Opinion AFL 2022 Mid Season Liked, Learnt, Hated.

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At the 1/2 way mark of season 2022 and there's plenty of topics to talk about here. What are your 3 liked, learnt and hated for the season so far

Liked:

  • Freo finally finding form and becoming a challenger again, its been a while between drinks and count as a smokey this season. Watch this space
  • Cartlon's rise to form, they have a very good and capable list, can Vossy do the impossible?
  • Paddy McCartin taking the field again, this kid has had an awful run with concussion

Learnt

  • Dont discount Brisbane's loss to Freo as a changer, they will go deep in the finals and set up for a tilt at a premiership.
  • The umpires still cant understand and educate the rules effectively, Brad Scott has further dismantled the umpiring system and made it unbearable
  • After a promising season last year Essendon are on a downward spiral


Hated

  • Dissent rule - see above.
  • Flopping players, we all know who they are
  • Beveridge dismantling any consistency with wtf matchups
 
Jul 28, 2012
11,013
10,331
Melbourne, the lost City.
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
QPR, Buffalo Bills
Liked: It's an even season and Melbourne has allowed a few cracks to appear, some players have fallen into them. It gives the rest of us hope?
Cats bias here: The rise of Sam De Koning, the form of Tyson Stengle and the Jeremy Cameron deal appears to have paid off?

Learnt: Essendon are a rabble and you have to wonder if their move to Tullamarine has seen them leave their soul at Windy Hill?
North are in serious "Fitzroy" like territory now...

Hated: The Dissent rule was poorly thought out and the 50 metres for arm waving was ridiculous.
Why does Essendon get 3 Friday night games in a row?
Carlton winning games again.
 

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May 3, 2007
36,013
20,779
Parts Unknown
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Man City, Valencia, Lazio, Panthers
Liked: It's an even season and Melbourne has allowed a few cracks to appear, some players have fallen into them. It gives the rest of us hope?
Cats bias here: The rise of Sam De Koning, the form of Tyson Stengle and the Jeremy Cameron deal appears to have paid off?

Learnt: Essendon are a rabble and you have to wonder if their move to Tullamarine has seen them leave their soul at Windy Hill?
North are in serious "Fitzroy" like territory now...

Hated: The Dissent rule was poorly thought out and the 50 metres for arm waving was ridiculous.
Why does Essendon get 3 Friday night games in a row?
Carlton winning games again.
are you enjoying no Ross Lyon footy? LoL
 

cactuscall

michaelangelo is a party dude
Jul 26, 2020
1,413
2,169
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Learnt: WCE shirts are on the bargain rack at Cotton On Watertown today. $5 seems a bit steep though.

20220611_100225.jpg
 
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PerthBoy86

Norm Smith Medallist
May 23, 2016
6,789
5,678
AFL Club
West Coast
It's kind of a weak season but interesting cos the top 8 is quite different to last season. Dogs and Power nowhere near it, while long suffering Blues and Dockers giving it a tilt. At first it seemed boring cos Melbourne were so far in front - and still think they're clear favourites - but you never know.
 
Liked - The Big Freeze, such a wonderful day for a great cause and also topped off by a great game! Over $2m raised for MND research.
Learnt - Flagmantle is a thing 🫣
Hated - The deterioation of Neale Daniher, heartbreaking. Yet he still manages to laugh and inspire.

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Jul 28, 2012
11,013
10,331
Melbourne, the lost City.
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
QPR, Buffalo Bills
Liked: Easing of the dissent madness, The Big Freeze day is non political and how great is that!

Learnt: Melbourne are in strife as the cracks have opened wider, they have a horror run home. Jason Horne-Francis went into the draft knowing he wasn't going to stay in Adelaide, his petulance this season is astounding. North need to fob him off for 2 first round picks to one of the Adelaide teams, he can't get to Fremantle who just couldn't make the deal right now. North need to cut their losses.

Hated: A player deliberately gets reported, The Neale Daniher illness, Thursday night football in the middle of a cold Melbourne June is nuts. Perhaps Carlton, V Richmond will prove me wrong this week?
 
Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
Liked: Easing of the dissent madness, The Big Freeze day is non political and how great is that!

Learnt: Melbourne are in strife as the cracks have opened wider, they have a horror run home. Jason Horne-Francis went into the draft knowing he wasn't going to stay in Adelaide, his petulance this season is astounding. North need to fob him off for 2 first round picks to one of the Adelaide teams, he can't get to Fremantle who just couldn't make the deal right now. North need to cut their losses.

Hated: A player deliberately gets reported, The Neale Daniher illness, Thursday night football in the middle of a cold Melbourne June is nuts. Perhaps Carlton, V Richmond will prove me wrong this week?
hated: that people still think issues like domestic violence, lgbtqi+ & gender & racial equality, reconciliation etc are 'political' issues, as if opposing them is in any way a valid 'opinion' the equivalent of debating whether services should be privatised.
 
Jul 28, 2012
11,013
10,331
Melbourne, the lost City.
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
QPR, Buffalo Bills
hated: that people still think issues like domestic violence, lgbtqi+ & gender & racial equality, reconciliation etc are 'political' issues, as if opposing them is in any way a valid 'opinion' the equivalent of debating whether services should be privatised.
I repeat: The Big Freeze is non political and wasn't that great. It's a sporting league and people care about the game being played, not the virtue signalling claptap. If the AFL concenrated on the game, we might not have attendance worries, ticketing problems, higher than normal food prices, plus stiupid dissent and stand rules samong others?
 

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Dazb86

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 31, 2008
15,901
13,402
melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Purely Dogs perspective.

Liked - Improvement from some of our fringe types.

Learnt - Without Bont near his best we are pretty average.

Hated - New dissent rule and the way we move back 5m off the mark every time.
 
Jun 11, 2007
34,087
29,320
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bayern, Milan, Boston Celtics
Liked:
-Open season part way through.
-Resurgence of Freo (2 years ahead of my prediction) & becoming one of the more watchable teams.
-Being able to go to the G again
-Shouldn't have laughed at the Pies rebuild and 2020 draft. Also, Hayden Skipworth is an underrated assistant. Where he goes, good forward lines rise.

Learnt:
-Fixture equalisation a real issue and one a Tassie + one other licence could fix. 19 H&A games (reverse home fixtures every 2 years) & a top 8 final series w/ H&A games for the Elim, Semi's and Quals.
-Took a bit, but patience with the Dons. Have gone from thinking the sky is falling down to accepting this is a year that can make the club....if they don't panic and make rash decisions.

Hated:
-Football media heads and their opinions getting worse. I avoid any headline where "AFL great thinks/says/disappointed/etc" is used as clickbait.
-Bye weeks. Just make it one and give everyone a week off footy.
 
Liked:
Open year with multiple teams looking possible

Learnt:
The AFL are more corrupt and incompetent than I thought possible - they've slid right under a very very low bar.
Rule changes are changing the game, and in a way that I find less enjoyable.

Hated:
Rule changes as above - not the umpires, the rules people at the AFL.
Tigers blowing solid leads repeatedly.
 
Jul 13, 2015
36,308
40,469
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Liked: Hawthorn's progress - pretty much where I expected us to be
Learnt: that pretty much no-one in the media or on BF or anywhere else really has any clue when it comes to predicting the season
Loved: the way Sam has the team playing - aggressive football and not getting scared or going defensive when things dont work out - once the players start clicking we are going to improve significantly
 
Sep 7, 2008
53,886
36,823
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
Philadelphia Eagles
Liked:
-Open season part way through.
-Resurgence of Freo (2 years ahead of my prediction) & becoming one of the more watchable teams.
-Being able to go to the G again
-Shouldn't have laughed at the Pies rebuild and 2020 draft. Also, Hayden Skipworth is an underrated assistant. Where he goes, good forward lines rise.

Learnt:
-Fixture equalisation a real issue and one a Tassie + one other licence could fix. 19 H&A games (reverse home fixtures every 2 years) & a top 8 final series w/ H&A games for the Elim, Semi's and Quals.
-Took a bit, but patience with the Dons. Have gone from thinking the sky is falling down to accepting this is a year that can make the club....if they don't panic and make rash decisions.

Hated:
-Football media heads and their opinions getting worse. I avoid any headline where "AFL great thinks/says/disappointed/etc" is used as clickbait.
-Bye weeks. Just make it one and give everyone a week off footy.
Absolutely agree with that. Waiting all day for 1 Sunday game has sucked. Especially if it's not a great game (like Sunday just gone).
 

Jackington

Back Flank Battler
Sep 23, 2021
336
681
State of Constant Anxiety
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
East Fremantle
On that note,

Liked: Surprise packets. Fremantle and Carlton both blossoming a year early, Gold Coast really holding their own, particularly at home, and begrudgingly also adding Collingwood to this list. Good against good sides. Would be right in it if not for the horror game against West Coast.

Learned: The talent pool is far too shallow for expansion clubs, as it barely supports the clubs we have right now. Most sides are one or two key injuries away from losing games they shouldn't, and the bottom three on the ladder are so uncompetitive it isn't funny.

Hated: The bye rounds are an absolute bore, and we need to find some way around it. Maybe bringing it down to two weeks, and cramming all the big ticket rivalry games into them (Derby, Showdown, Geelong v Hawks, Carlton vs Collingwood etc) to make it more interesting? Anything but this.
 
Jun 11, 2007
34,087
29,320
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bayern, Milan, Boston Celtics
Absolutely agree with that. Waiting all day for 1 Sunday game has sucked. Especially if it's not a great game (like Sunday just gone).
could be a great weekend to tee up non-premiership season things

Line the AFLW to finish that week with a GF
Have an U18 carnival of games
And give the players the long weekend off to recharge mid-season.
 

Obzerva

Team Captain
May 3, 2018
526
1,026
AFL Club
Adelaide
Liked:
-Open season part way through.
-Resurgence of Freo (2 years ahead of my prediction) & becoming one of the more watchable teams.
-Being able to go to the G again
-Shouldn't have laughed at the Pies rebuild and 2020 draft. Also, Hayden Skipworth is an underrated assistant. Where he goes, good forward lines rise.

Learnt:
-Fixture equalisation a real issue and one a Tassie + one other licence could fix. 19 H&A games (reverse home fixtures every 2 years) & a top 8 final series w/ H&A games for the Elim, Semi's and Quals.
-Took a bit, but patience with the Dons. Have gone from thinking the sky is falling down to accepting this is a year that can make the club....if they don't panic and make rash decisions.

Hated:
-Football media heads and their opinions getting worse. I avoid any headline where "AFL great thinks/says/disappointed/etc" is used as clickbait.
-Bye weeks. Just make it one and give everyone a week off footy.

Pretty sure the reason they moved away from a single bye week for everyone was that it opened up that weekend for other sports, eg Wallabies playing at Docklands during the bye week, or similar.
Media coverage also dropped off a bit, and the league can’t handle not owning the media cycle.
Unfortunately I think we’re stuck with the drawn out bye rounds.
I just wish they gave those Thursday games to teams coming off the bye you don’t normally see on a Thursday / Friday night.
 
Purely Dogs perspective.

Liked - Improvement from some of our fringe types.

Learnt - Without Bont near his best we are pretty average.

Hated - New dissent rule and the way we move back 5m off the mark every time.
That’s Bevo’s way of showing how much he hates the stand rule.
 

Gratees

Club Legend
Jul 15, 2019
1,944
4,015
AFL Club
Richmond
Liked: Freo (Been the most watchable team imo),
Learned: North are way further off than i thought
Hate: Dissent, Constant changes in the interpretation of the rules
 

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