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

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May 5, 2006
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Trade week has become less about winning/losing trades and more about use of cap space, making the most of your draft position and strength of draft, who wants in/out etc.

GWS have cleared two players to Hawthorn for next to nothing in two trade periods. They won 13 games and made the semi last year, they won 13 and made the GF this year. I'd say they in an overall better position going into 2020 than if they had Scully and Patton on the list for two years and one year respectively. Hawthorn may win, but GWS aren't really losing.

I'd rather have Brad Hill than pick 10, Blake Acres and change - but I also wouldn't pay him $900k a season and I don't think St Kilda are close enough to contending that adding him will make a difference.
 

_Rake_

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Oct 16, 2019
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Seems to be unpopular. ..

The saints didn't have that great a trade period as is being made out.
Apart from media hyperbole and obvious/genuine excitement from a currently unsuccessful club seeing change...I wouldn't say this is an unpopular opinion at all.
 

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didaksrightfoot

Premiership Player
Sep 12, 2013
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Trade week has become less about winning/losing trades and more about use of cap space, making the most of your draft position and strength of draft, who wants in/out etc.

GWS have cleared two players to Hawthorn for next to nothing in two trade periods. They won 13 games and made the semi last year, they won 13 and made the GF this year. I'd say they in an overall better position going into 2020 than if they had Scully and Patton on the list for two years and one year respectively. Hawthorn may win, but GWS aren't really losing.

I'd rather have Brad Hill than pick 10, Blake Acres and change - but I also wouldn't pay him $900k a season and I don't think St Kilda are close enough to contending that adding him will make a difference.

I agree completely - but is that really unpopular with fans?

I think the problem is the media making dramatic statements based on assumptions of player salary and club salary cap positions, without actually knowing the details of either, and then fans running with it.
In reality - you cant get an accurate judge of list management decisions without actually knowing all those details.

My unpopular opinion will be that, whether we like it or not, if player movement continues down this path, we will soon get to the stage where we have transparency of contracts. The media $$$ will just be too much, and the AFL will put it on the agenda for future CBA discussions.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
I agree completely - but is that really unpopular with fans?

I think the problem is the media making dramatic statements based on assumptions of player salary and club salary cap positions, without actually knowing the details of either, and then fans running with it.
In reality - you cant get an accurate judge of list management decisions without actually knowing all those details.

My unpopular opinion will be that, whether we like it or not, if player movement continues down this path, we will soon get to the stage where we have transparency of contracts. The media $$$ will just be too much, and the AFL will put it on the agenda for future CBA discussions.

I dunno, a few people are still rusted on to 'winning' and 'losing' every trade.

The footy media are a joke with this stuff. The only player salaries we really know anything about are free agents. They aren't exact, but you roughly work out what the cut off points are for the compo bands. Some contract offers and re-signings are reported, but most are higher than reality given the AFL actually publish how many players there are in each salary bracket. In 2018 there were 31 players in the entire competition earning $800k or more. If you believe everything you read then we have anywhere from 5-8 of them right now. Law of averages says every team has 1 and most have 2. I doubt we have any more than 3, tops.

I don't see contracts being made public. The AFLPA don't want it and they get what they want, hence we have a hack version of free agency but players can't be traded unless they agree to it.
 

nickcat0

Team Captain
Jun 22, 2007
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That there's nothing wrong with the AFL or Aussie Rules.

That it's a great game, combining the best bits of the other football codes into one game. The players are awesome; showing great skill, speed, strength, agility, endurance, toughness etc etc. Most weeks there are at least 3 or 4 sensational games played, and even in the blowouts you can usually marvel at the abilities of the dominant team.

This forum is just full of idiots who don't appreciate how lucky they are to be able to witnees it.
 

_Rake_

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Oct 16, 2019
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That there's nothing wrong with the AFL or Aussie Rules.

That it's a great game, combining the best bits of the other football codes into one game. The players are awesome; showing great skill, speed, strength, agility, endurance, toughness etc etc. Most weeks there are at least 3 or 4 sensational games played, and even in the blowouts you can usually marvel at the abilities of the dominant team.

This forum is just full of idiots who don't appreciate how lucky they are to be able to witnees it.
Due to the league's current success I'd say you are not being unpopular. However I get your point.

I think "Aussie Rules" is an incredible sport, and the fact it's basically only domestic at the professional level doesn't bother me.

However as an adult, I find the "AFL" to be basically a contrived commercial exercise.
 

nickcat0

Team Captain
Jun 22, 2007
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Due to the league's current success I'd say you are not being unpopular. However I get your point.

I think "Aussie Rules" is an incredible sport, and the fact it's basically only domestic at the professional level doesn't bother me.

However as an adult, I find the "AFL" to be basically a contrived commercial exercise.
Fair enough, I understand why many aren't "fans" of the AFL, but it's the modern world. All administartors seem to get it wrong on a regular basis.The Premier League/FA/FIFA/UEFA are a nightmare. The NFL are bullying dinosaurs. Both codes of Rugby stumble from scandal to utensil-up. And don't get me started on the people who run cricket.

However, the games survive, appear to thrive, and continue to provide great entertainment. Despite all the doom sayers, I'm sure they'll continue to do the same for the next 100+ years
 

_Rake_

Club Legend
Oct 16, 2019
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Fair enough, I understand why many aren't "fans" of the AFL, but it's the modern world. All administartors seem to get it wrong on a regular basis.The Premier League/FA/FIFA/UEFA are a nightmare. The NFL are bullying dinosaurs. Both codes of Rugby stumble from scandal to utensil-up. And don't get me started on the people who run cricket.

However, the games survive, appear to thrive, and continue to provide great entertainment. Despite all the doom sayers, I'm sure they'll continue to do the same for the next 100+ years
Completely agree. It's not just the AFL at all.
 

NonPhixion

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Mar 27, 2018
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Instead of the Brownlow, the winner of the coaches votes should be deemed the ‘best’ player for the year. Umpires can be bias & coaches have a much better view/ understanding of the game
 

NeutralFan

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Feb 15, 2015
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1. A Tasmanian team won't work.
2. Trade Period needs to be cut to 3 days.
3. Get rid of compensation for FA.
4. Longer rookie contracts and players become FA's after first contract is up.
5. 16 players on field, 4 players on bench. Roster cut to 40 overall. The talent pool has been weakened and there is a large gap between the best and worst players on the field.
6. Alex Keath is overrated. Adelaide managing two usable picks was a good deal for them.
7. High draft picks are overrated and low end (usable) draft picks are underrated.
8. Raise draft age to 20
9. They should not bring back State of Origin. Do people watch the NBA All Star game these days? Borefest. Teams and myself wouldn't want players getting injured in what's a glorified exhibition.
10. Bayley Fritsch is the most underrated player in the comp
11. GWS won the Scully trade. Traded him and his contract to keep Coniglio, far better result for them than Hawthorn. (which incidentally they're doing the same thing for Patton which will probably keep Kelly long term.)

Ok this one won't be unpopular but oh I wish we could silence commentary. Anyone remember the Sunday twilight feature on Foxtel way back and that was an option?

and can't think of other things right now.
 

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MadMundy

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 29, 2019
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1. Fremantle could easily surprise and be 5-0 at the end of Round 5. Essendon, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Gold Coast and North Melbourne are all extremely winnable games and Longmuir will want to show people up early on (obviously a hint of bias in this)

2. St Kilda will be around the same position that they were this year. They added an elite player in Brad Hill but the rest are very "meh"

3. Players can do whatever the hell they want off field as long as they go out onto that ground and give 100% each week.

4. If Gold Coast and Fremantle don't deserve primetime games next year neither do Sydney, Melbourne, Carlton or St Kilda.
 
3. Players can do whatever the hell they want off field as long as they go out onto that ground and give 100% each week.

I remember hearing that Pagan had this policy for Carey
 

MadMundy

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Mar 29, 2019
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I also don't wanna hear ANYONE complaining about their fixture not giving them the timeslots they want. You want big primetime slots then earn them. And I don't wanna hear top club fans complaining either, you finish high on the ladder you get a hard fixture, that's how it works.
 

Numero Uno

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Mar 28, 2019
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I also don't wanna hear ANYONE complaining about their fixture not giving them the timeslots they want. You want big primetime slots then earn them. And I don't wanna hear top club fans complaining either, you finish high on the ladder you get a hard fixture, that's how it works.


except if your Richmond
 

AuntyBlindEye

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Jul 19, 2019
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Harder obviously. 7 games at the MCG at the end of the year? Whinge. 9 in the first 12 games at MCG? Whinge. Like it's our fault anyway.
Lol! Look at their double up games... two trips tp perth..fyi.. they have never played gc twice in a season... how hard do u want it be?
 

AuntyBlindEye

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Jul 19, 2019
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Footballers are better than ever. The only reason people think footy was better back in the day was because the gap between the superstars and average players was much bigger. It's a more even competition from player to player now.

Watching the legends of the game tear apart a field/oppo team was great, but nowadays we have a better display of skills and athleticism.

Higher scores doesn't mean more entertaining. Look at soccer. Not a great comparison I know, but if high scores were the be all and end all of a sport then soccer wouldn't exist. I'm more interested in skill than scoring.

That said, I don't want to see a footy game ever have a final score line like that of the worse AFLW games.
 

Schnitzengruben

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 4, 2019
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Footballers are better than ever. The only reason people think footy was better back in the day was because the gap between the superstars and average players was much bigger. It's a more even competition from player to player now.

Watching the legends of the game tear apart a field/oppo team was great, but nowadays we have a better display of skills and athleticism.

Higher scores doesn't mean more entertaining. Look at soccer. Not a great comparison I know, but if high scores were the be all and end all of a sport then soccer wouldn't exist. I'm more interested in skill than scoring.

That said, I don't want to see a footy game ever have a final score line like that of the worse AFLW games.
Agree. I often sit down with Dad and rewatch Fox Footy's "classic games" (or whatever they're called) from the 70's-90's and based on what I've seen, the skill level shown by at least half the competition is below todays VFL standard.
 

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