Xman wrote:How does the salary cap or draft help even up 2 brand new teams? You're clueless.
Essentially the only significant issue the AFL have with uneven teams relate to the two brand new teams with developing lists. This is hardly unusual. Every new A fL team has struggled during their early years
I have to touch on this, after I read an interesting article in the paper version of the Herald Sun today.
It would appear that the AFL has a new problem. Well not a new one but rather one that needs to be dealt with. It's to do with spending in the football department.
It's the new "out of control" factor, and it's being put that this is what's undermining the attempts to even up the competition through the salary cap and the draft. The biggest spenders are Collingwood BTW.
Calls are being made for this to be evened out. A cap and a floor has been mentioned, but the article stated that this would be too hard to police and I agree. A luxury tax was also suggested and this could be a better idea.
If Raider wants to whine about manipulation by the AFL, he needs to look at this and realise that he's got the wrong end of the fork. As usual.
And just for the record, I for one will criticise the AFL if they deserve to be criticised. Phelpsy is actually right - the AFL are arrogant and sometimes behave like a gestapo. Not towards the NRL though, except in the formation of West Sydney which I still call an attempt to undermine them. Towards the grass roots in it's heartland. They leave it to the state bodies, and this is a negative for Victoria and Tasmania. Not so much SA and WA though.
However I will always applaud the crowds the AFL get, and indeed the local crowds as well. Local grand finals can pull decent crowds, even outside heartland. I saw a good crowd at Pambula just a couple of years ago. The Sydney AFL GF that I attended at the old Western Suburbs home ground in Ashfield in 1998 was also well attended.