Melbourne Rebels 2024

[JRugby2]

Yet you are all quick to blindly believe RA as it is convenient for you

It's not blind - it's based on the reporting and information that we currently have access too, and making my own assessment of it. I will happily change my position if new information comes to light.

 

[Rebel man]

Yet you are quick to blindly believe the Rebels' board as it's convenient for you

I support the legal action sure as we need to test the validity of the allegations. If there is evidence like claimed it should be made public and those at RA should be held to account.

The truth is none of you care about what has happened you just care about what is in your immediate best interests and that’s for it to just all go away quietly. As if the allegations are proven in court the fall out potentially affects your teams.

 

[Tomthumb]

This is irrelevant - you're proving that Melbournians love AFL, not that they are incapable of supporting a second or third team at the same time in another sport, just like we see in Brisbane and Sydney.

The rebels did a shit job, but the data says that having a professional footprint in Melbourne is a good idea - if executed well.

Complete Apples and oranges. Brisbane has 1 AFL team & 2 NRL teams so it is actually untapped

And both Brisbane & Sydney have a rusted on Rugby culture that Melbourne simply does not have

 

[JRugby2]

I support the legal action sure as we need to test the validity of the allegations. If there is evidence like claimed it should be made public and those at RA should be held to account.

The truth is none of you care about what has happened you just care about what is in your immediate best interests and that’s for it to just all go away quietly

Mate... c'mon, really?

 

[Tomthumb]

So you really believe RA was blissfully unaware?

What's the alternative? That RA encouraged the Rebels to trade insolvent for 6 years?

 

[JRugby2]

Complete Apples and oranges. Brisbane has 1 AFL team & 2 NRL teams so it is actually untapped

And both Brisbane & Sydney have a rusted on Rugby culture that Melbourne simply does not have

How many AFL fans do you know in Melbourne that actively support more than one AFL team, or NRL fans in Sydney?

 

[Braveheart81]

So you really believe RA was blissfully unaware?

Regardless of what they were aware of I'm unsure how you can state that being aware of someone doing something illegal is equally bad as the person doing the illegal thing.

If RA was fully aware of the situation is your suggestion that they should have tried to wind up the Rebels multiple years ago?

 

[Tomthumb]

How many AFL fans do you know in Melbourne that actively support more than one AFL team, or NRL fans in Sydney?

None

 

[Rebel man]

How many AFL fans do you know in Melbourne that actively support more than one AFL team, or NRL fans in Sydney?

More than one team as in more than one AFL team or more than one sports team?

 

[Rebel man]

Regardless of what they were aware of I'm unsure how you can state that being aware of someone doing something illegal is equally bad as the person doing the illegal thing.

If RA was fully aware of the situation is your suggestion that they should have tried to wind up the Rebels multiple years ago?

If they are aware and of the situation and reassuring them that it will be okay and they will bail them out when they have the PE deal then they are just as bad

 

[Braveheart81]

I support the legal action sure as we need to test the validity of the allegations. If there is evidence like claimed it should be made public and those at RA should be held to account.

The truth is none of you care about what has happened you just care about what is in your immediate best interests and that’s for it to just all go away quietly. As if the allegations are proven in court the fall out potentially affects your teams.

I don't think you really care what happens either. You want your pound of flesh and you don't really care what the cost is to get it.

The reality is the people you are angry at will never suffer any consequences. The worst case scenario for them is that they go and get another (probably higher paying) job or another directorship.

The people who will face significant consequences are the players and fans.

Who are your favourite former Rebels players now playing elsewhere? Would you stand face to face with them and tell them that they shouldn't have a job playing rugby in Australia anymore because you don't like Hamish McLennan/Phil Waugh/Dan Herbert/whoever?

 

[JRugby2]

I support the legal action sure as we need to test the validity of the allegations. If there is evidence like claimed it should be made public and those at RA should be held to account.

The truth is none of you care about what has happened you just care about what is in your immediate best interests and that’s for it to just all go away quietly. As if the allegations are proven in court the fall out potentially affects your teams.

The death of the Rebels has wide reaching negative consequences. Our games best interest was for us to have the Rebels successful in the Melbourne market - your teams administrators are the reason we don't have that.

 

[JRugby2]

None

Exactly my point. People can support teams across multiple sports. Melbourne is no more saturated with different winter sports than Sydney or Brisbane is - especially relative to their population size and general affinity for sport in general, and so it's not really apples and oranges at all.

Completely understand the argument re rugby culture - that is/was always going to be the extra hurdle they faced. Swans have been successful in Sydney in spite of a non-existent AFL culture.

 

[Rebel man]

I don't think you really care what happens either. You want your pound of flesh and you don't really care what the cost is to get it.

The reality is the people you are angry at will never suffer any consequences. The worst case scenario for them is that they go and get another (probably higher paying) job or another directorship.

The people who will face significant consequences are the players and fans.

Who are your favourite former Rebels players now playing elsewhere? Would you stand face to face with them and tell them that they shouldn't have a job playing rugby in Australia anymore because you don't like Hamish McLennan/Phil Waugh/Dan Herbert/whoever?

I want the truth and not just the message RA tries to sell. I fully support the legal action. It’s funny how you would always take the moral high ground saying how the rebels acted unlawfully but now there are allegations against your beloved RA you don’t want them to be heard in court.

If the issues can be so easily just isolated to the rebels then why is the game in this position that it doesn’t have the financial resources to defend itself?

The longer the game continues to stick its head in the sand the harder it will ever be to come back from this

 

[Rebel man]

Exactly my point. People can support teams across multiple sports. Melbourne is no more saturated with different winter sports than Sydney or Brisbane is - especially relative to their population size and general affinity for sport in general, and so it's not really apples and oranges at all.

Completely understand the argument re rugby culture - that is/was always going to be the extra hurdle they faced. Swans have been successful in Sydney in spite of a non-existent AFL culture.

There is a big difference between supporting more than one AFL and more than one sports team. FMD as a Collingwood fan why would I support Carlton? They are my rival, yet my support for Collingwood doesn’t stop me from supporting the Storm and Rebels.

 

[Tomthumb]

Exactly my point. People can support teams across multiple sports. Melbourne is no more saturated with different winter sports than Sydney or Brisbane is - especially relative to their population size and general affinity for sport in general.

Completely understand the argument re rugby culture - that is/was always going to be the extra hurdle they faced.

Melbourne is far more saturated. AFL attendance figures in Melbourne dwarf NRL attendance figures in Sydney & Brisbane. The scale & intensity of AFL support in Melbourne is unrivaled. 15% of Melbourne is a member of an AFL club

Sure, theoretically they could support other teams in other comps, but it doesn't work like that. They are AFL fans, not necessarily sports fans. It's about the social culture just as much if not more than the sport itself. Much like football in the UK, there isn't much crossover with other sports

 

[PhilClinton]

Rebel man are you going to come here and denounce the Rebels directors as liars and criminals if the court finds RA holds no liability here or will you claim the legal system is broken?

 

[hoggy]

The death of the Rebels has wide reaching negative consequences. Our games best interest was for us to have the Rebels successful in the Melbourne market - your teams administrators are the reason we don't have that.

While the Rebels administrators were clearly negligent, there are whole raft of reasons why the Rebels were not successful, it was not just solely due to the Rebels operators.
The price the game will pay is due to the head in the sand attitude of the code here, trying to apportion blame asap and move on without addressing why the game continues to decline in support.

 

[Rebel man]

Rebel man are you going to come here and denounce the Rebels directors as liars and criminals if the court finds RA holds no liability here or will you claim the legal system is broken?

If they lose I will accept the courts decision. Yet if they win will you be willing to say you got it wrong?

 

[JRugby2]

There is a big difference between supporting more than one AFL and more than one sports team. FMD as a Collingwood fan why would I support Carlton? They are my rival, yet my support for Collingwood doesn’t stop me from supporting the Storm and Rebels.

Yes, exactly.