Catch Up Football

League fans and commentators wonder how the AFL is making such inroads into what they consider “league heartland”.

Perhaps it has something to do what Triple M’s ‘Grill Team’ discussed recently.  A listener asked them whether rugby league clubs are doing enough to promote the game.  Their resounding conclusion was NO!  Their media manager even declared which clubs were the most difficult to deal with.

Meanwhile the new AFL club in western Sydney is working extremely hard to form links with the community.  They do clinics, school visits and scholarship programs to mention a few.  They do all this because they realise that it is of great benefit to the club and to the game, especially in the long term.

Any criticism of AFL’s rise in Sydney is out of pure envy.  Rugby League could be dominating the region more than they are already.  Instead they are playing catch up after years of sitting on their hands and not investing in grassroots as much as they should.  They seem to believe that they ought to exist in the region out of entitlement not through any work or investment.  This is just lazy.  Rugby needs to get their act together, otherwise they might just lose a grip on their stronghold.