If I had a billion dollars, yeahhh

Young Jeezy

“Yeah, I’d spend it all in a day,

Show these n****s how to play.

Top floor penthouse, show ‘em where I stay,

Grand piano, might learn to play, ha ha!”

No doubt Andrew Demetriou is channelling his inner Young Jeezy following the AFL’s announcement this afternoon of their $1.253 billion television right deals for 2012-2016. The deal is the most lucrative in Australian sporting history, and solidifies the AFL’s position at the peak of Australian professional sport.

Introducing the GWS GIANTS

The official launch of Team GWS has taken place, with the announcement that the AFL’s newest club will be known as the Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS Giants). Along with the new name, the Giants unveiled an orange, charcoal and white colour scheme and two jerseys along with a stylised “G” logo. Of the two jerseys, one will be selected through a fan vote to be the home strip, while the away strip will feature the traditional NSW sky blue. Also acknowledged at the event was the major sponsorship of the club by Skoda.

This is my take on the outcomes of the club launch:

TEAM ACT?

Team GWS, the much-hyped new AFL team for Western Sydney, have announced that they will be playing three home games in the home and away season in Canberra from 2012, as well as one pre-season game. This amounts to approximately one quarter of home games for Western Sydney’s team being played elsewhere, in a ten-year agreement with the ACT Government. This has been the result of a grassroots campaign called “ACT4GWS” – is the early 2000’s and we’re all still using ‘SMS language’?

AFL GRAND FINAL 2010: The game so nice, they’re playing it twice

So, the first rendition of the 2010 AFL Grand Final has ended in a draw. With the clock pushing on three hours of play, Collingwood (9.14.68) and St Kilda (10.8.68) could not be separated. One of the great spectacles of Australian sport will be seen again, just one week later.

While this has been seen before at the top level (the VFL in 1948 and 1977), we live in a different world now. In a battle for supremacy in the Australian sporting landscape, which they seem to be leading, this Grand Final replay could reap huge benefits for the AFL.