Opinion Is the game dead?

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My Tilly

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Jun 30, 2018
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I'd rather have what we have now instead of the 90s

That is only because Richmond in the 90's were a laughing stock whereas footy today, they are relevant again.

If Richmond were just slightly competitive in the 90's, you would definitely opt for the football back then compared to the rubbish we see today.
 

Marc_Remillard

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I have an interesting observation.

There are many people who seek the game to remain the same in the name of tradition. However, the game ends up evolving on it's own and that tradition will inevitably die out. Therefore, the only way in which we can bring the game back to its traditional format, say the 80s with free flowing high scoring football is to force that style of play. These people who are up in arms about changing the game because they seek tradition are actually bringing about the downfall of what they seek. You want to get back to that style of football, you need to force at least 3 forwards to play in 1/3 of the ground like it always was.

The current game style is a direct result of ******* around with the rules, expanding the interchange has been the worst decision in the history of the game (well, perhaps the challenge rule but i wasn't around to see it)
 
Feb 21, 2006
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This has happened a fair bit before with a side in the 8 with a losing record.

This won’t be one of those years.

This just looks like you are salty because your team has been so far short of expectations this year.

I’d like a bit more higher scoring overall but this is just a stupid rant.

Supporting an underperforming team is definitely part of it. But watching neutral games, how many are 4,5,6,7 goals per team at 1/2 and 3/4 time? These were 1/4 time scores not that long ago and now we see 7 goals to 6 at 3/4 time it just makes for a boring spectacle. And it's not as if it's due to great defensive efforts. It's just congestion making it impossible for players to get clean possession before the inevitable turnover across half forward when the ball is bombed long to the spare defender. How much footy these days is just a rolling maul between the arcs? It's unwatchable.
 

O_Grinners17

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That is only because Richmond in the 90's were a laughing stock whereas footy today, they are relevant again.

If Richmond were just slightly competitive in the 90's, you would definitely opt for the football back then compared to the rubbish we see today.

Okayyyyyyy.....?
 
Feb 21, 2006
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Basically, the AFL needs to stop mucking around with onfield rule changes and instead, modify the training and dietary routines of the players.

From now on, breakfast should be bacon and eggs (or a 4am kebab if out on the turps, which is highly recommended), lunch to be a Four 'n' Twenty pie plus a Mars Bar for energy and for dinner a parma and chips. No less than half a dozen beers a day and at least half a pack of Winnie Blues.

The perfect specimen.

View attachment 705259

Seriously, let's face it - this game was designed to keep fat cricketers fit in the off-season and no matter how much we remember the late 80s - early 90s as a golden age (and it was) the players of today would run rings around those past champs in terms of fitness and stamina. The players of today are simply too fit and have evolved far past the point for which the game was designed to accommodate them. As someone said earlier, reduce the rotations and the even the number on the ground to sixteen.

The grounds re the same size but the fitness has increased exponentially. Combined with rotations (which was not a part of the game in its first 100 or so years) there are too many players covering too much ground. 16 a side makes sense but I would take it even further maybe down to 12 (4 mids, 4 forwards, 4 defenders). Potentially look at 13 (5 mids) with 2 wings and only 3 in the centre square.
 
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nobbyiscool

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Just to throw up a stat:

As of now, the top 5 scoring teams this season are the top 5 teams on the ladder.

Of course the "state of the game" argument comes mainly from the coaches - but I think it's wrong to suggest that coaches are overseeing boring, crap footy because they want to. They're doing it because their teams a crap and they have to.

It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy too. My big call for this season is that the Hawks are never coming back under Clarkson - you can't play this boring, defensive s**t cos you don't have the cattle then suddenly expect a bunch of those players to suddenly flick the switch.
 
Feb 21, 2006
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Go back to favouring players who make the play.

That is, be very strict on punishing illegal tackles and holding the man. It then follows that now if you do make a legal tackle, pay HTB ball promptly.
Scragging at contests is a massive issue that is never policed. Happens to all the best players from every team every week. As soon as the arms go round a player, pay holding the man. Bumping/blocking is ok to some extent but once the arms start to restrict the players movement it's a free kick.
 

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Feb 21, 2006
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can't believe how many people just immediately post something dumb about how the crowd numbers are still decent lmao. the topic is about the GAME not the families the AFL are attracting. it's not hard to understand the crowds these days are bulked up by fairweathers, families, people who go because it's the thing to do. if basketball was our main sport they would take the family there instead. same with netball or soccer or anything. they go because it's the event to go to not because the game itself is amazing this year. they can't even get their kids to watch a full game - they won't even watch it with Captain Marvel coming out at Half Time to entertain them lmao
Plus people still have strong allegiances to their clubs. This doesn't reflect on the state of the game though, it is two separate things.
 
Oct 3, 2007
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The grounds re the same size but the fitness has increased exponentially. Combined with rotations (which was not a part of the game in its first 100 or so years) there are too many players covering too much ground. 16 a side makes sense but I would take it even further maybe down to 12 (4 mids, 4 forwards, 4 defenders). Potentially look at 13 (5 mids) with 2 wings and only 3 in the centre square.

Not with you on reducing player numbers, I think if umpires paid free kicks as they are written, and throw the ball up within two seconds at a stoppage the game would spread. The umpires are taking 15-20 seconds to wait for two nominated players to get to the contest.
Remove the nominate rule which will quicken ball ups and boundary throw ins will help immensely.
By continuing wth what they are doing it’s just allowing more and more players to the contest.
Also make decisions quicker, they are giving players way to much time to get the ball out, which is also a contributing factor to blokes being slung to the ground.
Umpiring the game to make it more free flowing has had the opposite effect.
 

footyfan000001

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I’ve always been a fan of needing to have at least 3 on 3 inside the arcs at all times. I don’t see what is wrong with enforcing that rule. As well as retaining the standard 6-6-6 for centre bounces.
 

Topkent

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Of course it is, all these things people loved about the game are gone

Hangers are all but extinct
Flair gone out of the game
High scoring gone
Bumps have been killed off
Fighting completely eradicated
Players personality beaten out of them
One on one contests
Space for forwards to work
100 goal a season FFs
Rivalries in Victoria and clubs hating each other
Crowd passion
Etc


That's been replaced by
Congestion
Defence
Low scores
People apologising for bumps
Mutual love and respect between teams
Diving
Keeping off footy
Charity pushes
PC language and behaviour
Themed rounds
Social justice direction
Crowd censoring
Robotic players


The game ******* sucks
 

CM9000

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Of course it is, all these things people loved about the game are gone

Hangers are all but extinct
Flair gone out of the game
High scoring gone
Bumps have been killed off
Fighting completely eradicated
Players personality beaten out of them
One on one contests
Space for forwards to work
100 goal a season FFs
Rivalries in Victoria and clubs hating each other
Crowd passion
Etc


That's been replaced by
Congestion
Defence
Low scores
People apologising for bumps
Mutual love and respect between teams
Diving
Keeping off footy
Charity pushes
PC language and behaviour
Themed rounds
Social justice direction
Crowd censoring
Robotic players


The game ******* sucks

I broadly agree with this, actually, but it's not like the game has been gutted completely. In fact, it's quite far from "extinction" (as if there would ever be a time where our sport is dead). Some of the things you've listed are more to do with the presentation of a match, rather than the spectacle itself. The themed rounds and whatnot have no impact whatsoever on the game itself - they're just part of how it is presented on TV. I don't see how it stops someone from kicking eight goals at FF, or giving a massive shirtfront.

There are still massive rivalries (look at the Adelaide board right now), personality, heavy hits - less so, admittedly, but it isn't extinct. There are ebbs and flows throughout the sports history, plus we have a managing body that is heavily reactive. Look at the reception to the Nic Naitanui suspension from last year, or what they did in response to the CB officer bullshit - image does play a part in their decision masking.

What is in need of attention is the spectatcle itself, though. I agree that it looks a bit too stunted, and I want 100 goal FFs again. But it doesn't need a drastic overhaul in my opinion - something like removing Points Against from factoring into percentage might do the trick.

Overall, though, I'm still absolutely ******* obsessed with this sport. Nothing has made be laugh so hard as what happened in Round 21 last year in ages, nothing at all compares to Aussie rules. You can't get what this sport gives you from others, and I'm pretty certain it will be back on track soon enough.
 
It's not dead, it is just being run by morons. The game is so easy to fix and it doesn't need a competition committee.

1. Get rid of prior opp - all the congestion, stoppage and low scoring problems have evolved from this crap rule about 20 years ago. Why should a player have a god given right to just hatch it because he got to the ball first?

2. Get rid of ruck nominations - it wastes time and creates additional numbers around the ball. Umps should just throw it up immediately there is a ball up.

3. Reduce rotations down to 10 per qtr. Tired legs will promote more positional play.

4. Last possession out of bounds is a free to the opposition. Make the rule black and white. It will promote corridor footy and less throw ins will reduce stoppages and congestion.

Constant ball movement is the key. Remove all obstacles that allow coaches to block the game up and slow it down.

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Very surprised to say that I would happily endorse all these changes. Sadly, the AFL will do things their way and f*** it up.
 

Captain_Bender

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That is only because Richmond in the 90's were a laughing stock whereas footy today, they are relevant again.

If Richmond were just slightly competitive in the 90's, you would definitely opt for the football back then compared to the rubbish we see today.
Yet the Richmond side of today would beat and physically bully the Geelong sides of the 90s
 

scottyt2

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Why do people keep saying that reducing interchanges will open up the game...its not the 70's anymore, it will do the opposite. The skill level will be even worse than it is now if you fatigue the players, we should be trying to keep them as fresh as possible. Injuries will greatly reduce as well.
 
Jun 6, 2016
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Dropping the ball is not a free for incorrect disposal.

I'm glad someone brought this up, it used to be when I was a junior (before the landline invention lol) and should be. If the ump can easily identify that the ball has been dropped in a tackle a free should be rewarded to the tackler IMO.

I mean the tackler has successfully dispossessed the opposition player.
 

Topkent

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Why do people keep saying that reducing interchanges will open up the game...its not the 70's anymore, it will do the opposite. The skill level will be even worse than it is now if you fatigue the players, we should be trying to keep them as fresh as possible. Injuries will greatly reduce as well.
The skill level isn't the problem it's a bloke being tackled by 18 other people. The point is that the more tired you are the more you will conserve your energy by
- stop chasing everyone all the time
- Not set up in a zone
- stick to a position
 
Jun 23, 2008
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The skill level isn't the problem it's a bloke being tackled by 18 other people. The point is that the more tired you are the more you will conserve your energy by
- stop chasing everyone all the time
- Not set up in a zone
- stick to a position

If you're tired, you're probably more likely to fall back into defensive play, and "park the bus", in order to manage the result and not lose.
 
3 games so far this season in which both sides have kicked 100 points or more... 3...

Interestingly one of those was where one of the clubs rotations were heavily limited due to injuries
 

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