Proof that Rugby League Isn't Working in Melbourne

[Mr_Ugly]

Fact:
90% of AFL followers hate League. I live in an AFL obssessed city. They deliberately say they prefer union than League as a stubborness.

May I see a reference for that please, sir?

I have lived in Victoria, S. Aust and Tassie, and my experience is exactly the same. A lot of AFL followers just hate league on principle, but proclaim some tolerance or even fondness for Union, when they really don't have any experience with either "Rugby" code. It is purely because of the "threat" that they somehow feel that league poses, while they find Union with its poor club scene, less threatening (Union's international success does not pose a threat because there is no real representative AFL as such)

 

[Mr_Ugly]

... Rugby League is NOT and WILL NOT work in Melbourne

I don't know if many of you are too young to remember, or just have short memories, but for most of its 20 years in Sydney AFL also struggled, but it is now clearly starting to reap the rewards of its investment.

You're right ... rugby league is not setting Melbourne on fire right now, but at least league is now on the radar down there, and if the NRL continues its support there it will grow. It will take a generation to be accepted reasonably widely however, just as AFL has in Sydney, and several generations to be really passionately followed by the general public down there. That is, it is a long term prospect. Despite the disadvantages to Sydney/Brisbane, I think that upcoming origin, test and 2008 world cup can go a long way to boosting the profile and support for the game there, and halp to fast track this process a little.

Also, an earlier post suggested rebranding the team as "Victoria". Although it may have been good to do this when the team first started, I don't think it would be a great move now that the Melbourne name is established.

 

[shadow grinder]

wow there are some real educated answers here, Mediterranean Descendants like football hmmmm. Tosser

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