www.smh.com.au/action/printArticle?id=1241867

www.smh.com.au/action/printArticle?id=1241867

When Hinds says that about rugby league, you can take it as a given.

He detests the game.

The fear is palpable.

Perhaps this should be the AFL's new motto given it is also driving their expansion plans...

an afl team for png next!

port moresby has always been an afl heartland

Haha, smell the fear.

"Tell them there is an Australian football code that is going gangbusters. A game that has been enlivened by a new generation of freakish athletes whose skill set and performance have no historic precedent. A game watched by a large and loyal following that should underpin future prosperity. A game that has confronted its antiquated administrative structure and produced a business model that takes decisions out of the hands of the backward-thinking and the self-interested - well, at least might.

A game that is being played as close to the borders of pure perfection as its rules allow. A dynamic, pulsating game that, because of the size and power of its athletes, retains a hint of menace and mayhem without the cheap-shot artists."

Is there not enough room on the Australian sporting landscape for both the NRL and the AFL to expand and prosper? Or must the growth/success of one be at the expense of the other?

nickcat0,you should know better.You know RL will take over Australia eventually especially where union is concerned

not enough expansion teams, not enough bums on seats, not enough $'s in the game. Sort that out and they might take a second look at the NRL, I am pretty sure most AFL clubs are as concerned with the likes of the Sharks and Roosters as they are of the womens netball teams!

I don't think the AFL fear any code in Australia. Just my opinion. There is no better run sporting organisation in the land and they have their core of fans that will never leave the game for another. Has been that way for decades. It will be that way forever more. AFL is a religion more so than rugby league from where I sit. Go live in a Melbourne or Perth for example during a season. There is nothing like it in any other sport in Australia.

before the SL war set RL back the swans would get crowds of 10,000 or less, and the brisbane lions went broke a few times

now RL is back and revived its only natural other sports will struggle

AFL has reached saturation point in australia and isnt growing anymore

RL on the other hand has decades of growth ahead of it

its a good time to be a RL fan now

in a competitive sporting market there will be winners and losers

already union has been overtaken by soccer

AFL is desperately putting a team on the gold coast to match the nrl

in the end of the day the sport that offers the best spectacle will win

and thats rl easily

I agree with your last statement, but league had no where to go but up.

AFL will always be here and I don't believe they fear any code in Australia. The AFL is the best run sport in the country by a country mile and they will continue to go from strength to strength. League will too. All three codes (League, Rugby and AFL) can co-exist. The sleeping giant that will wake, especially if we win the WC 2018 bid, will be football.

Nothings good enough in RL for you, so go and follow AFL cause I'm sick to death reading about you bad mouth RL and bigging up everything else, give yourself a triple.

Your team killed itself, your team was let in by the ARL, your team back stabbed the ARL after 1 bloody season, your club brought it all upon itself, and your clubs so called fans didn't watch your club.

Your mob need to take some damn responsibility for what your club done.

GET STUFFED.

Personal much eels fan?

Should we all agree that the AFL is "scared" of our game?

Piss off troll.

Go enjoy some "rugby" with alfie...





LU must be running ads about this place these days.

He never stops whinging and whining about the Perth Reds, he needs to change the damn record or follow another sport with a Perth team in it because he'll be waiting a while for the NRL to get the money to have another crack.

The truth is, it was his clubs own fault they were booted.


Onto AFL.

AFL is scared of every code out here, they are so protective it's not funny.

But things are changing as the other codes start to circle, that's why they are going so hard to move into West Sydney and the Gold Coast even though they know they have no following.

They are popular in the smallest states and if they don't get into the bigger ones and get support, their own support is going to diminish in the smaller states as the other 3 codes move in.

Yes, I believe they are scared.

AFL needs to expand as RL areas are 55% of australias population.

RL areas make up 60% of all advertising as well

queensland and nsw are the key areas

AFL will always be around, union will go back to being irrelevant

RL will be so far ahead of the rest its not funny

Closer to 58% - 42%...

Without Victardia they would be screwed.

Yes.

And the storm are down there doing their thing without all the noise, they'll end up being a big club.

Anyone doubting The Storm have a presence is kidding themselves.

Great range of sponsors - banking, finance, cars, caravans - on their jerseys alone.

You can see it in Melbourne - their colours are quite evident out in the city.

They are doing a great job and should improve out of the new ground.

You can imagine they would be going absolute gangbusters with some decent TV and press coverage; which they still have to fight for on account of AFL bias.

Nothing else needs to be said.

they have the new ground finished as well!

School time yet?

How many at Parramatta today? Lovel sunny Sunday afternoon, minor premiers v's near neighbours, decent enough stadium. Yeh I am sure AFL is cacking itself!

You know the NRL can't do anything until 2013 at the earliest, yet you keep whinging.

Are you going to do this everyday until 2013?