Why?
I cant find someone who gives a genuine reason why having rotations is a bad idea.
You cant say it reduces the viewing of the game as most would agree the last 2 or 3 years the standard of footy has been great.
Players are still playing large percentages of the game they are just getting a quick 30s-1 min break on the pine.
Players are fitter now than ever so you cant say anything on those lines.
It reduces fatigue injuries.
It ensures that the standard of play within the game stays the same and doesnt turn into crap in the last quarter.
Theres no actual reason to reduce rotations other than looking at the stats and saying "OMG LOOK AT THOSE BIG NUMBERS!!.
Well, I'm certainly not one of the 'most' then.
The congestion in footy at the moment is severely impairing my viewing enjoyment of the game; so many players these days take possession of the footy and are immediately besieged by three opponents tackling them almost simultaneously. This is not great to watch, in my opinion.
And I also see that the rampant congestion creates another issue which makes footy less compelling viewing. When the footy is (eventually) cleared from the incredible morass of bodies within a close perimeter the players on the outside are often many metres in the clear. Each to their own, I know, but I'm no fan of seeing stacks of goals kicked by players who are in acres of space and have to do little more than stay upright to get the ball through the big sticks.
For me, the most satisfying goals kicked in footy are the ones that come courtesy of one team's ability to win the ball under pressure and survive the persistent efforts of the opposition to win it back. I think we lose something from the game when so many scores now result from players strolling into goal with no opposition player within 10 metres.
One-on-one contests all over the ground was one of the very first things that attracted me to footy; having won the ball in one position your team transferred the ball to the next contest further up the ground. We're now often reduced to watching one almighty contest for the footy at one location before a chain of (totally) uncontested possessions results in a score. Makes for fairly ordinary viewing at times, I believe.
Jetta's goal in the prelim might have thrilled many footy watchers but I found myself celebrating his speed and poise while simultaneously lamenting the fact that footy now includes the contingency that all the players can be so cramped on the field of play that a player on the HBF can pick up the pill and have nobody between him and the goal. If this keeps up you have to wonder why we still name players in distinct positions on the ground. Might as well have 22 followers named each week...
I acknowledge that rampant rotations are not the sole cause of congestion in footy but I believe they are playing a significant role in aiding the coaches to set up with so many players around the ball. The entirely natural fatigue that should prevent swathes of players from simply following the football all over the ground for so much of the game would help immensely in seeing players revert to playing their positions and simply battling to beat their direct opponent whenever the ball enters their area.
I still believe that's footy as it should be played.