Opinion Commentary & Media VII

[Themanbun]

Coaches are largely to blame for changing the nature of the game by contracting the ground so that we routinely see 36 players in one half and none in the other.

This is possible because we have a sport that has no offside rule.

Some of these annoying rule changes are as a direct result of that.

In Rugby League the opposite is the case, they’ve changed the nature of the game by deliberately changing the rules, the fact that there’s an off side rule has limited the extent coaches can influence how it looks.

Wouldn't an offside rule have more compression?

 

[giantroo]

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Don’t expect? How would you know? I distinctly remember reading elsewhere on this forum that you suggested Sonja was running a tight ship these days. I am not sure how you can jump to that conclusion about our leaders in 2025. :stern look

I'm inferring that from what I saw today. There was no sense from Clarko or Viney that we are about to hand the captaincy to Harry Sheezel.

 

[Flawed Genius]

So he's spoken to Carey or some other disgruntled ex board member or something and they've said yeah f*** they're bad hey, and he's run with 2+2=North to Tassie.

Journalism

 

[Passmore]

So he's spoken to Carey or some other disgruntled ex board member or something and they've said yeah f*** they're bad hey, and he's run with 2+2=North to Tassie.

Journalism

 

[ApplecrossWC]

I have a mate that watches EVERY game every weekend

 

[Hearts to hearts]

wtf is this?

 

[Reagan Smash]

Midweek Tackle of gossipy fish wives

 

[muttley45]

Stop the press, we haven't got a shorts sponsor, ffs, desperately seeking attention arsehat.

 

[Ry009]

Turn it up Landsbergers.

 

[desie]

Wouldn't an offside rule have more compression?

Yes, but it’s a collision sport by nature, there’s very little you can do from a structural perspective to fundamentally change how it’s played.

There’s much more flexibility for coaches to implement game altering strategies with a game on a larger ground where people can go where they want.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I personally believe the way the game is played, there are probably 6-8 teams too many right now.

For a country with a population of 26 million, 19 teams is certainly plenty.

Okay so this is just an exercise in numbers.

In 1974, there were 12 teams in the VFL and Australia's population was 13.72 million. Virtually no players came from NSW or QLD, while SA and WA leagues were still very strong. Arguably, the VFL was just drawing from Victoria's population along with a small number of interstate recruits, but I'll ignore that point.

In 1984, there were still only 12 teams in the VFL and Australia's population was 15.58 million. There were still virtually no players from NSW or QLD but the VFL was by this point swallowing up many of the quality players from SA and WA.

In 1994, the VFL had become the AFL, the game was national and there were 15 teams. Australia's population was 17.81 million and we were finally seeing some very good players emerge from NSW and QLD.

Here we are in 2024, with a population of 26.65 million and an 18 team league.

So across 50 years, our population has almost doubled and we've gone from 12 to 18 teams. On a pro rata basis, if you were to say the game was great in the 70s or the 80s, then the AFL should be able to handle at least 23 teams. And if you take the 90s as the benchmark, then proportional population increase still assumes 23 teams would be feasible today.

 

[Themanbun]

Arguably, the VFL was just drawing from Victoria's population along with a small number of interstate recruits, but I'll ignore that point.

Just a small point to ignore lol

 

[desie]

Okay so this is just an exercise in numbers.

In 1974, there were 12 teams in the VFL and Australia's population was 13.72 million. Virtually no players came from NSW or QLD, while SA and WA leagues were still very strong. Arguably, the VFL was just drawing from Victoria's population along with a small number of interstate recruits, but I'll ignore that point.

In 1984, there were still only 12 teams in the VFL and Australia's population was 15.58 million. There were still virtually no players from NSW or QLD but the VFL was by this point swallowing up many of the quality players from SA and WA.

In 1994, the VFL had become the AFL, the game was national and there were 15 teams. Australia's population was 17.81 million and we were finally seeing some very good players emerge from NSW and QLD.

Here we are in 2024, with a population of 26.65 million and an 18 team league.

So across 50 years, our population has almost doubled and we've gone from 12 to 18 teams. On a pro rata basis, if you were to say the game was great in the 70s or the 80s, then the AFL should be able to handle at least 23 teams. And if you take the 90s as the benchmark, then proportional population increase still assumes 23 teams would be feasible today.

Which is fair enough, but a lot of that population growth has come from overseas migration, there is a much greater proportion of people who were born overseas than there was even 30 years ago.

No doubt some of that cohort have taken up the game but I suspect it’s still quite foreign to the majority.

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

Taranto and Hopper

Hopefully they are still close to a few old mates at GWS Sydney so they can pick up freebie tickets to watch their old team in the next couple of grand finals.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Which is fair enough, but a lot of that population growth has come from overseas migration, there is a much greater proportion of people who were born overseas than there was even 30 years ago.

No doubt some of that cohort have taken up the game but I suspect it’s still quite foreign to the majority.

That's a fair counter argument. I just get annoyed with the whole "There are too many teams these days, please eliminate 3!" nonsense. There is an inference that this argument has some basis of mathematical / population data behind it but it is entirely personal opinion. But as they say, facts don't care about your feelings.

 

[LB2Snake]

There’s certainly people campaigning for our destruction. These two clowns to being in with.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Whenever Sam Landsberger talks I want to put my head in a blender.
Becoming the muppet of all muppets.

 

[Topparoo]

Soccer is a serious threat to the game. I am a recently retired primary school teacher and for the last 18 years of my career I taught in Melbourne's outer fringe. When I started at this particular school it was AFL central, by far the most popular sport in town. Footballs were everyone on the oval during recess and lunch. The local community club was across the road from the school and so many kids (boys as the girls game hadn't taken off at that time) played on the weekend in the local juniors comp. But the demographic changed and by the time I left in 2020 during recess the oval was littered with soccer balls, sadly our game had all but disappeared as the mainstream game, not only at my school but throughout the area.We would have a footy day once a year and pre 2010 ish the school yard was full of AFL guernseys and always a handful of North supporters. In my last years footy day was now mostly European and south American soccer jerseys, AFL well in the minority.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Topparoo]

Oh gee not another coaching succession plan, don't they work well!

 

[Passmore]

“News” might be a bit generous, Peter.

 

[danj]

Thats why the McDonald family are protected by their mates at the NMFC
It’s time to get some Fu:king Cu:t into people at our club and start displaying it on and off the field this club and make the hard decisions.
Open your eyes please and don’t shut them thinking what’s going on will disappear.

Yep unfortunately that’s how the board has effectively operated since 2007 looking after ‘north people’ rather than be focused on what it takes to win the n xx flag, it’s almost like we’ve had a shadow board running the club, especially in the playing department, needed to be a lot harder

 

[berniemccarthy]

Whenever Sam Landsberger talks I want to put my head in a blender.
Becoming the muppet of all muppets.

Clark is worse. Spends his life whacking us with his inane shite.

 

[giantroo]