cresta57

It's called 'gamesmanship' Exploiting a minor infraction to milk a penalty. When you watch on T.V it's hard to judge how close the ref is sometimes. At the game some things are so glaringly obvious you wonder why they even try for it.
When there's a possible 8 points on offer for a penalty try you'll see every bit as much milking as you do in soccer.

Jon77

The Asians are CRAZY about soccer/football. It is the main game now in China, Japan and Korea.

And now A League teams are doing well in the Asian Champion League they know even more about the domestic game here.Shinji Ono from Japan was our big player the first few years and this brought a number of Japanese supporters to our games.

WSW was recently sold and part of the consortium that bought the club was a Chinese multi millionaire so the club is part owned by funds coming direct from China.

Believe me when I say AFL and NRL don't stand a chance trying to win over the Asian support, soccer/football beat them to it, probably starting in 2002 when Korea hosted the world cup.

This is another reason AFL are freaking out and playing dirty in the media. Expect AFL HQ to get even play even more dirty as they are backed in to their little corner.

BadgeIsBack

Jon, why should we not believe you - Aussie Rules is not a game played in Asia.

AFL may shrink but it will remain big business for a long while yet - at least another generation surely: for the same reason soccer is loved in the UK - people grew up with it and their parents supported a club and they were themselves indoctrinated at an early age....

BadgeIsBack

I iterate my point that I think Australia could be one of the few countries to have all 4 codes operating at some point which I approve of.

I see that there is a sort of feeling where people almost want Association to bash out the other codes - a sense of entitlement even - hardly sporting or gentlemanly. I am not talking about marketing machinations - or politics - I am talking about the game itself.

I do think Association could benefit from tighter control of player behaviour - for example introduce a rule whereby only a captain can approach the referee to lobby/ask for an explanation and that rolling their eyes and waving their arms around is not going to help.

Jon77

Not true.

As I stated before NRL works quite well with soccer/football and even own a share in the new Melbourne City club I believe. Penrith Panthers also want to get on board the soccer/football movement and Parramatta Eels have welcomed WSW as see it as an opportunity to expand their own facilities in the future.

All the arrogance is coming from the AFL. It has already gone too far, the open hostility and vitriol towards soccer/football from the AFL side has been astonishing. This is clear with the way they just plonked the GWS Giants in to Western Sydney thinking they could just take over and throw millions at it. They could have linked in with WSW and created some kind of community spirit.

Until AFL HQ and some of its fans stop treating soccer/football as an immigrant/ethic game they will be hurt more. They are stuck in the 1950's with their view of our game and the people who support it.

I would love for all codes to coexist together happily. Unfortunately AFL have decided that this isn't possible.

OzTennis

Speaking of AFL arrogance; what about FIFA and the shonky awarding of World Cup venues which takes the absolute biscuit? 5 air conditioned venues in small country Qatar, hmmm; Russia gets 2018, Qatar gets 2022, palms greased, mega oil and gas deals signed between Russia and Qatar; Blatter won't investigate.

ozzieeagle

Everyone is peed of about Qatar, especially the players. Russia no problem, in fact that has the makings of a great world cup... I'm seriously considering going in 2018... Political stability allowing.

Blatter = Corruption as far as the informed in the football world are concerned and the sooner he is gone the better. It's probably no worse than the olympics though.

Jon77

Errmmmmm using corruption / FIFA with a stick to beat the whole of soccer/football is a bit ironic considering what is going on in AFL with Essendon Bombers and the ASADA investigation in to them and AFL as a whole.

Aslo Cronulla in the NRL are still in a spot of bother.

I will admit FIFA corruption is on a bigger sale perhaps but to say it doesn't exist in other codes in Australia is wrong.

Again AFL fans using FIFA to sweep their own shite under the carpet.

Jon77

That would be amazing

I have been to Moscow and St Petersburg and they are amazing places.

England need to qualify and as you say the political situation would need to improve. Improve by Russian standards is to sweep things under the carpet for a hosting a big event like this and then return to being bastards as soon as it finishes.

OzTennis

I'm not making out anything for AFL at all, I know there are problems, what major sport doesn't have them. You are banging on about how corrupt and arrogant it is as though the soccer house is all sweetness and roses and in order - I'm saying it's not, that's all.

The corruption in FIFA over the awarding of venues is a monumental crime which makes anything happening in any other code pale into insignificance. We haven't yet touched on match fixing in soccer by players, officials and crime syndicates either - 3 guys convicted yesterday in an English court for fixing lower level Conference fixtures.

OzTennis

Surely we're not 2-2 with the team who beat the world champions 5-1? And was that Timmie Van Basten scoring probably the best goal of the tournament? Still a way to go and the Dutch look dangerous but excellent effort so far.

BadgeIsBack

Didn't Aus go ahead at one point? Anyway nice trip for them.

ozzieeagle

Asian Championship in two years is going to be fanastic now !!

Well done Aus, you did everyone back home proud... hopefully they beat spain like everyone else in the group.


England tomorrow, hope they can come good, or this world cup is going to lose a lot of passion from my end.

Jon77

Indeed, England lose to Uruguay and lots of interest will fall away, my interest certainly will. You keep an eye on it but when you don't have a team in it to support it is never the same.

Anyway if England finish second I will totally miss the last 16 game as I will be in the middle of the Tasmanian wilderness! I maybe one of the last people in Australia to hear the result!

scrubbedexpat098

you can't really make comparisons like that though, different day, different circumstances and thought processes, plus the fact that the world champions seem to have turned to shit. It was a good solid performance from Aus, and they played to the best of their ability against a team with more ability, and there's no shame in losing a game like that whatsoever. If England go out in the same fashion I'll be happy