Rugby in WA News non-existent

[unipirate]

So I have been in WA since Super Rugby started here, probably one of the many reasons I have stayed with my family here in the Perth area.

I love my sport, I will watch just about anything that requires effort, skill, endurance and usually a ball of sorts. I get the feeling though in the state of WA this is not the case with many demographics. This also seems to be the same with the media (main players) in this state.

The reason I say this is because I am sick of how Aussie Rules centric this state is or at least seems to be with how much it is in the sport news and in the papers and it is weeks away from their pre-season. Whereas Super Rugby pre-season is kicking off tonight with the Force and Brumbies in Darwin and nothing has been mentioned tonight on the local news channels, let alone anything about their pre-season training.

Is this a fault of the Force management or is the media so one-sided. To me if you are a journalist it should be in your best interest to cover as many demographics as possible!

Well rant over, but something stinks here!

[BLR]

I have been told in the past that the AFL is quite heavy handed with some of the media here about how much other sport coverage they can show. Eg. Show a certain amount of AFL stuff or access will be taken away.

This was a while ago though so who knows if this has changed.

[AndyS]

Not to fart in the lift, but I can't help but note that between them the local AFL teams boast about 100,000 members. The Force is pretty chuffed with itself having just gone through 11,000, and the Reds are considered a bedrock of the game with 30,000 odd.

We get the coverage we deserve, until folk come to or come back to the game. We have huge immigration; where are they all? On the topic too, what happened to all those members who supposedly left solely because Subi was so rubbish? We are at a rectangular ground now - has anyone at the Force sent out a reminder to all those ex-members?

[jono]

Afl is the love child of most of the bogans in WA. And most of them who pretend not to be bogans.

It won't change. Buy the Australian and not the west. It's almost fairer
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[shasta]

Buy the Australian and not the west. It's almost fair

As long as you stick to the sports pages. Maybe.
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[SNOB]

WA is great place to live but if your a union man it's slowly getting better but we will always be the outsider.
As for press coverage I think incest gets more coverage!

[chibi]

The reason I say this is because I am sick of how Aussie Rules centric this state is or at least seems to be with how much it is in the sport news and in the papers and it is weeks away from their pre-season.
Is this a fault of the Force management or is the media so one-sided. To me if you are a journalist it should be in your best interest to cover as many demographics as possible!
Well rant over, but something stinks here!

I have been told in the past that the AFL is quite heavy handed with some of the media here about how much other sport coverage they can show. Eg. Show a certain amount of AFL stuff or access will be taken away.

Got to remember that there is the WAFC here, the owners of their darling Eagles and their red-headed step-child, the Dockers, and they have connections in the media and politics which are interlinked in their support of AFL. It's why we have statements like this - "we have to ensure that AFL remains the number one sport in Perth" when talking about our new "multi-purpose" SPORTS stadium; meanwhile WA's cricketing nursery can't produce fast bowlers. It's the same reason why it was so easy to kill off and downgrade the old WAFL and promote the Weagles to top mainstream position in Perth; they have a vested interest.

John Eales gets interviewed at Associates ground after a training session back in '98, all the reporters are ready to ask questions before Perth's first ever Wallaby test. What will the Perth "sports" reporter ask? How about the Boks defence? Nope. Can we continue in the same vein as our performance against the All Blacks last week? Nope
"DUHHH!!! ARE YOU HERE TRYIN' TAKE OVER FROM AFL OR SUMFINK???!!! DUHHHH!!!"

Someone throws an empty plastic bottle onto the pitch at Perth Oval "GLORY FANS ARE SOCCER HOOLIGANS" Don't take your children there.

Roll on 2000, Perth Glory are the trendsetters in the NSL, Olympics comes to Sydney. "Soccer tournament across Australia" says organisers. Except for Perth, we have no stadium.

Roll on further, Perth Glory's example has led to the creation of the A-League. Australia selected for Asian Cup hosting in 2015, no games in Perth, we have no stadium.

Since the advent of the WAFC and the football development trust, we have managed to win ONE state-of-origin match in Aussie Rules, when we used to dominate. (We lost to the Allies at home)

We have dropped off as a cricketing power. We've lost an entire Aussie Rules football league and a promising NRL rugby league team. The Force have gone from over 20000 members to celebrating at breaking 10000, and we play at ground which had temporary seating and toilets until this year. We were meant to be in our new ground back in 2007!!! And don't get me started on the Glory.

Fucken aye right something stinks here!

Now there's a rant, sorry fellas.

[hertryk]

I think that just about sums it up....

not forgettting when our arrrrssse of a Premier walked onto the ground of a Force home game and says over the mic to all present "don't ask me anything about Rugby I know nothing about it...." what hope have we got ??? PLONKER!!!! We vote PLONKER...remember that!!!

[SNOB]

Shout out plonked in parliament and they will all answer.

[Alison]

I think that just about sums it up....

not forgettting when our arrrrssse of a Premier walked onto the ground of a Force home game and says over the mic to all present "don't ask me anything about Rugby I know nothing about it...." what hope have we got ??? PLONKER!!!! We vote PLONKER...remember that!!!

If there were any votes depending on it, he would know ALL about it!

[unipirate]

Yeah can't really get on the back of Colin, it wasn't his party which seemed to forget about the promised purpose built rectangular stadium!

I guess all I can hope for is the Force to have some stellar years under the current new management and players, with a possible finals round here or there at home in the coming years. Would love them to make the last game of the season but I won't aim that high!

If the Force can continue to improve and make headlines for all the right reasons then maybe there will be more money to upgrade nib stadium! It would also be advantageous for the Glory to do well in the A-League and possibly the AFC in coming years.

Who knows really but I guess all we can do is support our team and sport to the best of our abilities in this one-eyed state!

[Sheikh]

How exactly are we going to upgrade the stadium?

I thought the new east stand was supposed to have the team changing rooms, stadium offices, etc, which would allow the west stand to be re-built later. But the east stand now appears to be seating only, which means the old, very innefficient (in terms of seat numbers) west stand now can't be removed because their tatty old changing rooms are still the only ones on site. Are we going to ask players to change in portacabins? No wonder Liverpool don't want to tour here!

[wholetruth]

Yeah can't really get on the back of Colin, it wasn't his party which seemed to forget about the promised purpose built rectangular stadium!

They may have made noises but it was Labor when the bid was in to get us the team that promised $25m to upgrade the stadium. Never happened and I've always wondered where the money went
The old stand is heritage listed would you believe. That has to be lifted before it can be demolished - the sooner the better.

[Alison]

I think the money went into Perth Arena!

[wholetruth]

Or into the taxpayer sponsored worldwide junket called the Langoulant report, that came up with the stunning conclusion that we need a new stadium.
Or to pay the fuel for the Government jet so Barnett can go electioneering.
In other words it went down the Swan River.