Blues having a blue

by LITTLE BOY BLUE

IT'S hard not to feel sympathy for those Carlton members and supporters agitating to stay at Princes Park, and it's equally hard not to feel for a still novice board, trying to cope with financial reality. However, some of the double standards here deserve exposure, as does the bullying intimidation of the AFL.

First, I reluctantly accept the financial imperatives in favour of a move. Look at the 47,000 at the game against Hawthorn, a Carlton "home"game at Docklands. If they can draw these numbers when they're struggling, imagine the crowds when they make their way back up the ladder. Attendance equals money in the bank - it's not something the stay-put group can ignore. This would be true at any time, but especially given the debt-encrusted poisoned chalice left by Elliott and his mates.

The argument to play low-drawing interstate teams at Carlton doesn't wash. You can't maintain an expensive sporting facility to be used commercially three or four days out of 365 per year. Given that one of the agitators is an endorsed Liberal candidate, I have to admit that his approach gives the lie to the contention that the Libs are all business-orientated!

It seems almost self-evident to me that the number of club members should be able to fit into the home ground. Unless one prefers that a significant slab of the membership give home games a miss, or that Carlton "cap" its membership at 32,000. What is the counter-argument here? This doesn't absolve the AFL for its failure to provide sufficient grand final seats for club members, whom they treat with contempt every September.

Finally, of course, the AFL in their charming manner, will not allow Carlton to play at Carlton after the current deal expires, so shouldn't the bullet be bitten now and the best deal secured? This intimidation has also been seen in fixturing which has left Carlton with the most pathetic free-to-air coverage of any club in living memory, including not one interstate game in 2004.

But, it is here that the pro-Docklands lobby needs to be exposed. Given the cogency of the argument for accommodating larger crowds, why on earth would the AFL be so keen to bludgeon Carlton into playing most home games at the smaller of the available grounds? What's wrong with the MCG? The answer of course involves conflicts of interest bigger than Ian Collins' and an ancient VFL antipathy going back beyond the failed fantasy of a Waverley stadium which would dwarf the MCG.

Members and supporters prefer to walk up on the day than to book a seat, and with the MCG as a home ground, they could do so for all but some of the so-called blockbusters. At Docklands, with a resurgent Blues, we could be having to book every bloody game. Sorry Ian, while I'm prepared to book for a couple of big ones each season, it's not going to become a regular part of my week.

And therein lies the rub. I accept the need for a move, but I'm damned if I'll cop Docklands. Whatever the short-term AFL/Docklands inducements/bribes, over time, surely the MCG's superior capacity would deliver a superior financial result. I'm not with the rebels, but I hope their agitation can force a more logical outcome for the club. MCG yes, Docklands no!

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