Roos want more Canberra cash
09 March 2006 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/ ... 22,00.html
THE Kangaroos are hoping to extend an arrangement to play home matches in Canberra, but will consider using Carrara if the price isn't right.
Club chairman Graham Duff has held talks with ACT government representatives in the past two weeks in a bid to resolve the matter by mid-April.
Central to negotiations are finances, with the Roos seeking to double their returns in a future deal. It is understood the club makes about $210,000 each time it plays at Manuka.
The Roos' three-year deal to play nine premiership season matches in Canberra expires this year.
"Our preference was, and remains, to stay in Canberra, but it has to be a fair return for us," Duff said yesterday.
"We have been there for three years, we have developed the market to a certain extent, but we would need to almost double our return from those matches. That would be to take it to the equivalent of what we understand the market is, say, around Carrara."
With Carrara a significant plank of the AFL's game development plans, the Gold Coast stadium is emerging as a lucrative home-game alternative for many Melbourne clubs.
Melbourne and Hawthorn have been scheduled a home match at Carrara this year in deals that will reap the clubs about $400,000 each.
The Kangaroos will play three home-and-away matches at Manuka this year -- West Coast (Round 4), Sydney (Round 10) and Geelong (Round 17).
"North Melbourne is never going to be a wealthy club, so therefore it would be irresponsible for us not to consider every option available to us," Duff said. "If Carrara was a real option, then we would look at it.
"At this stage, our preferred option is Canberra with more money. They (ACT government representatives) are keen for us to continue and North Melbourne have put a lot of time and effort in to developing our ACT market and add the fact we play well there.
"There are some options that will emerge, Carrara for one is more than a dot on the screen.
"Do we tear up what we have got and throw all in for Carrara?"
The Roos will be seeking to sign a five-year deal on the alternative home-venue contract. The deal will be for a maximum of four home matches per year.
"We have to think of our members down here and we are not going to walk away from them," Duff said.
"We are progressing our discussions almost daily to try to reach an early conclusion. I don't want it to drag on, I would like to see it fixed in a month."
You gotta laugh at the bolded part above regarding the Kangaroos members in Victoria. If they had more support in Victoria in the first place, home games in Canberra or the Gold Coast wouldn't even be raised. Seriously this club is a basketcase. How much longer will the AFL keep propping them up through the CBF?
Reality is there are to many teams in Melbourne. Time for the Roos to relocate full time I say. Sadly this latest talk from the club's chairman ain't doing them any favours in the ACT market one would think.
