President of the Victorian Lions Supporters Group (VLSG) Sharon Torney said today that she hoped the media in Victoria would not be dragged into the hype of an “interstate” grand final.
“When the Bears and Fitzroy merged at the end of the 1996 season to form the Brisbane Lions, the rich Victorian heritage of Fitzroy became part of the Brisbane Lions. Along with that heritage also came the members and supporters. This was evident by the thousands of supporters who turned out Saturday night,” said Torney.
“Whilst the events of 1996 divided Fitzroy supporters, those that have embraced the Brisbane Lions have been extremely satisfied over the past four seasons”, Sharon said while queuing for grand final tickets at Federation Square. “In the Fitzroy days, I never thought that I would see a grand final with my beloved Lions playing, much less three premierships. Whatever the result, the football public will be watching history on Saturday. Hopefully it will be the Lions winning their fourth grand final, but if it isn’t meant to be, then we’ll be witnessing Port Adelaide’s first premiership. We urge all Victorians to get behind the spirit of Fitzroy and support the Lions this weekend.”
It was also heartening to finally read on the weekend comments from Wayne Jackson that it isn’t the retention allowance that has seen the Lions make it to their fourth successive grand final. “I’m getting tired of hearing Eddie Maguire rolling out the inequity of the competition,” said Sharon. “If it is the retention allowance, or salary cap concession that has meant the Lions have made it to their fourth grand final, the question has to be asked: Where is Sydney’s dominance?
St Kilda and Geelong have both gone through the pain of rebuilding their lists over the past couple of years and it has paid off for them. They have recruited well and developed a real team. The salary cap isn’t the reason why the Lions have done so well since 1999. It is recruitment, development and belief in each other.”
The VLSG was formed in 1999 by a group of Fitzroy supporters who wanted a voice for the Victorian members of the Brisbane Lions. The group has raised various issues with both the Lions and the AFL in regards to Fitzroy. One of the main issues that unfortunately still has not been rectified is the current AFL policy in reporting the Brisbane Lions history as commencing in 1987 when the Bears entered the competition. The VLSG rejects the notion that the Lions began in 1987. The Group strongly believes that the Lions are a new club established in 1997, as a result of the merger between the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions. “In one way it’s fortunate this week that Port Adelaide is our Grand Final opponent.” said Torney, “With both clubs entering the competition in 1997, at least some of the records reported in the media will in fact be correct, unlike the previous three years.
For the record, this week’s Grand Final will be the Brisbane Lions’ 195th match in the AFL. The Brisbane Bears played 222 matches in the AFL while Fitzroy played 1,928 matches.
The VLSG had the following letter published in the Melbourne Age on Tuesday
Caroline Wilson’s article “The changing tide” (20/9) interviewed Ross Oakley and spoke about the Brisbane Lions as being an interstate club. He should know better than that, as it was under his reign that the Brisbane Lions was created. The merger between the Bears and Fitzroy is how the Brisbane Lions came to be and many seem to have forgotten this over the past few years.
This weekend there will be only one truly interstate team running out onto the MCG, not two. We urge Victorians to embrace the heritage of the Lions and get behind them as they try to add another chapter to the history of our great game.
Victorian Lions Supporters Group 