Opinion Is the game dead?

[O_Grinners17]

I'd rather have what we have now instead of the 90s

 

[HTT]

I've heard this sort of conversation many times, but my query on the future of the game lies on the lack of growth. Our game might be popular but where is it growing?

1990-1999 was justified due to the game going national but since then we've seen very little growth.

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Average crowd graph I'm guessing? If so it looks like plenty of growth. 2000-2010 it increased by just under 10%. That's plenty. Obviously there was a bit of a drop when GWS and GC entered but that has been almost recovered fully now.

 

[iluvparis]

Average crowd graph I'm guessing? If so it looks like plenty of growth. 2000-2010 it increased by just under 10%. That's plenty. Obviously there was a bit of a drop when GWS and GC entered but that has been almost recovered fully now.

Interesting interpretation. It's actually still lower than it was BEFORE GWS and GC entered the competition.

 

[HTT]

Interesting interpretation. It's actually still lower than it was BEFORE GWS and GC entered the competition.

Still a bit lower but it’s close. Be interested to see what happens if you exclude the GC/GWS games as they do have below average crowds - especially in the case of GC.

 

[Pessimistic]

I've heard this sort of conversation many times, but my query on the future of the game lies on the lack of growth. Our game might be popular but where is it growing?

1990-1999 was justified due to the game going national but since then we've seen very little growth.

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Its like the addition of a few teams somehow makes the averages go backwards for a few years, recover than are level
after 1925 it took till the 50s (took a long time fro those teams to get success) steady till the 80s then drops off and recovers maybe because adding extra teams in established AFL areas. stays constant till 2010 with 2 teams in virgin territory, drops off recovers, then presumably will continue level till more expansion?

 

[Fletched]

I've heard this sort of conversation many times, but my query on the future of the game lies on the lack of growth. Our game might be popular but where is it growing?

1990-1999 was justified due to the game going national but since then we've seen very little growth.

View attachment 705563

Misleading to not have the total on this graph as well

 

[Furn2]

Interchange baby, get rid of it and you instantly get rid of the 72 worst players on the league available each week, while simultaneously adding 20 minutes to the time the Elite players play each week.

 

[Drummond]

No need for a rule change, just enforce incorrect disposal. You have to get rid of the ball by hand or by foot or it is a free kick. Only if the opposition player knocks the ball out of your hands it is play on.

This. HTB interpretation is so bad I can’t stomach much footy at all these days.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Remove percentage and make 'points for' the tie-breaker.

Very convenient rule change for teams who play home games in a dome with a roof.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I made the error of attending the Dons v Bloods game at the G.

Aside from the disappointing result and some extraordinary umpiring, the game was notable for being error laden and joyless as much for the 44 players and the fans.

The weather was still, the ground was in great nick but the game was simply not.

 

[rumply]

I made the error of attending the Dons v Bloods game at the G.

Aside from the disappointing result and some extraordinary umpiring, the game was notable for being error laden and joyless as much for the 44 players and the fans.

The weather was still, the ground was in great nick but the game was simply not.

You're making too much of the umpiring but otherwise I agree & the game was a copycat of Friday night, really poor for 3q then the mad rush to win. My patience for such tactics & games is at an end.

 

[Billy ray]

Still a bit lower but it’s close. Be interested to see what happens if you exclude the GC/GWS games as they do have below average crowds - especially in the case of GC.

GC get larger crowds than GWS

 

[rumply]

3 games so far this season in which both sides have kicked 100 points or more... 3...

 

[V_23]

Very convenient rule change for teams who play home games in a dome with a roof.

The AFL is all about 'convenient rules':

- Priority picks
- COLA
- Academies

 

[Demonic Ascent]

that's exactly what has happened. Most players defend 'space' now, not opponents. Coaches know if they place all 18 players in a defensive zone covering 70m ahead of the ball the chances of successfully navigating through and scoring are very low. It's like a huge game of soccer, and the low scoring reflects this. Low scoring and turnovers are a feature of most games. The 6 6 6 was great in theory but because goals are far less common the rule is only in effect for a small portion of the game, so it hasnt really helped at all.

That's why removing players from the field is the answer. There will not be enough players to cover space as the time it takes for a kick to get to an opponent will be quicker than the time taken for a defender to get there. The oval is too big for a reduced number of players to defend so will make zoning obsolete.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Why are low scores a sign of bad games? (Unless you're Channel7 banking on ad revenue)
Sometimes lower scoring games are full of the things we claim to like, contests and intense physical pressure. Yet whenever they occur out come the complaints. A variety of game styles is healthy, including dfefensive game plans when necessary.

And, yes, sometimes it is just poor skills - but not all the time.

Low scoring isn't the problem, congestion is. Low scoring is just a by-product.

 

[Billy ray]

They should trial the 16 on field in the pre season next season (official jlt but also any other practice games)

 

[Demonic Ascent]

It’s the most boring season in my lifetime. I said that when we’d won 7 in a row and sat second and I say the same now. Watching footy has seemed like a chore this year. I’m watching less and less every week and I reckon I’m enjoying my weekends more and more as a result. All the entertainment in our game now happens off the field.

I'm still watching quite a bit on tv (although have switched off many games through pure boredom) but going along to games has felt like a real chore. I've put that down to Melbourne being terrible but when a supporter of a team at the top end is saying the same thing I'm not so sure. It just feels like too much effort, especially the 320/440 games.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

I blame Paul Roos and the extreme defensive coaching mindset in his Swans days.

That’s what started it.

Terry Wallace/Rodney Eade say hi

 

[Shane Heard]

Terry Wallace/Rodney Eade say hi

Both are the anti-Christ of modern football. Roos is Satan himself.

 

[St Plugger]

They should trial the 16 on field in the pre season next season (official jlt but also any other practice games)

Seems to be more love for the 16 a side game now than we've seen in the many previous discussions re the state of the game/congestion footy. We already know it works, the VFA played 16-a-side from 1959 until 1992, so it doesn't need to be trialled, just implemented, like the 6-6-6 was this year.

 

[mxett]

You're seriously saying/thinking that coaches don't want to score goals? Silliest thing I've heard

then maybe you didnt hear right, I never said that at all. Fact is in order of priority defense is currently far more important to coaches than offense. They sacrifice scoring opportunities to ensure they are not scored against. You only have to look at the average turnover where players have no one forward to kick to.

 

[mxett]

I had a thought bubble that a kicked behind (not rushed) could be 3 points and then go back to centre bounce

interesting idea. Possibly worth trying in preseason?

 

[mxett]

Interesting interpretation. It's actually still lower than it was BEFORE GWS and GC entered the competition.

bringing in 2 expansion clubs with no pre-existing supporters was always going to drop the average attendance

 

[saintal]

The game isn't dead, but for the most part it's a rather dull affair. Genuinely entertaining contests have been a rarity in recent seasons.

As stated throughout this thread, conservative game plans, fitness base of professional athletes (congestion), sub-par skills and goal conversion (in part due to the dilution of talent) all play a part.

I watch a fair bit of SANFL footy, and have observed some far more enjoyable spectacles in that comp. (after a few mediocre seasons also)