The Age Of The Merger 

Incredible video mate well done and thanks for the shoutout ❤️

proabbly the best afl content on this site, elite research and info combined with dry humour, keep it up mate

Sometimes I think about what VFL park could have been if they built the train line out there. 150,000 seat stadium would have been unreal.

First, king of AFL video essays 👑

This was the time I enjoyed watching Geelong Cats during the early to mid 90s. At the time when I was a kid, I never knew about the dire situation that Fitzroy were in until 1996 when I noticed something seriously wrong with how the AFL would pride itself as being financially stable while at the same time it wasn't as rosy as they marketed themselves as.

As an international fan this channel has been great for learning more about the history of this great game. Keep up the good work!

30:15 And that is the reason why every time I go to Southern Cross Station, I see the massive Meat Pie stadium next to my train coming into SCS.

The quality of these videos get better with every upload, thanks for another banger Gaz 🔥

Young Aussie Jon Bois, instant sub, great work king

Gaz delivers again.

Of course in the same period, the creation of the Adelaide Crows caused the Woodville Warriors and West Torrens Eagles to merge into the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles in the SANFL.

Love your work GAZ-man. Can't wait for the North/Fitzroy series when they come around.

Brilliant series, and great video! I'm all for the long form essays, keep them coming!! (I'm getting about 15mins of black at the end of this one, might want to check that out)

also what was the 13 minute of silence at the end lol

@TheGAZ-man this is the best analysis I have seen, it actually deals in the real facts not the fiction like others or the fantasy utopia some other like to believe

It’s crazy to think that teams such as Carlton and north were trying to merge yet they were winning premierships during that time (Carlton supporter)

AFL essay KING (second)

I was there that night for the Melbourne -Hawthorn game. I'd never experienced an atmosphere like it.

Great video

Fantastic video- have you considered doing a video on the history of the code wars between the NRL, AFL and Soccer? I think that could be quite interesting

terrific video as always Gaz! BUT WAIT! As a disgruntled Saints fan who had to make my way to the dungeon of GMHBA Stadium earlier this year. you forgot to explain how the Cats dodged this rationalisation of home grounds! If memory serves me correctly, Geelong was VERY much in debt until Brian Cook rolled around and turned the club into a slot machine.

I don't even watch AFL but this is so fascinating.

What is crazy is how often club presidents would keep their own club supporters totally in the dark and most things found out by supporters at the last minute in the press before they could do anything about it themselves. Basically the first time any normal supporter heard of Fitzroy Bulldogs being a thing was in the newspaper when it was actually happening. Absolute crazy shit and to think this was two of the least supported clubs and even those few supporters were able to turn this on it's head in weeks. Many of those people running these clubs gave any thought to what a normal footy fan of their club would think. I mean if you were a diehard supporter of your club and wanted to goto nearly every game during the season or all of them, fancy finding out by the press when it just about too late to do anything about it, that your own club president is basically deciding everything about the identity your club and where they play, with really no consideration or consultation with the clubs week in and week out fans themselves that make the club, an actual club. Imagine finding out via the newspaper article that the team you goto see 20 to 22 times a season was basically going to all of a sudden play 11 times in another state and you had not even been told it was even a proposal at any point before that. So if it happened, all of sudden you gone from attending every game you could in your city for season after season to now only being able to attend once every two weeks. Yet you were not even consulted or asked whether you would like that for your own club. Noel Gordon of Brisbane Bears infamy sort of sums up what most of these guys were like at virtually every club in these mid 80's to the end of the 90's. Shame on them all. Hawthorn and Melbourne proposed merger is virtually the only one where supporters of those clubs had any inkling things were well advanced before they had a chance to do anything themselves. Most of the other mergers most footy fans would never even heard about from their own club. Those presidents involved are all a disgrace.

Not sure if you remember the North Melb and East Perth deal in 1980 approx. I think it was about $200-$300k to extend Glendinning and to sign up Phil Kelly and Peter Spencer. All very good players. But in the case of Kelly and Spencer became injury prone after moving to Melbourne and playing on small waterlogged grounds. A lot of money.

And then there's the VFL Reserves becoming the VSFL, then a short time later the VSFL merging into the VFA, which had a couple of years earlier become the VFL!

Can wait for the next one where u go into the code wars between the AFL’s competitors and all that

Allan Jeans coached hawthorn to 3 premierships. 1983, 1986, 1989.

Great work. Beautiful day.. especially knowing port fans are suffering. 3-0 baby!

I remember seeing the Fitzroy Footscray talks at the time. Fitzroy were in a stronger position (not sure about dollars) as a club in general. Were playing well and getting good crowds. But when I saw how stacked it was in favour of Fitzroy I thought it was ridiculous. I remember that after it fell through a journo said that now a club will fold and it will most likely to be Fitzroy. Sounded surprising but that's what happened and they plummetted not long after as a force off the field and then on the field.

history of collingwood question mark?

Great Video, its crazy as someone born in 1998. I could never see an AFL team merging or losing their AFL license. But fuck, Kangaroos is a basketcase....

There was some talk about Geelong and North when both clubs were struggling. More speculation rather than detailed talks like the other examples. Geelong Roos. I did wonder whether they'd play in diagonal stripes. Anyway with Tassie coming in, there could be some danger for North actually. Not sure who they'd merge with, but with outstanding juniors coming through they may actually have a reasonable hand in negotiations just because of that. I'm not sure how it could happen... but just saying that the risks have now increased from them. The Roos must paint themselves as absolutely irreplaceable which they're not doing at the moment.

I remember Carlton and North. To wear North jumpers away and Carlton were going to buy the shares or something.

Can you do a video on the state league war

Crazy having the clubs so close together. I feel Perth was more spread out in the 1980s and clubs were already talking about going north towards Wanneroo (all that was before Joondalup existed which was later in the 80s). East Perth even talked about going beyond Morley Dianella then. But the Vic clubs seemed delusional. Especially North Melb who could have moved into an outer suburb in the fringes. They still could move into an area with high numbers of immigrants and forge their way.

Just insane to think about how different the league would look with no Dogs and no Hawthorn

What I think AFL needs have two divisions of 11 with two teams in SA, QLD, NT, and Tasmania. In each division will have 11, this means the AFL will have 20 each will play twice. Each division have bye will play each other. The finals will top Four or six will each.

I remember talk of Melbourne North as a name. I thought Melbourne Lions should have been considered. The colours certainly suited even if their supporter groups were opposite. Melb needed to include a bit more Fitzroy in the jumper and be the lions. Ironic because the Demons name and logo is totally not connected with Melbourne now. Not a pitchfork in sight. Is that to attract new supporters from overseas? I'd like to see a video look at how clubs have branded themselves over time. Not just jumpers but logos and nicknames and what they've focussed on. Clearly Melbourne now are just trying to be the Melb CBD team and they don't want anything to distract.

The reason Nauru was Fitzroy's creditors is easy They were extremly rich at the time

Unfortunately it’s was the 80s VFL that evolved into what we now have have as the modern AFL. If they could do it all again the national league should have been set up by an independent body only taking in 6 Victorian teams and expanding from there. They may have initially lost some fans from the teams that dropped out, but it would have been a better league in the long run. No where in the world do you have so many professional teams concentrated in one city.

Good video but you gotta spend a couple bucks on a mic. I almost bailed because of it.

Country zoning was corrupt

SANFL screw Port Adelaide because Port Adelaide was with hours coming the AFL. Then SANFL took Port to court and SANFL won over Port. Then VFL gave Adelaide Crows was from

You kept saying "jersey" whilst your on screen text said "guernsey". A bit of consistency with your English Channel tax havens please.

Using Jersey over Guernsey/Jumper is making this boarderline unwatchable. Please don't add to the worrying Americanisation of Australian Football language. It's bad enough hearing it from players and commentators.

10 minutes of blackness 32:00 onwards

You need to learn how to pronounce Foschini. 😮

Nice... A sprinkle of Jew hatred in my AFL content. Thanks for that.

Great video