THE CROSS-CODE HISTORY WAR

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou - ready to celebrate 150 years.

The release of the NRL (100 Years) and the AFL (150 Years) television adverts has reignited a cross-code footy war.

In early August 2007, during an interview on ABC-TV's The Insiders l was asked by Roy Masters: "Is the AFL raining on the NRL parade?"

Masters' question had arisen because the day before the NRL and ARL launched their 2008 Centenary calendar of events (at the old Sydney Showground on August 8), the AFL had - seemingly out of nowhere - made an announcement of its plans to celebrate its own 150 years in 2008.

My reply to Masters was that "I think you're presupposing that AFL administrators have any awareness of Rugby League history."

I stand by that comment, and I honestly believe that at the time the AFL had always envisaged marking 2008 with some events, and that it had no idea that rugby league was turning 100 in the same year.

However, my suspicion - and one held by many in rugby league - is that once the AFL become aware of the scale of the ARL/NRL's plans for 2008, it "ramped up" its own anniversary plans.

I was already well aware that Australian rules had celebrated in 1908 and 1958, and I wasn't surprised that the AFL would do something to mark 150 years (notwithstanding that the 1858 game was rugby).

I did ponder though, given the AFL had celebrated its centenary very heavily back in 1996, how big its plans for 2008 would be. I wondered how credible some people would see the "150 years" so soon after the "100 years".

While I appreciate 1996 was celebrating a competition, and 2008 the code, many in the radio/tv media often prefer to talk in short-hand (e.g. "the AFL is 150 years old in 2008"), which leads to a blurring of the message, and the public being a little perplexed, or wondering if they are being taken for a ride by marketing gurus (for example - Big Footy thread) .

Looking at the NRL/ARL and AFL plans for 2008 it seems more than a coincidence that the AFL should schedule matches, and indeed create matches, to coincide (or "gatecrash") the league's most significant celebrations.

The most contrived AFL match being the "Hall of Fame tribute match", between a Victorian team and a combined South Australian and West Australian team. Held at the MCG on the AFL's "vacant" weekend, it is the same weekend as the centenary anniversary of the first rugby league Test match between Australia and New Zealand.

Shortly after the league launched its centenary website, an initially very light-on for historical content AFL "150 years" site appears.

I don't believe the AFL originally had the intention of marking 2008 with such fervour, but once it became aware of the ARL and NRL's plans, it suddenly found far more to celebrate.

If nothing else, this cross-code footy stoush demonstrates that both games are making headway in each other's citadels, and the fight is on.

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