Israel Folau has gone off to join the new GWS AFL club in preparation for their inaugural 2012 season.
It is coup for the AFL but I do question their wisdom. Sure Folau is being paid more for his marketing (far more) than AFL talent but it is very much a short term gain for GWS. Once the 2012 season is under way and Folau’s novelty wears off, the GWS will find that a former league star, who most in the target area for fans out west will know as a Queenslander first, won’t bring in the crowds forever. My feeling is the GWS and AFL have underestimated the task ahead to break a second team in Sydney (especially given the current ratings for AFL) and think throwing money around is a sound strategy.
On the AFL side, Alastair Lynch thinks it is a great coup where as Michael Voss has questioned why the current top AFL players are not getting the same rewards. But my favourite piece is by Tim Lane who states that is a cheap, nasty stunt. At $6 million not exactly cheap but as Lane says:
…how does this fit with a quaint old concept like “love of the game”? The AFL likes to feed off concepts like “love” of football when it suits. Of course there’s absolutely no love in this relationship. This is as close to love as prostitution is, and with all due respect to those engaged in the world’s oldest profession I suspect there’s not a lot of love in it. Israel Folau has absolutely, totally, unequivocally, and any other word that pins down one hundred per cent precision, not come for love. He has largely come for the money. And football folk are expected to feel proud and thrilled. Leave me out.
I confess that I will tune in for the first game or so to see what happens but after that, I’ll tune out as many others likely will. Then what?
If the AFL want to throw ridiculous amounts of money around to attract NRL stars, then let them. I still think the AFL, affected by a sporting code war myopia, have not properly thought through the ramifications for their own game of such deals. You can buy players but can you buy fans?
