Need an AFL team...

Discussion in 'Rugby & Aussie Rules' started by ONE, Oct 20, 2009.

  1. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    So it turns out that the only good thing to come out of the digital TV switch in my area, has been the introduction of a world news station that happens to show AFL a few days a week.
    I've given the sport a go and have become totally hooked, but've found it hard to identify with a team. This is partly due to the fact that they're only showing the best matches so both teams come out looking like champs, and partly because I haven't yet distilled what it means to be a supporter of any given club.

    Their reputations are a complete mystery to me...I must have a team...I must know more!
     
  2. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Depends what you're looking for in a side. Here's a bit of a 'stereotype' list for each club, with some massive generalisations - I'm sure others will expand, hopefully it'll give you an idea of who you might be interested in.

    St Kilda Saints
    Pretty diverse following, reflecting the suburb. Range from the arty 'free spirits' to the middle class who've moved in as part of the gentrification of the area. Perpetually rubbish team who've picked up twice as many wooden spoons as anyone else, but made the Grand Final for the first time in aeons this year. Club with a lot of character. My family's traditional team.

    Sydney Swans
    Formed from the transplantation of South Melbourne in the 1980s. Is somewhat of a toff's club - the Sydney fanbase who support them tend to be from the eastern and northern suburbs, made up of people who aren't interested in rugby union and are too 'sophisticated' for rugby league.

    Melbourne Demons
    Someone over on BigFooty described them once as 'a winter plaything for Melbourne Cricket Club elitists'. Fans would disagree, but they're probably the bluest of the blue-blood teams. Struggled a lot on the field in recent years.

    Carlton Blues
    Long, storied history - traditionally a working class club from inner-city Melbourne. Massive gentrification in recent decades and now it has a somewhat elitist reputation. Perpetual cellar dwellers in recent years.

    Adelaide Crows / Port Adelaide Power

    Two-team town so I'll group them. Port are percieved to be the 'working class' club, the Crows by default get tagged with a bit of a middle class label. Port's a big club that has maybe underperformed a bit in the past.

    Collingwood Magpies

    THE working man's club. Hated by everyone who doesn't support them.

    Essendon Bombers:
    Middle-class club. Lot of private school old boys in Melbourne have fond connections with them. Collingwood's deadly enemy.

    Fremantle Dockers / West Coast Eagles
    The two Western Australia clubs. Dockers are the working class club, West Coast (based in Perth) are considered to be more elitist. West Coast have been relatively successful over the years; the Dockers are a perpetual joke.

    Hawthorn Hawks

    Middle class club, big focus on drawing in the parents and 2.3 children. I don't think I've ever met anyone who goes to Hawks games who doesn't go as part of a big family day out.

    North Melbourne Kangaroos

    Not a big club, has struggled a lot in recent years financially and on the field. Was some talk of them relocating to the Gold Coast but this was scrapped.

    Brisbane Lions
    Merger club, don't really know much about their 'ethos' - the old Fitzroy Lions were a blue-collar club and Collingwood were their deadly enemies. Strong club, hugely successful in recent years with several back-to-back Premierships although a taper off since then.

    Geelong Cats
    Non-metro Victorian team; not really sure what their 'identity' is to be honest - someone else will have to chip in. Massively successful in recent years, just won their second Premiership in three seasons.

    Richmond Tigers

    Another inner-city Melbourne working class team. Not too sure about them really.

    Western Bulldogs
    I don't know much about their culture really. Somebody else will have to chip in.

    There's also the new Gold Coast team (coming next season) and the Western Sydney team (the season after). Good choices if you want to get in on the ground floor.
     
  3. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    Wow...thanks for such a thorough response. It's enough to at least remove some clubs from the running.
     
  4. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Don't pick Collingwood.

    As for Port and the Crows, PA was the big club in the SANFL and tried to enter the AFL alone. The fans of all the smaller South Australian clubs banded together to support the Crows in the new national comp and now the tables have been turned on Port Adelaide.
     
  5. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    ...and Port Adelaide have a really horrible club song, as naff and "modern" as their shirts.
     
  6. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    At the risk of making them seem attractive in a forbidden-fruit sort of way, what makes Collingwood so hate-able?
    I have to admit that as a Newcastle United fan, they do appeal to me on an extremely superficial level...
     
  7. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    There's no one reason really. They've been a very successful team over the years, which never helps. They have traditional rivalries with a lot of teams - Essendon, Carlton, the old Fitzroy Lions, Richmond. Their fans tend to be exceptionally rabid and one-eyed, even for football fans.

    In recent years there's been a lot of discontent over perceived favourable treatment given to the club by the AFL - for example, they're the only team that gets away without having to wear a proper clash jumper when they're playing away from home, because their black and white stripes are "sacred" :rolleyes: . Also, their President (Eddie Maguire) is one of the most annoying people in the country.

    All in all they're just one of those teams that if you don't love them, you hate them.
     
  8. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Don't write off clubs just based on my assessment - a lot of those are just glib stereotyped one-liners. A lot of the clubs have storied histories going back well into the 19th century - Melbourne is one of the oldest active clubs of any football code in the world.

    Best to get a few opinions and then do some research on the ones that sound interesting.
     
  9. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    The closest parallel I can think of is the Toronto Maple Leafs: obnoxious fans, media obsession, level of success doesn't match up...
     
  10. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    I'm certainly doing more research, but stereotypes are fully welcome. I just want the knowledgeable fans opinions, whatever they may be.
     
  11. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I wouldn't call myself a knowledgeable fan by any means, but declaring a soft spot for Richmond immediately prior to a season like the one just gone isn't a wise idea.


    You get a few similar threads in the English forums about picking an English team to support, and typically the response is to not arbitrarily decide to support a team. Just watch the game, enjoy it, and maybe a team will just start to appeal.


    For me, I saw four games in two weeks in Australia in 2007, and the second and third games of those (Collingwood v Carlton and Geelong v West Coast) were absolute crackers, and really got me hooked on the game. For both I nominally supported the home team, and both home teams won. I was surounded by mainly Carlton fans at the MCG, and as we talked about my "support" for Collingwood that day, they did repeat, as stated above, that Collingwood and Collingwood fans are the ones everyone loves to hate. Much like any sport in any country, the most popular club are also the most disliked. That kind of ruled Collingwood out for me.

    Next up was Geelong, the last club playing in a small local ground, who happen to play in the same blue & white hoops as my football team. I really enjoyed watching them notch up a win which seemed to be the first glimpse of them as being something special. But....supporting a team that just happened to be the champions? Just smacks a little too much like gloryhunting.


    Before that game at the MCG though, I'd popped into Richmond's Punt Road oval, just a few long kicks away, and thought it quite a charming little place. I didn't see Richmond that year, and barely saw them on tv either, but they always seemed to be plucky failures and somehow seemed quite charming because of it. A late flurry of wins for them late in 2008 helped me to victory in this forum's tipping contest, and I just came to find myself wanting them to win.

    And this season I went back to Australia, and happened to be there when they racked up one of their meagre 5 wins all season, which puts me in very rare company of being one of the few Tigers followers to have seen them win every game he's been to.

    I'd stop short of calling myself a genuine fan, but I have fondness for them, just as I also share a small part of my football support with Bohemians 1905 of the Czech Republic, of whom I'm a (very small) part owner. It's not a bad thing, as you can enjoy the wins, but the defeats aren't too painful. And if you are daft enough to get sucked in by a club like the Tigers, that's probably just as well.
     
  12. Spartacus

    Spartacus Member

    May 20, 2001
    The NO SOCCER Zone
    I'll offer another "off-shore" perspective...

    I first discovered the game in the US on ESPN in the early 1980's. I didn't have a team to support, so I went fishing for one for the most illogical of reasons.

    The first team I latched onto was Fitzroy...simply because of their colorful guernseys. But Fitzroy's lack of success in those days relegated them to a snippet of a highlight at the end of the hour-long highlights show...and rarely the match of the round.

    As I watched the game further, I got to see more of the legends and characters of the game. I saw Bruce Doull, Carlton's legendary "walking carpet" and tried the Blues...but there wasn't enough there.

    Then came the 1983 Grand Final between Essendon and Hawthorn. Hawthorn were filled with characters...from Michael Tuck to "Lethal" Leigh Matthews, to "The Dipper" Robert Dipierdomenico (just the name alone was legendary enough). But to see Gary Buckenara completely do his knee, then insist on getting up to take his free kick...that was enough for me. I was a Hawthorn supporter from that point on.

    So, the point is...take your time, don't make too many snap judgements. And, above all, don't listen to anything we say here! You're in a tremendous position to make your own decision, unaffected by time or tide or proximity to any particular club. Have fun with it and enjoy the footy!
     
  13. itsafkndisgrace

    itsafkndisgrace New Member

    Oct 30, 2009
    Melbourne
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    Would love to hear which team you ended up going with ONE and the reasoning behind it. I'm a massive AFL follower and all other fans I know have pretty much grown up with the team. I really enjoying hearing how new-comers to the game decide which team to follow. And for the record Go the Blues....
     
  14. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    Well it's not going to be Western Bulldogs. What a bunch of goons. And that Akermanis fella I simply hated on sight.
     
  15. Spartacus

    Spartacus Member

    May 20, 2001
    The NO SOCCER Zone
    Akermanis may be the most polarizing figure in the comp.
     
  16. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    And the Bulldogs, ironically, are probably the least-hated team in the AFL.
     
  17. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Part of that's probably because they've been rubbish since time immemorial, though.
     
  18. SAFC Yank

    SAFC Yank Member

    May 15, 2007
    Bellingham, WA
    Club:
    Sunderland AFC
    My how the memories come flooding back. By the time of that 1983 Grand Final, watching on ESPN had made me an Essendon supporter. Through much of the early 80s, ESPN had the weekly match on at 6 a.m. Pacific, and it was simply part of my life to get up and watch before heading to school. I can't even recall why I became hooked on the Bombers, but somehow the little rover Buhagiar became my favorite player, and nothing seemed as enjoyable as beating Carlton and Bruce Doull.
     
  19. ONE

    ONE Member

    Aug 11, 2000
    NOLA
    Scratch Essendon as well.
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=714jxXF7LLc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=714jxXF7LLc[/ame]

    How Lloyd escaped that match alive is beyond me.
     
  20. Heathmyhero

    Heathmyhero New Member

    Apr 26, 2007
    Collingwood. Most Hated but probably cause of the jealousy. Have recruited well and are looking for a ripper season in 2010. Go with them. If you are going for ladder leaders, go Geelong or St. Kilda.
    Adelaide are showing signs and you could also go for the new team which is inducted the season after next year called Gold Coast.

    PS: I'm training with Collingwood on Tuesday :D
     
  21. Heathmyhero

    Heathmyhero New Member

    Apr 26, 2007
    Definitely follow the stripes mate. Get on the Collingwood board. Most popular club and for good reasons, they are good. They don't dominate but they are actually the team with the most wins in the whole VFL/AFL history.
     
  22. babytiger2001

    babytiger2001 New Member

    Dec 29, 2000
    Melbourne
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Matty Lloyd got a four-match ban for that hit, but decided not only not to challenge it in the Tribunal's appeals process, but in an unrelated decision, retired from AFL footy some weeks later.

    Nonetheless, Lloyd had a great career with the Bombers.

    Keep us posted on your progress report finding a team that suits you -- and sometimes, it's the team that finds you, rather than you finding it.
     
  23. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    You lot are almost as bad as Carlton at living on past glories.
     
  24. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Reading more on the matter, Collingwood are not really the villains it seemed before. I thought them pricks for making the Kangaroos wear their clash jumpers at home and that pretty much matched the reputation for being loathed by everyone. They are not the club of the upper crust, though, like Essendon or Carlton. I can't think of a similarity in soccer because hate and success are so intertwined, but perhaps an appropriate analogue would be the Oakland Raiders or Canterbury Bulldogs? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
     
  25. itsafkndisgrace

    itsafkndisgrace New Member

    Oct 30, 2009
    Melbourne
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia

    Except success if very limited at Collingwood these days. 1 Premiership in over 50 years.
     

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