The Merge
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2019
- July 4 1996, a special day in our clubs history, when the Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy Football Club's officially merged. Airing 5pm this Saturday on Fox Footy, 'The Merge' details the lead-up to that day, featuring key figures such as Kevin Murray, Jonathan Brown, Alastair Lynch, Ross Oakley and Alan McConnell.
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#AllForOne - Sport
This is so interesting I’ve heard a bit about the Fitzroy legacy but not much about the Bears as well till now
For anyone looking for a bit of nostalgia. Head to Brunswick street oval during the footy season to watch Fitzroy play in the amateur association. They wear the old jumper, play the old song, buy a knitted scarf from the lovely old ladies, all the supports belt out CARN THE ROYS and you can have tea and cakes for $5 in the function room at half time. Pub across the road and right next to the city - what’s not to like! By far the biggest supporter base in the VAFA and it’s a fun arvo each time. I see it that I can have a bit of both - supported the Roys growing up and now Brisbane, but can enjoy the grass roots in red gold and blue too.
sayerma Mate you cant go their right now under Communist leader Dan Anping
@@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760 all of that is just
no
Hopefully I can go there next year if there are no more lockdowns. I would rather watch a game like this than shell out $$$$$ to watch Goldcoast
maroon blue and gold , not red xx
Excellent documentary
Still brings tears to my eyes, I'm a proud 🦁 supporter through and through, I was a 16 year old when we merged and was at our last game in Victoria against Richmond at the MCG which should have been the actual last. I'm still a proud Brisbane Lions supporter to this day, we had a great run at the start of the 2000's and I'll never forget the joy and happiness I felt at the final siren in 01 when we beat the Bombers for our first premiership since 44 it was euphoric.
Up the Lions for the 2020 season if it ever gets going lol.
I’m a bombers supporter but I’m pleased for you that’s your club you are a true supporter cheers 🍻
@@brettfehlberg9842
Thanks brother.
I note that the production of this documentary has been of the highest quality and respectful to the Fitzroy Legacy.
Management often misjudges markets and seemingly applying financial rules to Fitzroy that were and are not applied to others is another one of those cases in point. Fitzroy has a long history and many supporters could not bear the pain of watching their club being berated at every opportunity in the news, hence the support slowly waned. In short they were worn down. Melbourne arguably could not support 10 clubs in the 1990's, however Melbourne quickly grew beyond expectations and TV rights have increased shifting the conditions in favor of operating in the Victorian Market. There is an arguable case that a foundation club like Fitzroy, given its underlying support and the growth of its home market could have survived and thrived if it had enjoyed some of the strategic support. Many comments are heard that there are now not enough games in Melbourne. Perhaps the Roy's could have assisted in filling the void? Let's hope this is not visited on any more clubs and the competition in general.
@@nickhaughain5784 Evidence and rhetoric are very different the Lions, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney have been given multitudes of concessional and financial support to stay afloat over time. Where the returns for this investment are coming from is arguable at best and nonviable at worst. GWS had to hand back some of their finals ticket allocation this indicates support is not overwhelming. Those who have a stake in the outcome need to watch this space.
Why doesn’t this channel have more attention
Absolutely fantastic documentary. Although I'm a very passionate life long Geelong supporter, I will never forget what it was like back in the Mid80s- through the 90s. With so many clubs battling to survive. It's truly is a fantastic story in the end with the three flags. Now the Lions are back as a force once again. Fantastic Club and even better supporters.
Very interesting documentary. While I live in America, but I chose the Lions to be my AFL club. I read up on the Bears, Fitzroy and the merger. After watching this, I’m glad I chose the Lions. Go Lions!
@MUFC shut up pussio
@J G WTF? these posts turn me off Soccer. Bunch of pussies. I suggest you comment of Soccer/Football uploads. You sound like a pathetic sook...go away..
sorry W. thought I was responding to a dipshit pushing soccer My bad...
I remember that process and It’s hard to see what they went too. To me I’m a North Sydney Bear supporter in NSWRL. We are feeder club to Sydney Roosters, but we retain our identity, club colours and logo.
@@clevelandwilliams5922 Would you support the Bears if they relocated to Perth?
I like how the Brisbane 'Bears' mascot is a koala.
Kevin Murray was my grandfather's favourite "old" player and Pa wasn't even a Roy supporter so just goes to show how special of a player bulldog was back in his hay day
And now Browny works with Lynchie and Roosy on Fox Footy!
The colours, the link between players who played for Fitzroy and Brisbane. Seemed like destiny.
Go Brisbane Lions! 🦁🙌
We owe it to Kevin to win another flag!! Come one Lions for 2020
Kevin Murray he is a SELL OUT. He sold out Fitzroy. The Brisbane Lions pay him a Wage to talk about how much of Fitzroy is in the Brisbane Lions. Honestly the Brisbane Lions have nothing to do with Fitzroy.
BanLiveExport Kevin Murray someone who played for Fitzroy & has common sense. You hide behind your screen being bitter I bet you didn’t even give Fitzroy a cent if he’s a sellout your a FRAUD. I don’t even pity supporters who chose not to move on after 23 years I feel embarrassed for them & you lol 😂.
@@MRHenHen If Brisbane had not of taken over Fitzroy they would of Merged with North Melbourne. Most Fitzroy fans do not support Brisbane. Just have a look at their Crowds in Melbourne for their 5 or 6 matches a year. There are games in Melbourne where there would not be 1000 Lions Supporters in the whole stadium and 200 of them would be Bears supporters.
BanLiveExport yes I do I see a lot of Fitzroy scarves & jumpers at Brisbane Lions games in Melbourne from old & young supporters who weren’t even born when Fitzroy merge. Brisbane now have just as much Victorian members as Fitzroy did in 1996. Do you really think North Melbourne would have give a shit about Fitzroy history I think not lol 😂
BanLiveExport If the bitter fools actually pulled there head from out of their arseholes they would have seen the North Fitzroy was going to be a takeover with there demands did anyone really think the other clubs where going to vote for it lol 😂
I was a passionate Fitzroy supporter and idolised Alastair Lynch growing up.
Sad to see Lynchy leave end of the 1993. i also took a liking for Brisbane Bears in 94 when Lynchy went there.
When Fitzroy merged with brisbane I was sad but happy
I still think Robert Walls built that team to win that premiership in 2001.
Wonderful insight into the past, the heartache the indignity, the fightback and the success all rolled into one! Go Lions.
An inspirational documentary. Two clubs becoming one.
Jon Brown, always showed the most insane courage on the field.
Brilliant, thanks for uploading!
This was fantastic. I grew up a Hawks fan but lived in QLD. When the Bears moved to the GABBA and stated to play well my loyalty to the hawks wained. But when the merger happened I could not support the lions. But living in brissie I have always had a soft spot for them and was so happy for them when they claimed the three peat and enjoyed wthing there talented group play.
Why couldn’t you support the Lions?
Great work thank you GO LIONS
As a Pies supporter I cried towards the end......Thinking about all the fans that had been following fitzroy for so long....to then have no team to follow........So much history for the club to be swallowed by another.
@MUFC Soccer is gay!!
MUFC bro literally no one cares mate stfu
What about the bear's supporters, their club changed everything identifiable about them besides the location.
Fitzroy fans just went and joined Brisbane mostly. Yet again, some clubs could've made the change more subtle. North Melbourne Kangaroos were asked to be a QLD/NT team and to rename to the "Northern Kangaroos". No changes otherwise. They turned it down.
It's good for North Melbournians, I guess. But Darwinians have no AFL team (other than their NEAFL team which no longer exists).
@@bearmarco1944
The AFL should've invested in teams from NT and Tasmania rather then Gold Coast and Western Sydney.
Darwin Dingoes and Tasmania Devils would be far better choices.
In my opinion.
Also Fitzroy and North Melbourne would have been the better merge.
Back in 1996 Robert Walls almost got the Bears into a Grand Final the year before the merger. He was 1 win away from getting into a Grand Final, I was at that North Melbourne V Brisbane
Bears game and it was just nerves that got them stunned in the first quatre.
that wan't Walls it was John Northey
@@JTalkinsport I thought Northey only did 1 and a half years as coach left half way thorough the 98 season then Roger Merritt took over in 98, as we got the wooden spoon that year.
Excellent doco, one of the best I've seen on Aussie Rules. Even-handed, interesting people interviewed, good archival footage, etc.
All the stories told in this documentary were fantastic but none better than the stories of Kevin Murray, an absolutely beautiful man!
There it is what a great doco Ive been looking for this for ages I was a near 7 at the time of the merger thanks for the upload and I can also say if I was a Fitzroy supporter I wouldn’t follow Brisbane not because of our losses to them in the Grand Finals but because Fitzroy were Victorian and should of merged with another Victorian club I still believe Brisbane are the bears with Fitzroy heritage and it wasn’t a merger it was a takeover like Mconnell said
Rendlebury It was a business decision at the end of the day. I know the other presidents voted for the Brisbane merger but it was Ross Oakley’s dream to bring Port Adelaide into the AFL & he got what he wanted. Fitzroy member’s weren’t allowed to vote on the club’s future unlike Hawthorn & Melbourne. The way the AFL handled the merger was a disgrace Ross Oakley never showed any compassion to any Fitzroy people
Problem is no other teams wanted to merge apart from North
I wouldve liked to have seen Brad Boyd and Chris Johnson be interviewed. Get more of a players perspective from that final year at Fitzroy.
Great piece of history!
How ironic that the reason they didnt want north and fitzroy to merge was the fear of a 'super team' - look what happened 5 years later
Yeah had nothing to do with that though.
Well look the Fitzroy bit of that team was hardly anything Brisbane on its own was gonna win a grand final anyways all they got was Jonathan Brown
Now look what happened to north. Joke of the league
the Brisbane bears would definitely be a way better team than North Melbourne
Yea the Bears
I really feel for Fitzroy supporters ... the merger from their perspective is the worst thing to happen to a Club of local supporters. I went through the exact same thing with my Rugby League team in the 80's ... Balmain Tigers merged with our hated enemies, Western Suburbs Magpies! At that point I quit watching Rugby League forever and have never followed the comp since - that's how hard that merger hit it me so I know EXACTLY how Fitzroy supporters must have felt and perhaps still feel to this day. Happily however, Fitzroy did not merge with another hated local Melbourne AFL Club ... can you imagine that as an alternative? Brisbane are my Club and I will say this - I take into account the back story and History of Fitzroy Football Club - fear not, the memory of Fitzroy lives on with the Brisbane Lions every time we take the field - take that to heart.
Did you back the cowboys in 2005?
I felt the same way for my North Sydney Bears. Then our team was spat out by Sea Eagles and that was best thing those Manly Warringah boys did. Because we remained the North Sydney Bears in NSWRL. Now we are feeder club to Sydney Rooster, another foundation club.
Tigers got off way better than magpies. They kept the colours and logo. Sorry but I feel more sorry for their supporters than tigers supporters
@@clevelandwilliams5922manly should have been kicked out of the league after they un-merged
It is not a real merger. It was just a reason for the AFL to keep the Lions moniker. The Lions received a buck load of cash and Chris Johnston. The rest of the players were crap and not worth keeping.
Fitzroy should have been pushed into the state level competition and probably would still be existing today.
Awesome. Thanks!
Still brings a tear to my eye every time i watch this :(
Great doco.
Brilliant doco
Ok, that was Awesome!!
Great doco. Whilst the merge was necessary the FFC were not treated with the respect and dignity they deserved from neither media, the AFL nor the wider footy community. Noel Gordon a great example of this.
I’ll be cheering the Lions today (GF Day 2023). Good luck Roy Boys!
The man that started it all my local footy team are gonna merge so we can have two teams there’s so much things that AFL Barwon are doing and no one wants to give the club up.My dad was a Fitzroy fan and he just didn’t know what to do the merge changed everything for all the OG lions fans it didn’t deserve to happen but Fitzroy to the end.
The passion Kevin Murray speaks with is so heartwarming. What a legend.
Yes definitely
To this day, I still believe the dissolution of the Fitzroy Football Club was a disgrace.. the league propped up fledgling interstate clubs for decades.. I’m glad we lost the rich history of a founding member of the VFL to have the privilege of the soulless Gold Coast Suns in 2022…
What a beautiful video, I really love how the AFL expanded the great game and how they didn't just throw Fitzroy under the bus but actually recognised the contribution they gave to football. The fact Jonathon Brown went to Brisbane was significant too, he was a Victorian and for him to go play for the Brisbane Lions was so imprtant to them succeeding. Good times ahead for Brisbane
Ross I love your honesty
Despite what Victorians believe like the bible, Aussie Rules in Victoria is the least relevant indicator for the AFLs success. National expansion will determine where the league sits in 20 years, and international expansion will determine where the league sits in 30-60 years
There is nowhere left to go other than Tas, and international expansion will never happen without a crazy billionaire who is willing to haemorrhage buckets of money steps in
Yeah Victoria is the largest state that follows football (also the second largest populated state.) The fans aren’t going to go, “I followed my team since birth. Now they’re merged and their history is wiped, that ok. I’ll just continue on like nothing happened.”
Aussie Rules won’t be an international sport anytime soon. Not even in 60 years. Great sport but way too much competition from other football codes which are already internationally established or are on their way of becoming internationally established and have a much much bigger following already. The three most prominent being of course Soccer, American Football and to a lesser extent Rugby Union. AFL should focus on making Aussie Rules the number one football code everywhere in Australia first.
@@LomuHabana that’s what they said about rugby league. It’s become somewhat popular. A few years ago it was only taken seriously in some parts of northern England, poor suburbs of Paupa New Guinea. It’s done pretty well although it’s pretty much unknown compared to Union
@@sliat1981 That is the thing, it is still not widely known nor very popular outside of its traditional strong holds. It is becoming more irrelevant rather than more popular in (northern) England in my perception, you also see that in international test matches of England. It is still very popular in NSW and Qld, and seems to be ( slightly) growing in NZ a nation that breaths rugby, but is still far behind Union. For the rest, it is an unknown and rather irrelevant sport and it won’t hold up against the far more globally popular Union which is rapidly growing and expanding.
Interesting to see how they spliced the promotional Brisbane Bears video with new footage. Lovely documentary that gives light to the Bears story and tells the tale some know of the Lions proud history yet horrible financial decision making that led to their demise.
Teared up a bit watching their last game tbh
not an afl fan but very interesting
Not a lions fan, I follow Sydney. But the old man is an old Fitzroy fan. Very interesting watch
F**k that was gutsy, tear in my eye
It’s so easy to tell other clubs what to do. As long as yours doesn’t merge
Couldn’t keep Fitzroy alive in Victoria yet the AFL approves crap like the Gold Coast Suns and wont let them die if that’s not a kick in the arse for all Fitzroy fans I dong know what is
It was a different time then mate. The afl nearly went broke.
But yeah they should just fuck off gold coast. And a Victorian team or two. And bring in a Tassie team.
Mabye st Kilda and Melbourne or north Melbourne
astonished hoplite 25
A ridiculous statement.
They’re too arrogant to admit they fucked up with Gold Coast and just relocate them to tassie already
@@astonishedhoplite2510 GC will come good, and you can't g ert rid of Melbourne. Before the AFL, there was the VFL. Before that, there was the VFA. Before that was the Melbourne Football Club.
@@bearmarco1944 yeah not the Dee's clearly right now 😂
It was the Fitzroy president at the time Leon Wiegard that voted for West Coast to enter the competition after getting the money from the West Coast power brokers which helped Fitzroy survive into the next season
I wonder how north felt about merging? Were their fans pissed off about their team being joined with the lions?
Well..a super-team was still formed
So glad my dees don’t merge with hawks. Won a flag without wiping our history
I love the pie's have since I was 8 years old. I was born and bred in QLD, but I'm sorry lions ...the pie's!😢
Fuck the pies. Most hated team in the afl
This is really interesting as a crows supporter
Didn't Fitzroy own a soccer team in the 70s called Fitzroy Alexander, who played a few years at the Brunswick Street Oval?
Shouldn't never have happened!!! Afl gives money to gws some of the other Melbourne teams as well!! One of the oldest clubs in Aussie Rules. I felt for that club. And in till this day the afl are a DISGRACE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn't Fitzroy offer to go and play games in Canberra, only for the AFL to refuse.
The AFL gave money to Brisbane to take over Fitzroy... absolutely guarantee it. The AFL could have bailed out Fitzroy... they only owed just over $1 million which is nothing. Instead they wanted Fitzroy to die and wanted Brisbane and Sydney who were basket case clubs in non- AFL states to win flags so they could get TV rights money.
It's an absolute joke to call it a merger and real Fitzroy fans would never barrack for Brisbane.
What about Paul roos
The word merge is wrong. This was a takeover.
Lived in Hervey bay in 95,used to ring up channel 7 every week and give them shit, Maryborough I think,I told ya didn't I mate,I told em alright,met leppa at the local bombers ground in the ninetys,got some good pics,I remember the kids driving him crazy,on ya leppa,
shit I live in that area, hervey bay specifically
So did my aunty.
Although Fitzroy was the team Footscray nearly merged with it was never really hated by the club. It really helped that they were helping them by being tenants at their ground.
When they died it hurt Footscray a lot.
This must never happen again. We’d lose more fans to soccer
A little old lady saved Footscray from merging with Fitzroy
@@Magpie_Mark92 it was way more complicated than that. I highly recommend watching the documentary “every dog has its day”. It’s on CZcams and it’s fantastic. And if you’re referring to Irene Chatfield, she was only in her 30’s at the time. Hardly old
@@Magpie_Mark92I hope you’re not to referring to Irene Charfield. She was not an old woman in 1989. She was still living with her parents
I still think there should be more mergers but instead of mixing the jumpers it should be one team gets the home jumper and one team gets the away jumper
Why should we lose more fans because their teams have been compromised and their history wiped? This should never happen again
@sliat1981 theres too many teams in Victoria and lots of them get spoon fed by the AFL
@@Magpie_Mark92 so we sacrifice clubs and fans because you don’t like it? Those teams played and joined when it was the VFL. They shouldn’t be kicked out for the sake of a national competition. It was started in Melbourne. The NRL is much worse. The only have 2 team out out two states
I’m so glad that hawthorn and Melbourne didn’t merge
Declan Moore me too
Footy Fanatic 18 except you probably would have enjoyed some more premiership glory
Hawthorn & Melbourne members where allowed to vote for their futures. The other clubs presidents sealed Fitzroy fate. Ross Oakley wanted Fitzroy gone at the end of 1986 he got what he wanted 10 years later & rode off into the sunset
Declan Moore except it wouldn’t be ours and it wouldn’t be yours. Both our history’s would have been wiped.
I’d take 50 wooden spoons before extinction
Declan Moore me too imagine if Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge had to have played with Nathan Jones oh ffs that would have been scary
I don't know if Nauru ever got their money back
Ramiro Maia When Brisbane merged with Fitzroy the AFL gave them $8 million as a merger incentive I don’t know if it was above the salary cap or not but Brisbane did payed Fitzroy’s $4.2 million debt to Nauru off
@@MRHenHen I’m pretty sure the AFL payed it off
As an Essendon supporter I think about that the bears and lions shouldn’t of combined
If Fitzroy stayed then crows or Collingwood besides port Adelaide would have won more flags
What a fantastic documentary. Best decision to merge Fitzroy with the Bears. Enormous respect for Ross Oakley. People can carry on about how they think he never cared about Fitzroy, but his duty was to the League and making sure the competition remained viable. Having Fitzroy’s proud history be adopted into Brisbane was another step in the direction of expanding the comp to what it is today. Brisbane embraced Fitzroy and its heritage far greater than any other Club would have done. That’s just common sense to know that. Fitzroy lives on through the Brisbane Lions, as attested by Kevin Murray. 💛
He didn’t care about Fitzroy. It’s been well documented he blocked Fitzroy from making any way of financial gain. Fitzroy wanting to be privately owned to relocation proposals to Tasmania & Canberra to the Schweppes sponsorship deal which would have given Fitzroy a big financial boost because the AFL major sponsor was Coca Cola. Even the way he handled the merger was a complete farce he didn’t give a shit about the small amount of members & supporters. They kept the club going for 10 years with little or no help at all from Ross Oakley. All he cared about was bringing Port Adelaide into the competition & he got what he wanted.
Up yours Oakley. Luckily Footscray power people saved them.
Two things we learned from this documentary- Robert Walls is a racist 24:40 and a homosexual 28:23
LOL
Not that there’s anything wrong with that
That merger was one of the greatest blights in football history. Fitzroy still exists as a footy club now playing at a level below the VFL... and they are in partnership deal with a club that has zero to do with the suburb of Fitzroy.
It’ll never happen but it’ll be a great day if Fitzroy were readmitted to the league.
The AFL was just determined to scrap a Melbourne club for more interstate clubs. Was a disgrace what happened to Fitzroy.
AstheniaSickness
Der
@@latenightlogic Your rhetoric is easy to notice. The fact you call non-Victorian clubs "interstate" already tells one all they need to know about how you see the *national* competition.
@@bearmarco1944 Dude, it was the Victorian Football League so to go beyond that you must go… yes it’s that word: interstate.
Yeah it’s a national competition - the heart and soul are in Melbourne and always will be.
What’s your point anyway?
@@latenightlogic It's the Australian football league now, an dc we've moved past the Victorian-centric competition. The VFL, second tier competition is all-Victorian. Save for the Queensland and NSW teams.
If there weren't non-Victorian teams coming in with millions of dollars to bail out the VFL, the competition would've gone bankrupt. Non-Victorian teams are the fuel of yhe competition, as a non-Victorian team has a higher member count than any other.
TL;DR, stop being Victoria centric.
@@bearmarco1944 so the competition that had been going strong from 1897 suddenly found itself going bankrupt in the 1970s and 80s? No. It was money and greed. The AFL would love to boot out more Melbourne clubs and put in focus group created clubs, anything to get more and more money. Now we’re left with the awfully named ‘Greater Western Sydney Giants’ egh.
Again: yeah it’s a national competition but the heart and soul are in Melbourne.
Oakley should've got rid of his own club St Kilda who had only had 1 premiership to Fitzroy's 8!
And how many wooden spoons have they won compared to Fitzroy's? 28 as opposed to 8
If Oakley had removed st kilda, 1977 would have been the last drawn granny not 2010 + north Melbourne would have won back to back flags in 97
He’s hawthorn. He was more than happy to ax them in 1996
'i'm from melbourne, why would i barrack for a club called brisbane??'
pick another club, you've got 10 of them lol.
You're obviously not from Melbourne then, you can't just pick another Melbourne club lol
It was the other Melbourne club presidents that voted for the Brisbane then North Melbourne fearing of creating a powerhouse club which is why some that didn’t go to Brisbane went to North Melbourne.
Yeah, that comment suggested to me that it was someone who wasn’t keen on the VFL expanding to become the AFL. One of those folks that didn’t want the game to expand as a National competition.
It’s not that easy to just change alligences
Kinda true. But then, just watch Fitzroy in the VAFA.
I went for the bears at the time and didnt want fitzroy which in the end was the reason me leaving and going to collingwood my dad had being trying for years to get me to collingwood
Just like Buckley, if you had of stayed, you would have been on the winning side of 3 Premierships......But that's in the past.....Go the Pies!!!!
@@SilentHotdog28no one had a crystal ball of what was gonna happen 10 years later
Collingwood is the team wimps go for because they’re too scared to go for a team they want just what everyone else are going for
@@sliat1981 more like theres those who barrack for Collingwood and those who wish they did
Maggie 92 no it’s more the “I just want to fit in with everyone else” people
Alan is so disconnect from reality
Fuk baby. I want go trust you n you fuk it
There are too many teams in Victoria, 4 more should go, saints dees dogs and north
No rack off my saints been around since 1873 not going anywhere 🔴⚪️⚫️. The clubs shouldn’t be torn away from fans we should invest in new clubs in Tassie and the Northern Territory instead.
There are too many Victorian teams. Please eliminate 4. I am not a crackpot
Seriously though the AFL is doing just fine now. Those clubs aren't the biggest but they still all have a minimum of 40k members, and financially there's no real problems. That might change in the future, but for now it makes no sense to move any clubs
@@walruso5745 who cares if club been for hundreds of years... It can survive and should go
@@damienmiller1302 not economically feasible and the comp suffers.... The talent are diluted... Who wants watch mediocre games....Saints North Dees and Dogs are struggling on and off field and should merge with the big boys. GC should be cut, and introduce a team from Tassie