to that and what the ramifications of that are in terms of sponsorship, attendances and TV ratings?

A In fairness all teams in the competition if ... if they are not winning football games, it has an effect throughout the club. It affects things like membership the next year, it can potentially affect sponsorship and attendances and things like TV ratings. That affects all of our clubs. In the difficult market that Sydney is, it's imperative and we're all keen to see the Sydney Swans be successful on the field. They have been fantastic the past couple of years, making the finals and getting 70,000-plus crowds out at Telstra Stadium which for us was a fantastic achievement. There is a correlation between on-field success and everything that goes along with that.

Q How many Swans games have you attended this season and are you attending on Saturday?

A I do come up on Thursday but I won't be sticking around for the game. I'm sure as I do with all of the teams, I'll get along to two throughout the year. No doubt I'll get there for the Sydney-Collingwood game. I've been to the Sydney-Essendon game for the past two years but I'm unlikely to be at this week's game.
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