Oppo Camp Non Geelong football (AFL) discussion 2025, Part 2

[cats_09]

How so when you reduce the size of ground? You have less space to work in.

Less space means slower teams can block you off easier

Teams will still use the width of the ground, but it's advantageous to have players keep their width rather than just kick into space in the hope it works out

But even with a kick down the line, if it's out of bounds off hands, it'll still be a throw in like now

 

[Footy Smarts]

How so when you reduce the size of ground? You have less space to work in.

Less space means slower teams can block you off easier

Teams continue kicking along the boundary when out on the full is a free kick against. They won't avoid going wide because of the new rule. The penalty of a free kick against on the boundary line just isn't a big enough punishment to care about the few times a game you **** up your possessions.

It'll be another shift away from contested ball winners because maybe 10 throw ins a game become free kicks. But there's also no chance for a follow up stoppage.

So there will be less chances for contested bulls to do damage. Hence our weakness against big bull mids will be exposed less.

It'll put a premium on kicking skills (you receive a free rather than battle at a clearance) and on the ability to quickly defend or attack when the free kick goes to an end where the defence isn't already set up.

 

[The Unforgiven]

No. I want to go with my Adel-supporter mate and gloat.

Yeah, well, my missus is a Crows supporter, so I'd rather her share an equal disdain for that mob the following week and cheer on the Cats with me!

The alternative is we beat them and then I'm in the dog house for gloating, and Cats are enemy number one the following year.

Or, even worse, we lose to them (which, I suppose is still more palatable than losing to the Hawks)!

 

[Lana]

It forces kicks to the corridor more, reduces number of stoppages, increases attacking play.

After sanfl did it they went from having the most stoppages to the least, big impact to keeping play free flowing.

The biggest impact though is that it makes footy easier to umpire and more transparent.

It's a slam dunk "just do" kind of change

Overall I don't think it will change much, clubs will workshop ways to manuafacture down the line stoppages, frankly if under pressure and near the boundry just hack it at your direct opponent

 

[dudusmaximus]

Yeah, well, my missus is a Crows supporter, so I'd rather her share an equal disdain for that mob the following week and cheer on the Cats with me!

The alternative is we beat them and then I'm in the dog house for gloating, and Cats are enemy number one the following year.

Or, even worse, we lose to them (which, I suppose is still more palatable than losing to the Hawks)!

Calls for a book..

Mixed* Households in the AFL South
You can win and still lose.​

* supporting different teams

 

[And_ROOS]

Can the AFL just **** off with the idea of a "wild card round"?

Its a shit idea for the AFL that works in the NBA because there are a lot of teams and they are in conferences.

In the AFL its not a wildcard round, its a 10 team finals series. Which when you consider that the league next year will have 18 teams that means you have over half the teams in your league qualifying for finals which is genuinely the stupidest ****ing thing. Rewarding mediocre teams here. If we are using this year as an example who really wants to see the Dogs shit the bed again, and the Swans come out and kick more points and goals before they lose for the 12 time this year.

And still doesn't fix the issue that;
1. Finishing top 4 and getting a week off for winning is not a reward because every other team gets a week off anyway and then teams end up playing 2 games in 4 weeks which isn't always an advantage.
2. The AFL has an enforced concussion protocol and at some point a big name will get a concussion in a PF and miss a GF when the really obvious solution would be to shift the pre-finals bye to a pre-GF bye to avoid this and then have the Brownlow, AFLPA awards, Legends game, VFL/WAFL/SANFL GFs and AFLW games take pole position during that first week of the bye, and then having the 2nd week have clear air for GF build up.

 

[The Unforgiven]

Its a shit idea for the AFL that works in the NBA because there are a lot of teams and they are in conferences.

In the AFL its not a wildcard round, its a 10 team finals series. Which when you consider that the league next year will have 18 teams that means you have over half the teams in your league qualifying for finals which is genuinely the stupidest ****ing thing. Rewarding mediocre teams here. If we are using this year as an example who really wants to see the Dogs shit the bed again, and the Swans come out and kick more points and goals before they lose for the 12 time this year.

And still doesn't fix the issue that;
1. Finishing top 4 and getting a week off for winning is not a reward because every other team gets a week off anyway and then teams end up playing 2 games in 4 weeks which isn't always an advantage.
2. The AFL has an enforced concussion protocol and at some point a big name will get a concussion in a PF and miss a GF when the really obvious solution would be to shift the pre-finals bye to a pre-GF bye to avoid this and then have the Brownlow, AFLPA awards, Legends game, VFL/WAFL/SANFL GFs and AFLW games take pole position during that first week of the bye, and then having the 2nd week have clear air for GF build up.

I'd have loved a wild card round in 1993.

 

[The rabbi]

Hawthorn's Calsher Dear ruled out of the final with a hamstring.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/09...l-miss-semi-final-hawthorn-adelaide-hamstring

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Magnificent torching of Sam McClure

 

[kickazz]

Dimma blowing smoke up Brisbane. "Geelong obviously had their template on Friday".

Couldn't force out a smidge of praise.

Lol AFL360? When they said, "Coming up, Damian Hardwick and Sam Mitchell" that was my cue to turn the tv off

 

[cats_09]

 

[Hamingja]

The penalty of a free kick against on the boundary line just isn't a big enough punishment to care about the few times a game you **** up your possessions.

For us it wouldn't be, we'd still play the same. Watching Essendon this year butcher the ball like nothing else, you probably have to build it in to your strategy if you are them. Seems like a rule change that will benefit the good teams and disadvantage the bad teams to me.

 

[Hinkley29]

Some of the considerations for changing the rule to only apply between the arcs are that-

1. it would make the Cameron lead into the right pocket less attractive as an attacking option because a pass from Stengle that goes a couple of metres in front of him and then bounces out is punished by a free kick to the opposition. It would make Stengle think twice before doing so, and instead perhaps take the option of booting to the pack.

2. Jack Henry gets the ball under pressure in the back pocket and hurriedly clears it 30 metres towards Humphries and it lands 2 metres in front of him but takes a right angle bounce and runs 10 metres over the line. Result: a shot at goal from 30 metres out.

3. Charlie Cameron gets the ball near the boundary 30 metres out, Miers tackles him and the ball goes loose, but it makes contact with Miers' boot and dribbles over the line. Result: a shot at goal from 30 metres out.

I don’t think the rule would be a factor for example 1.

Example 2 and 3 are easily fixed - make the penalty for last disposal out of bounds an indirect free kick. Ie. you cannot score directly from the free kick.

 

[Footy Smarts]

For us it wouldn't be, we'd still play the same. Watching Essendon this year butcher the ball like nothing else, you probably have to build it in to your strategy if you are them. Seems like a rule change that will benefit the good teams and disadvantage the bad teams to me.

They'd be better off giving away free kicks on the wing than kicking it directly to their opponents in the middle

 

[Munich]

Harsh bringing Brad Scott on after the media leaked Merrett met with Hawthorn.

Don't blame him for wanting to leave Essendon though.

 

[Baudolino]

Hawthorn's Calsher Dear ruled out of the final with a hamstring.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/09...l-miss-semi-final-hawthorn-adelaide-hamstring

Feel bad for the lad but honestly he's not ready yet anyway, so if this means the Hawks have to play Lewis it's probably a better result for them. Both players have been woefully out of form but at this stage of their careers Lewis is clearly more capable of producing a big game out of nowhere.

 

[cats_09]

 

[cats_09]

Looks like it could be an interesting off season at Essendon

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I actually love the number 2. Elite trolling

 

[cats_09]

I actually love the number 2. Elite trolling

Has a touch of the, "Ling is the sexiest AFL player" votes to it

 

[allrighty]

Well before the era of video reviews, it was umpire's call and move on. If we must have video rules, then you want to absolutely minimize the need to use it. Change happens and you adjust, or are you arguing that the rules about not lifting the ball off the ground or that tripping is allowed should be reinstated to preserve the original 1859 rules?

Yeah that makes sense except that the review process is sponsored.

EDIT: playing catchup just saw earlier post on this

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Yeah that makes sense except that the review process is sponsored.

My conspiracy theory is that the reason David Rodan was officiating aflw on the weekend was because he is too competent and would not have sent enough for reviews generating less ad revenue.

#BringBackRodan

 

[allrighty]

I have reread your original post, and realise I misinterpreted it somewhat - sincere apologies.

What? Isn't this is BF where no-one apologises for anything?

 

[catsfootyfan89]

Hawks v Crows is shaping up to be an incredible contest. If the Crows were indeed sick last weekend, after the bashing they've taken from all angles, they'll be frothing at the mouth to atone.

Expecting big games from Thilthorpe and Dawson.

Hopefully it's a brutal contest, drawn at full time so both teams have to run themselves into the ground prior to the prelim.

 

[jim boy]

What? Isn't this is BF where no-one apologises for anything?

That's why I am an admin!