New Zealand this time round compared to last year??

[Schillaci]

22,546 last year v Swans....7,736 Hurricanes v Force 19 April
13,409 this year v Lions....10,405 Hurricanes v Reds 26 April

[Bluthy]

Maybe we'll cut and run like Tassie because we 'can't win' there?

Leaving Tassie was disgraceful ..... And was a short term weak decision... Which backfired because the players never got enough exposure to a bigger ground, outside tough conditions and were given the excuse of comfort...
It was like buying the toy for the 2yo to shut them up!! they needed to HTFU and work out why they couldn't perform there, rather than running back home to easy conditions... It was a farce

Hawthorn were the beneficiaries of our weak minded gutless lack of leadership and prospered. They embraced, we lost a few games and used the venue as an excuse.

Same with NZ

If we bail from there and make the same mistake twice... Close the bloody doors

I agree we need to stick at NZ. It will take time to build something but it has money, member and sponsor growth potential - the life blood of our clubs future. The problem with Tasmania was we were so damn desperate for that second flag it blinded us. With such a strong, talented list this felt like our big chance and anything that jeopardised it had to be jettisoned. I must admit I was one of those who wanted to us ditch Tassie because I thought it was hampering our tilt at the flag. I got the feeling the majority of supporters thought this to. In retrospect is was short sighted but can you blame us fans starving for a premiership so much it hurts? Lets learn from our mistakes. 13,000 on a cold, windy, slippery night is ok. We can build on that. Showing respect to NZ troops is gunna get us into their good books.

[BigMart]

How did it hamper our chance to win a flag?

If we couldn't defeat another neutral team at an outside venue, because it was to hard... Our list was in no way going to be able to mentally overcome the occasion of a big final in outside conditions.

The argument was very soft IMO

Finals were not at Etihad

Good players (strong as you proposed) win games of footy anywhere.... We gave them an excuse to lose... We ran back home to mummy and were softer for it

Mental toughness is not for the faint hearted... Was that an easy decision?!

[Bluthy]

How did it hamper our chance to win a flag?

...because we were losing games there a lot of us felt we would have won at the dome making us finish lower on the ladder. You finish 3rd instead of 1st or 2nd your road to the grannie can be a lot harder incl interstate trips. Were you this strong at the time about continuing to play there at the time or is this 20/20 hindsight?

[BigMart]

I am Tasmanian... What do you reckon?!

I was vocally filthy (but in the minority on SS) about the soft decision

Why were the team unable to beat a neutral team in Tas but believed they could have beat them at the dome? How does this way of thinking help you win at the MCG in September?

We went interstate and won in 2005... Then lost to Sydney in Melbourne... So Both us and Sydney proved you can win wherever.... With the right mindset?
Do Hawthorn have that attitude towards Tas? We were almost annoyed we had to go there?.... And play against a team that had to fly from either Adelaide or Perth... To Melbourne and the connect to Launceston and play in weather 10 degrees colder than they were used to?... But they did it?!

GT needed his f***ing arse kicked for his weak minded whinging and disrespectful attitude towards Tasmania! Maybe he should have led the March into Tassie... Not led the retreat!!!

Weak as Piss attitude!!!

[satchmo]

GT needed his f***ing arse kicked for his weak minded whinging and disrespectful attitude towards Tasmania! Maybe he should have led the March into Tassie... Not led the retreat!!!

Weak as Piss attitude!!!

There's the biggest load of bollocks ever posted on the entire internet!

Grant is "weak minded whinging and disrespectful" ? Could well describe your own post.

[BigMart]

I'm sure it's not....

I think you'd be in the minority....

It was a bad decision, that simple!

[70s sainter]

The saints never had a deal like the hawks to play in tassie. They get millions to play down there whereas we only benefited from playing at a lower cost ground against teams that we usually have small crowds for. Personally i was rapt that we left tassie to play our home games back in melbourne.

[saintdooley]

Found this short video. It's sick! Anyone who's been there will recognise a lot of the spots