Finals Week One - Sell

Now, Gussie, this is a little bit of tongue-in-cheek here, but would you play the showdown at Optus Stadium? Would you play the showdown between Port Adelaide and Adelaide at Optus Stadium? No.

Would you play the Manchester Derby in Scotland? I mean, if you sold it to

him, he'd be all right.

Would you do it? No, he wouldn't pander.

Then why do we play the Wangaratta Derby in a final outside of Wang? Because the rules stipulate.

I know the rules stipulate.

I know they stipulate.

It's written in the bylaws.

I get it.

I really do.

And well done to the Ovens of Murray for trying to make it the most even playing field in finals.

They're not the only league that does it.

But I just want a bit of common sense to prevail at some stage.

The Wangaratta clubs, Gussie, have spoken to you and I and they've said... that they would swallow whatever is necessary to hold a final between the two clubs in Wang.

I'd hate for us to look back on this really powerful Wangaratta era in five or ten years' time because it is at the moment.

It's a powerful Rovers-Magpies rivalry.

And it should continue.

And us not have an opportunity to have a final between these two in Wangaratta.

John Henry, the president of the Magpies, has said they'd play at the WJ Finlay.

I'm sure Wally and Wendy would do the same.

They'd play at the Normans Oval.

I just would love to see a final between these two clubs held in their hometown.

I reckon we'd have... upwards of 3,000 to 4,000 people there.

We'll get a good crowd in Coro this weekend.

Weather will dictate that, I'm sure.

And it's probably good that it may rain and you can drive your car in and get a good park at the John Ford Eval.

But I'd love for the Ovens of Murray maybe to get together and go, hey, cool.

Let's just float it to the other eight clubs, see how they feel about it.

I don't reckon too many would care.

To be honest, you'd get a couple, kick up a stink.

It doesn't matter.

They have to travel anyway.

Correct.

I'm more talking about the home ground advantage aspect of it.

But I would just love – I would love for us to have a Wangaratta final in Wang.

That's my little sell.

Well, Panda, if you look at it at the weekends, the Wangaratta Magpies had the reserves and the thirds finish lower on the ladder and play at their home deck.

Yeah, it's based off the senior team.

I know that, but what I'm saying is

the home ground factor I don't necessarily think – needs to be looked into too much.

What would be the easy fix? If you had to put you on the spot, put your club hat on Panda, would it be something as simple as one club gets the gate and the raffle and the other club gets the canteen and the bar?

You'd let the two clubs come together for the betterment of the clubs and the game.

So I have done a little bit more research.

So on Saturday, the Wang Junior – sorry, on Sunday, the Wang Junior finals are at the Normans Oval.

Yep.

So that still allows you to play this game at the Norm Innes on Saturday.

Sunday, of course, is the WJ Finlay Oval.

So we could clearly have two games back-to-back on a Saturday and Sunday.

An easy fix of mine would be you'd play the Saturday game just gone, the qualifying final between the Rovers and Mert at the John Ford Oval, which allows you to have this game in Wangaratta.

That's my only little jibe.

I think the only element to that panner which throws a spanner in the works is if Myrtleford had have won and therefore you would have had the Magpies playing potentially at home against the Myrtleford Alpine Saints.

And like I said,

there's so many things that go into it, Gussie, but I just don't want us to look back on this maybe in a different administration or whatever it is in 20, 30, 40 years' time.

Maybe we'll have a look at bylaws and go, gee whiz, We could have had a real opportunity to have this game in Wang.

Yeah, and with no New South Wales-based teams in the finals this year, Panda, it really does, I suppose, throw a spanner in the works.

But traditionally, the most attended and the best finals have been Aubrey Wodonga-based clubs versus Aubrey Wodonga-based clubs because it's not far for them to travel.

So I think you make a pretty good point.

I get it.

It's a bylaw.

I get it.

But just a little gripe.

Yeah, well, there's a very good saying, Panda, that Jim Jefferies, my favorite comedian, said, if it's an amendment, it's there to be amended.

Good

call.

So bylaws are there.

They're there to be tinkered with.