Opinion What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? - Part 2

[The_Flying_Egg]

My seemingly unpopular opinions are that the Dogs were the comps best team in 2016 and the Tigers were the best team in the comp in 2017.

 

[Snake_Baker]

North - list was underrated. Brown, Tarrant, Cunnington and Waite are all exceptional footballers. Higgins, Ziebell, Wright, Atley, Macmillan and Jacobs are all solid-good more mature players. Thompson, Anderson, McDonald, Clarke, Daw etc are playing above expectations. People overplayed how strongly they would focus on youth and downplayed the importance of the more experienced players (myself included). Not an exceptional list, but not a poor one either. Very well coached.

Collingwood - again, list was underrated. Grundy, Howe, Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Treloar all exceptional. Phillips, Crisp, Langdon, Scharenberg, De Goey, Hoskin-Elliott, Stephenson, Thomas and Murray offering more than was expected. Good collection of players in the "key" age bracket.

GWS - really, their depth is diabolically bad and/or not ready for senior footy. Couple this with injuries to key playmakers in vital areas of the ground for their gamestyle and (thus far) underwhelming coaching performance and struggles are understandable. Their top end is terrific but they've lost some depth and seniority in the back two-thirds of their list over the past few years to keep it. They're underperforming but when you look at the players filling slots 17-22 at the moment it's more explicable.

St Kilda - disagree their list is average. I think it's still quite poor. Lack genuinely good players in mature age brackets. Lack stars. Lack consistently impactful mids. Lack leadership. They have some young talent but not enough at present. Underperforming? Maybe - but I expected them to be around this level.

Essendon - certainly underperforming, but lacking in a crucial area of the ground - inside midfield. That was clear in the pre-season.

Western Bulldogs - youngest and least experienced team in the comp by a long way week in, week out. Extremely different team to what they were in 2016. Few players in key age brackets and those that are are underperforming or out of the side with injury. Unbalanced list skewed towards developing talls (we had seven in the VFL last week despite Redpath, Adams, Morris and Collins being injured and Boyd, Naughton and Cordy playing seniors). List lacks a bit of leadership and features too much poor disposal. Fluctuating between underperforming and overperforming for mine.

Richmond - playing extremely well. Maybe not the best list but it's up there. It's probably the best balanced list in the competition though for mine. Lots of players in key age brackets. Well drilled. They were underrated for mine.

I dunno, I think you have a point: I do think the ability of a playing list has less influence than maybe some believe - players in key age brackets, balance, coaching and game style also have a large part to play - but I also think it's borderline impossible to accurately judge how good a list is. Too many moving parts. The above is a bit of a devil's advocate position to take to illustrate the alternative view, but I don't think anything is particularly unreasonable.

A seriously good, well thought out, and sadly all too rare post around here.

In regards to the North aspect, I suspect it highlights how much naive football folks tend to overrate midfielders when analysing a list. The recent terrible run with injury we have had over the past couple of seasons has highlighted our midfield depth issues, and impacted on a balanced analysis, and I include myself in that second category.

Norths drafting has actually been good, considering our selections, and so has our trading & development. Our spine of Brown, Waite, Cunnington, Thompson and Tarrant is as good or better than most clubs.

It's just a matter of keeping them all on the park.

 

[BattlerGM]

Unpopular from an Essendon perspective, but I f**kin' love Lance Franklin.

 

[big_e]

1) Essendon were harshly done by punished too hard in the drugs scandal.

2) young players should be allowed to pick and choose where they want to play and each club should get say three picks each per year. After that the remaining players go in a draft.

3) father son rule should be dropped to only one game. Sons should be allowed to follow their fathers footsteps. There would be draft pick bidding if a club didn't choose to pick them as one of their alotted players above

4) the salary cap would control the even spread of talent.

5) abolish all free agency.

Two and five are mutually exclusive.

 

[Bungeye]

The stat where ruckmen tapping to advantage is overrated. Patrick Cripps is a good player, not a superstar! If you have a player that's bigger than everybody else in the midfield that's a big advantage. By the way, has anyone mentioned his kicking skills?

 

[Blackhawk42]

I'd like to see a referral system for bad umpiring decisions. Not one that would waste too much time, but one the officiating umpire fan retract upon viewing the replay on the big screen. Would only work during set shots at goal, but often you'll see the player who 'infringed' tell the umpire to 'watch the replay'. Even if an umpire looked up and said 'yeah you're right', it doesn't change anything. And quite often can be a contributing factor in the direct result of a game. Wouldn't be popular I'm sure, but it's awkward watching an umpire refuse to watch the replay knowing they very well could have been too quick in calling the free at the time.

 

[Scotland]

Norths drafting has actually been good, considering our selections, and so has our trading & development. Our spine of Brown, Waite, Cunnington, Thompson and Tarrant is as good or better than most clubs

Agree with this (we're better) but the spine in talls is Brown (26), Waite (35), Goldstein (30), Thompson (32), Tarrant (29) so I can see why people aren't too bullish because there's every chance North's next batch coming through will miss having most of these guys around when they start playing good footy. Brown, Cunnington and perhaps Tarrant should be there for a tilt, though.

 

[big_e]

Agree with this (we're better) but the spine in talls is Brown (26), Waite (35), Goldstein (30), Thompson (32), Tarrant (29) so I can see why people aren't too bullish because there's every chance North's next batch coming through will miss having most of these guys around when they start playing good footy. Brown, Cunnington and perhaps Tarrant should be there for a tilt, though.

Yeah, but throw in Wood (24), Larkey (20), Durdin (21), Preuss (22), McKay (19), and Nielson (21) and you have a young spine who have all played at AFL level and who will work their way into the side as the old guys drop off one by one.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Agree with this (we're better) but the spine in talls is Brown (26), Waite (35), Goldstein (30), Thompson (32), Tarrant (29) so I can see why people aren't too bullish because there's every chance North's next batch coming through will miss having most of these guys around when they start playing good footy. Brown, Cunnington and perhaps Tarrant should be there for a tilt, though.

Brown: at least 6 more years, no issue.
Waite: year by year, but we have Garner still to come in, and a kid named Nick Larkey that looks every bit as good as a young Drew Petrie.
Goldstein: Stated on the weekend that he wants to play another 5-6 years. Fitness wise, that won't be a big issue. Preuss is the backup. Picked up a kid named Xerri who has done well in the VFL, but will need a couple of seasons to fill out.
Thompson: Should be in the AA squad. Missed about 6 games in 11 years. Could play for another 3 years.
Tarrant: Has 3-5 years left in him. We have Durdin (21) & McKay (19) in the best 3 every week in the VFL. Ben McKay would be playing in defence in half the other teams in the comp right now. Physically dominated Jordan Lisle on the weekend.

Our spine for now and the future is in excellent shape. It's the midfield that lacks depth and unless you have been living in a cave, you would know that we are seeking to rectify that situation very quickly.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Yeah, but throw in Wood (24), Larkey (20), Durdin (21), Preuss (22), McKay (19), and Nielson (21) and you have a young spine who have all played at AFL level and who will work their way into the side as the old guys drop off one by one.

You left out Vickers - Willis (22) mate, who is a certified 200 game player unless something really untoward happens injury wise.

This is the thing, folks don't realise that we have been taking the best available players with our later picks over the past 5-6 seasons, which is where you get the better KPD and flanker types, and accumulated an excellent crop of defenders and forwards going forward. This has been overlooked.

 

[big_e]

You left out Vickers - Willis (22) mate, who is a certified 200 game player unless something really untoward happens injury wise.

This is the thing, folks don't realise that we have been taking the best available players with our later picks over the past 5-6 seasons, which is where you get the better KPD and flanker types, and accumulated an excellent crop of defenders and forwards going forward. This has been overlooked.

Love Two Dads but was simply thinking spine. Have him pegged more as a mid-sized third defender, like Guy McKenna.

 

[Luv_our_club]

Unpopular from an Essendon perspective, but I f**kin' love Lance Franklin.

He loves playing against you.... haha

 

[BattlerGM]

He loves playing against you.... haha

Ha ha that's obviously the time I appreciate his talent least! But yeah, can't help it. Love him.

 

[Plat]

-Gerard Whately is a namby pamby fence sitter who's entire reputation is built off sitting silently while Robbo rants on and on.
-Max Gawn should be favourite for the Brownlow after 9 rounds
-Scott Pendlebury is past his best
-Clayton Oliver is just as good as Patrick Cripps and 2 years younger
-Bob Murphy is a self serving flog
-A team winning its first game of the season after 9 rounds should not be celebrated
-Richmond will go back to back

 

[BPikkers]

Hawk supporters are like that girl who rates herself and sticks her nose into other people’s business trying to cause trouble.

Tiger fans are like the guy who has his first sexual experience at 30 years old and feels he is the expert at it and proceeds to tell the world all about it when everyone else lost their virginity at 18.

 

[BPikkers]

Sure

North - Worst list - Playing very well
Collingwood - Average list - Playing very well.
GWS - Excellent list - playing average (injuries a factor).
StKilda - Reasonable list - playing poorly
Essendon Reasonable list - playing poorly.
Footscray - Good list - playing poorly.
Richmond - Excellent list, but not the leagues best - benchmark.

Don't get me wrong. A good list is important but I place much greater value on the mindset of the players, good coaches, development and culture. Based on the examples above, I don't think the correlation between having a good list and being a good team is that strong.

Only my opinion

The question I have is how you determine North as having the worst list while the Bombers and St Kilda have a reasonable list and Doggies a good list? Because of the media? Some sort of reputation? I’d argue St Kilda have a poor list and the Bombers have a very over-rated list (average at best). North have a more balanced and more exciting list than the 3 you rate above them.

 

[Deledio_Judd]

-Gerard Whately is a namby pamby fence sitter who's entire reputation is built off sitting silently while Robbo rants on and on.
-Max Gawn should be favourite for the Brownlow after 9 rounds
-Scott Pendlebury is past his best
-Clayton Oliver is just as good as Patrick Cripps and 2 years younger
-Bob Murphy is a self serving flog
-A team winning its first game of the season after 9 rounds should not be celebrated
-Richmond will go back to back

Gawn is in amazing form, would be great to see him go on with it and Melbourne to win enough games just to see how his season is viewed from the umpires perspective.

 

[Wickzki]

Clayton Oliver is just as good as Patrick Cripps and 2 years younger

Extremely unpopular from a Carlton fan's perspective but Oliver is already more damaging than Cripps is. Until Cripps can improve his kicking - doubly so his set shot kicking - there's an absolute glass ceiling on how good he can be.

 

[Wickzki]

Gawn is in amazing form, would be great to see him go on with it and Melbourne to win enough games just to see how his season is viewed from the umpires perspective.

1 vote Max Gawn, Melbourne
2 votes Max Gawn, Melbourne
1 vote Max Gawn, Melbourne

I can see him polling in 10-12 games this year and finishing with 20ish votes (give or take one or two either way) but not sniffing the Brownlow.

 

[Deathray]

My unpopular opinion (at least amongst media folk needing a mid week topic) is I couldn’t care one bit about tribunal decisions.

The lead up debate, the reporting of the decision, the post decision analysis, the follow up reporting on whether an appeal will be lodged. Seriously who freaking cares that much other than desperate journos.

 

[Blackhawk42]

Despite quite often being rage-filled during games, I am very good at acknowledging when Hawthorn have been given lucky free kicks. It's for this reason that I stick to my guns when I thought Luke Parker should have been suspended for his hit on Impey a few weeks ago. Didn't think a suspension was unreasonable. Also didn't think a suspension was unreasonable for Cotchin last season for a similar incident.

 

[BattlerGM]

The question I have is how you determine North as having the worst list while the Bombers and St Kilda have a reasonable list and Doggies a good list? Because of the media? Some sort of reputation? I’d argue St Kilda have a poor list and the Bombers have a very over-rated list (average at best). North have a more balanced and more exciting list than the 3 you rate above them.

Media and reputation don't really come into it (for me anyway). Just an overall assessment. Make no mistake - North's list is poor. The worst of the four you addressed. Essendon's is better but to help generate sales it copped a lot of unwarranted media hype.

 

[wagstaff]

My unpopular opinion (at least amongst media folk needing a mid week topic) is I couldn’t care one bit about tribunal decisions.

The lead up debate, the reporting of the decision, the post decision analysis, the follow up reporting on whether an appeal will be lodged. Seriously who freaking cares that much other than desperate journos.

100% this, bores the hell out of me.

On the occasions I switch onto AFL360 on Monday nights this always seems to take up the first segment which is one of the reasons I don't particularly like that show much.

 

[Luv_our_club]

100% this, bores the hell out of me.

On the occasions I switch onto AFL360 on Monday nights this always seems to take up the first segment which is one of the reasons I don't particularly like that show much.

That first segment is far more engaging than when the coaches come on Monday nights..... haven't watched the coaches for 5 weeks now.

My unpopular opinion..... James Hird's new podcast is the best footy media around atm. James and Crawf offer insights into the game i have never heard before, often discussing tactics that seem like secrets. Highly recommend.

 

[Corkintheocean]

'Danger money' is included in the inflated wages of AFL players. As such, they are implicitly giving consent to occasional accidental collisions that occur on the field and therefore, save for seriously egregious acts (king hits, spitting, biting etc), player suspensions should be significantly decreased from their current level.