2014 Non-Crows AFL Discussion

[The Karma Bus]

Thank Christ if that happens - as long as they don't just remove the sub and keep 3 on the bench.

Lyons and Grigg's fortunes set to change! (If they're still here)

Reports are a cap of 80 interchanges and no sub..
Trying to reduce the congestion by limiting the ability for players to follow the ball all over the ground due to rotations, which is what the AFL have been wanting to do..
They know pretty well everyone hates the congestion..

Could change the way the game is played, change the type of pre-season training you should do, everything..

 

[MRB37]

3AW reporting sub rule likely to gone for next year, great move if it's right. Looks like Sando's rant might have helped to at least get back to 4 on the interchange bench???

Mark Evans says it won't happen. Not sure where 3AW got their info from.

 

[cmndstab]

Reports are a cap of 80 interchanges and no sub..
Trying to reduce the congestion by limiting the ability for players to follow the ball all over the ground due to rotations, which is what the AFL have been wanting to do..
They know pretty well everyone hates the congestion..

FFS. That would be exactly like the AFL. Finally have a great idea - dropping their moronic substitution rule - only to wreck it by giving us a system even worse than the debacle we have at the moment.

They still arrogantly believe that they can control the tactics employed by coaches without actually making rules specifically banning the tactics they (the AFL) dislike. 80 interchanges and no sub? Nice work AFL, you've now put the game completely out of reach for anyone who isn't an elite endurance athlete. Hope you enjoy having 18 teams jam packed full of steeplechasers and triathletes who may or may not have actually seen an oval ball before being drafted.


Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the very concept that the AFL can "limit congestion" by implementing rules designed to fatigue the players is so foolish, it's almost humourous. Coaches don't have players follow the ball because it's fun. They do it because it helps them win matches. If the AFL makes it more tiring to do, the coaches will just place a greater emphasis on recruiting fit players, at the expense of things like footy smarts or good disposal.

And, in the changeover period, the poor players who were recruited to the list based on their footy skills rather than their endurance levels will be asked to place themselves at greater risk of injury due to fatigue, because no coach in the league is going to accept that "sorry coach, I couldn't make the contest because I was too tired, so my direct opponent won the ball uncontested".

 

[nerRADIAN]

FFS. That would be exactly like the AFL. Finally have a great idea - dropping their moronic substitution rule - only to wreck it by giving us a system even worse than the debacle we have at the moment.

They still arrogantly believe that they can control the tactics employed by coaches without actually making rules specifically banning the tactics they (the AFL) dislike. 80 interchanges and no sub? Nice work AFL, you've now put the game completely out of reach for anyone who isn't an elite endurance athlete. Hope you enjoy having 18 teams jam packed full of steeplechasers and triathletes who may or may not have actually seen an oval ball before being drafted.


Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the very concept that the AFL can "limit congestion" by implementing rules designed to fatigue the players is so foolish, it's almost humourous. Coaches don't have players follow the ball because it's fun. They do it because it helps them win matches. If the AFL makes it more tiring to do, the coaches will just place a greater emphasis on recruiting fit players, at the expense of things like footy smarts or good disposal.

And, in the changeover period, the poor players who were recruited to the list based on their footy skills rather than their endurance levels will be asked to place themselves at greater risk of injury due to fatigue, because no coach in the league is going to accept that "sorry coach, I couldn't make the contest because I was too tired, so my direct opponent won the ball uncontested".

Van Berlo to win the brownlow.

 

[BACCS]

righto ignore the facts, wouldn't be the first time

What facts? All you posted was hearsay.

 

[BACCS]

They're probably being managed as they don't have a lot to play for, they should finish 6th no matter what. I'm expecting a win.

No, they're both suspended.

 

[Dandy_GO]

Van Berlo to win the brownlow.

Someone get Sam Martyn on the phone!

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Apparently according to one, we also embarrassingly defended our chants night but they call stuff out that their own club does if it's s**t..
Yes, there was so much defense of the chant night anyway..

Has anyone tried to get one of the chants going?

 

[Wicky]

FFS. That would be exactly like the AFL. Finally have a great idea - dropping their moronic substitution rule - only to wreck it by giving us a system even worse than the debacle we have at the moment.

They still arrogantly believe that they can control the tactics employed by coaches without actually making rules specifically banning the tactics they (the AFL) dislike. 80 interchanges and no sub? Nice work AFL, you've now put the game completely out of reach for anyone who isn't an elite endurance athlete. Hope you enjoy having 18 teams jam packed full of steeplechasers and triathletes who may or may not have actually seen an oval ball before being drafted.


Obviously I'm exaggerating, but the very concept that the AFL can "limit congestion" by implementing rules designed to fatigue the players is so foolish, it's almost humourous. Coaches don't have players follow the ball because it's fun. They do it because it helps them win matches. If the AFL makes it more tiring to do, the coaches will just place a greater emphasis on recruiting fit players, at the expense of things like footy smarts or good disposal.

And, in the changeover period, the poor players who were recruited to the list based on their footy skills rather than their endurance levels will be asked to place themselves at greater risk of injury due to fatigue, because no coach in the league is going to accept that "sorry coach, I couldn't make the contest because I was too tired, so my direct opponent won the ball uncontested".

Understand what you are saying and agree to a point. Would be nice to get back to the pre flooding days where every player held a position though. Too much ugly footy now and I don't think we would ever have the extreme of poorly skilled pure athletes replacing the traditional natural footy beast

 

[ruscy002]

They're also talking about the sub rule being scrapped on On The Couch. Not sure if they've got their own mail or just repeating the rumour.

 

[ruscy002]

And Alex Rance has got a real touch of the figjams about him...

 

[Changaneen]

Rance will be an AA defender way before Talia.

 

[6BTS]

Do you reckon the people at AFL house are doing a little jig knowing that Fyfe has been suspended again. No more Brownlow controversy for them.

 

[ruscy002]

Substandard tealster troll attempt...

 

[6BTS]

Does the AFL have an addiction problem? In other sports, ugly tactics that have reduced the viewing pleasure for fans have happened and the opposition develop new tactics which makes the ugly tactics obsolete. The AFL, on the other hand, try to change the rules to counter tactics every time an ugly tactic comes along. This years AFL survey asked fans with a straight face whether we should bring in zones. I think this has gone on for too long now and the AFL are incapable of leaving the rules alone. This has to be an addiction problem.

 

[Tantidar]

Mark Evans says it won't happen. Not sure where 3AW got their info from.

I think they said on the couch that it was dwayne Russell (not 100%). If it was then odds are we're moving to 4 subs next year.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Talking about Mitch Clark on On The Couch.

I wonder if a club will roll the dice?

 

[Hank93]

Talking about Mitch Clark on On The Couch.

I wonder if a club will roll the dice?

Replacement for Pods?

 

[Tantidar]

Freo might, but that was an uncomfortable few minutes of viewing

 

[alex_is_on_fire]

Replacement for Pods?

If he plays - it will only be for a WA club I imagine.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Replacement for Pods?

Not old enough!

You'd think Freo are the obvious one. Pavlich getting on, no obvious replacement in house and they've been keen previously. Plus he's living in WA.

 

[1990crow]

Replacement for Pods?

I laughed. But then I sighed because we wouldn't be in contention even if he wanted to continue his career. Would solve the second ruck problem.

 

[ruscy002]

Not old enough!

You'd think Freo are the obvious one. Pavlich getting on, no obvious replacement in house and they've been keen previously. Plus he's living in WA.

Yeah, you'd have to put in an honest enquiry, but I seriously doubt he'd end up anywhere other than Freo given his history.

 

[cmndstab]

Understand what you are saying and agree to a point. Would be nice to get back to the pre flooding days where every player held a position though. Too much ugly footy now and I don't think we would ever have the extreme of poorly skilled pure athletes replacing the traditional natural footy beast

Sure, it would be nice - but it's not going to happen unless the AFL bite the bullet and make rules demanding it. Trying to force coaches to revert back to it by making the players more and more fatigued to the stage where the coach just throws his hands in the air and says "* it, you can all just stand still in your position" is simply not going to work. No coach would be the first to do it - because they'd get absolutely slaughtered by the other team who would outnumber the players holding their position at a ratio of 10:1 at every contest.

So, since that's not going to happen, what is going to happen? If the AFL continues to implement rules where following the play to every contest becomes simply too fatiguing to actually do, there are only two possible outcomes I can see. Either clubs will focus on recruiting endurance athletes far more than they do now (where they are generally either absolute top draft picks because they're also good footballers, or they're project players), or the alternative option which is that coaches will have their players follow the ball as much as possible, and then all go and flood the backlines for a rest when they can't sprint anymore.

In the mean time, we'll have far uglier football than we've ever had - endurance athletes who aren't skilled will become the primary midfielders, inside and out. Players on the brink of exhaustion will be making skill errors left and right. The majority of clean possession will come not on the back of a skillful handball or a contested mark, but on one player having slightly more staying power than his opponent and managing to finally burn him off.

What absolutely will not happen will be the coaches asking their players to hold position over the ground. We all moved on from that for a reason - it makes it extremely difficult to actually win games of football against teams willing to break position.


Sorry, not trying to have a go at you here - I'm just a little testy on this issue because the AFL has literally spent an entire decade now making the game frustrating as hell to watch by implementing rules to "limit congestion" without actually making a rule that deals with it directly. The new HTB interpretations around 8 years ago designed solely to reduce stoppages by forcing players into making poor decisions that allow their opponent to gain possession of the ball, when forcing a draw would be the better option, is a great example. The AFL hates stoppages because it gives everyone a chance to get around the ball. So what do they do? They change the interpretation of a rule so that stoppages are harder to get by requiring any player who ends up on top of a ball to make every possible attempt to get it out - even if that means giving it straight to an opponent. This is undesirable, of course, so now we have a situation where the players adapt and start loitering off the ball, waiting for their opponent to pick it up so they can tackle them and win the free kick. So what happens next? The ball winners start learning to lead with their head to prevent being tackled, and we end up with Lynch stretchered off the ground with a broken neck. Way to go AFL - that is 100% on your shoulders and you should be ashamed of it. And that's before we even look at some of the horrible leg injuries that have been caused entirely by the rule changes above, where players are now leading with their head, and other players adapted by sliding in feet first to win the ball instead. Those terrible leg injuries - those are your fault, AFL. You did it. It was you.

If the AFL actually had some guts and some conviction they'd just create a rule about congestion. No more than x players around the stoppage. Hell, they already have it in the centre square area for centre clearances. If they really believe that congestion is that big a blight on the game (it's not) then they should deal with it directly. But instead, they just keep trying to sneak rule changes through the back door which they give round-about justifications for, but which are clearly being introduced in the hope that players will be too tired to make it to every contest. And each time, coaches and players just find ways to adapt to it and continue to congest the area - and we end up with an uglier spectacle, and just as much congestion as before.

And that's before we even get to the question of how moronically negligent it is to deliberately fatigue the players. What is the effect on the likelihood of injury - both soft tissue injuries, because of extra wear and tear, and also impact injuries due to players being too fatigued to properly protect themselves? Did anyone at the AFL actually do a study on it before deciding it was what they wanted to do? What are the long-term health impacts for players being pushed to the brink of exhaustion more and more often each game? The AFL appears to use "less congestion" as a justification for doing anything whatsoever. It doesn't matter how ugly the spectacle becomes, how much the fans, players, coaches, commentators and everyone else hates the rule changes, it doesn't even matter if the rule changes are directly responsible for career-ending injuries. As long as congestion is lowered, everything's hunky dory.

Here's an idea, AFL - why don't you just kneecap every AFL player? That'll reduce congestion as well.

 

[Crow54]

Has anyone tried to get one of the chants going?

It's hard enough to get the old "Adelaide" chant going, let alone anything longer than one word ...