Some more points from Carrara:

- There was VERY little Carlton Merchandise on sale - we shared a part of a Kangeroo's merchandise tent

We had a little bit of table space in that tent. What stunned me most was the amount of collinwood stuff - looked like there was more than ours for some reason. They had scarfs, jerseys, beer coolers. I only saw Carlton scarfs, not beer coolers or jerseys!

I asked the membership tent what gives and they told me AFL said they were not able to bring their shop stuff up there and sell it under some agreement.

Note quite what is stated on the Carlton website unfortunately:
"2007 Carlton Membership and Merchandise will be on sale at the ground on Saturday evening. Further details available shortly."


- There were more Carlton supporters than Kangaroos there, by miles, and when we started winning, it was amazing to hear it.

That's a disgrace that the AFL stopped us taking merchandise to Carrara, as one of the competing teams, yet allow Filth stuff.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Carrara to host AFL games?

Ridiculous.

The gound is B grade. Enormous contrast with Aurora Stadium teh week before. The facilites at Carrara are shocking - see the players sitting on revolting classroom type chairs on the bench?

I can't see this move being a successfull one for the AFL. Did not like the ground at all, the facilites looked shocking. b grade facility at best. needs a lot of work done to it. Perhaps we just dont need games in Carrara????

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Train hard, play well.... according to Kouta.

WTF was there colonwood shit there? Didnt see anything like that in Launceston

The AFL does actually. Gold Coast is a huge growth area and Rugby League have established a new team there this season. Unless we start playing some games there the people will be supporting Rugby rather than AFL

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

There's already been a failed rugby league team based on the gold coast. I can't see AFL making it - people on the gold coast would rather drop a fistfull of disco biccies, go clubbing for 17 hours straight then bang a stranger on the beach than go to the footy.

I can't see this one working myself. 7k last night, and I reckon 5k of them were Carlton supporters.

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

And given they only had 7500 there last night, they want to get a better team that the Kangarues!

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[Sam Jacobs] looks like a 7' Lance Whitnall, and [Mitch Robinson] looks like a 4' Lance Whitnall
(The SEN team during the Carlton v Cats 2009 pre-season match)

The key will be the AFL making them a successful team once they get there.

What were the crowds like in Sydney at the start?

Successful team = Successful crowds = $$$

The dollars are what the AFL is after, they'll have to make it work

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

The Kangaroos will work on the coast. But it will have to be lock, stock and barrell. No half-and-half, 'Are we North Melbourne and sort-of Queensland?' stuff. They must be The Gold Coast Kangaroos.

They need to hard sell the tough aspect of the games quality directly against League. They call us aerial ping-pong then we call them a celebration of dry rooting. Consider giving Carrara a complete overhaul and investigate every avenue of public transport possible. (They are starting to think about light rail up here). If free buses are provided then those buses need to be advertising vehicles for the AFL. Get into the schools.

As has been mentioned, success will instigate a following. I'm just relieved with Carlton's recent turn of events that it's not the Gold Coast Blues being considered.

I'm a Carrara local.
The dimensions of the ground itself are similar to the MCG, and the surface itself is superb. On Saturday night I didn't see any player slip anywhere on the ground, and I'm told most of them love getting out there.
The lights are also as good as those at any other AFL venue.

The existing grandstands are reasonably good, but the capacity is only around 15,000. Facilities for visiting teams, and indeed the 'Roos themselves need upgrading, and this will apparently be one of the priorities when the Gold Coast Council starts work on the ground.
The road outside Carrara is being upgraded to double lanes both ways, and should be finished this year.

Because there are a high proportion of expat Victorians, Taswegians and other true believers on the Gold Coast, AFL is strong at junior level. But as Orangewhip rightly says in his post on the subject;
"The Kangaroos will work on the coast. But it will have to be lock, stock and barrell. No half-and-half, 'Are we North Melbourne and sort-of Queensland?' stuff. They must be The Gold Coast Kangaroos."

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Princes Park - always was, always will be.

I thought it was very interesting that when Richard Champion told Leigh Harding that they were all but the Gold Coast Kangaroos, he made a very strong point of saying how they hoped to get enough goals to play the GF in Melbourne if they won. I don't think the Kangas are very happy with reporting up here talking about relocation as a done deal.....

7.500 crowd and most of them Carlton supporters.... doesnt seem like the Kangas have capturd the Gold Coast public's interest yet.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Kangas are the 2nd most boring team in the AFL, actually equal top with the Dawks.
The AFL needs to fire laidley and bring a coach who has the balls to give the fans an attractive brand of football. This isnt Nth Melb anymore.
its become an AFL commodity that will be used to launch a presence on the Gold Coast so tailor it to suit the fans.

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T E A M

i agree with deano on this one.

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dane's trolling again

Why is the boundary line on the outer side (on tv) so far from the fence? Watching on tv you couldn't see the line. I initially kept wondering why play was stopping before realising ball was out of bounds.


The fact that the ground is on a road that is single lanes suggests access is very b-grade.

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"I had to eat"

Agree with you 100% Deano.

Was on the Gold Coast over the weekend, the whole population is either retired old folk or kids going clubbing and taking disco bikkies.

As for banging strangers on the beach. ... .well..... .i tried my hardest!!!

They dont care too much for sport in general up there.

Dribble! Not only is Qld the number 1 sporting state in the country, but we don't mind a bit of rootie tootie either.

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2002:> "In their Masters Chambers
They Gathered for their Feast
They Stabbed us with their Steely Knives
But They Just Can't Kill The Beast!" <2016

THE BLUEBAGGER BEAST IS BAACKK!!

Number 1 sporting state? Only if that sport involves life saving clubs competing against each other

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

There are metal boundary fences on that side of the ground, so it's probably a safety issue. I prefer a wide boundary anyway, because I hate to see players hurt by crashing into the fence. This never looked like happening on Saturday night.

As for the road outside, yes, it is single lane each way at present. But the GCCC have almost completed a major upgrade to two lanes along the entire length of the road from the M1 freeway to the ground. By mid-season, a trip to Carrara from Brisbane will involve an easy 40 minute drive down the M1, and two left turns to reach the carpark.

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Princes Park - always was, always will be.

Reply from my "view from a Roo" mate

There are some great posts on here, I take back my comments on Carlton supporters having more fingers than teeth. I too was surprised to see Collingwood gear for sale in the tents. As for the ground, it does appear quite narrow and hasa straight edge on the outer side. The big problem is access. Only one gate in and out of the ground. Imagine having to walk half a lap of the MCG just to get out of the place. The road is being improved and driving to and from and ground is superb. The council do run free buses to the ground from key points on the Coast, so getting there is NO problem. The start time was a concern, they need to be 7.40pm on Saturday nights only. The issue of North Melb or Gold Coast Kangaroos needs clarification, all the AFL is doing is alienating both Qld and Melbourne fans of the club, much as they are doing now with Hawthorn. If I lived in Melb and followed Hawks or Kangas, I wouldn;t become a member because they never get to play any games there. The AFL needs to ensure clubs play games in their home city, for example, Hawthorn only play 13 games in Melbourne this year, that is pathetic for a Melb based club, North only play 14, what real appeal is there for supporters of those teams, they may as well be based interstate, North in Qld and Hawks in Tassie.

The issue of more Carlton supporters being at the game is like when the Bears played there, most people went along to watch the opposition, not the home team, that changed and it will again if North are given good exposure and allocated opposition which has an appeal, ie Melb clubs, not your Ports & Freo's.