Preview AFLW 2018 R2 v Fremantle (Saturday, 10th Feb, 7.10pm (EDT) / 4.10pm (WST), @ Optus (Perth) Stadium)

[JB1975]

Yeah that directive is extremely bizarre- and completely undermines what is supposed to be a professional competition (or is striving to be).

The first option that needs to be looked at (but not midseason) is either increasing it to 18-a-side (while stalling on any expansion plans - so as not to dilute talent long term) or make the field significantly smaller to adjust for how 16v16 plays out.

Having less numbers on the field, (which results in more tired players) in a professional comp, will not increase attacking play - it does the exact opposite. Once teams become tired (if you want to win) the focus immediately goes to defence- either around the ball or behind it - you just dont have the luxury of having loose runners on the wing or up forward. (IMO the same applies to the AFL tightening the interchange cap).

I'll admit that the 16 v 16 idea appealed to me, initially, but I'd love to know how much conversation there was between the AFL and the clubs before it got up. Better minds than mine could have foreseen some problems with it.

As for delaying expansion, I think that the AFL showed some willingness last year to apply the brakes, but otherwise they seem keen to go full steam ahead. I enjoy the AFLW, and it'll still improve over the next decade, but the improvement will be more gradual than it needed to be.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I’m at the Drummoyne Oval watching Giants v Blues

Pop Quiz: Do I cheer for Nicola Stephens or Alicia Eva?

Spoiler: “answer”

I cheer for Flo serving in the pie van

 

[Anzacday]

I’m at the Drummoyne Oval watching Giants v Blues

Pop Quiz: Do I cheer for Nicola Stephens or Alicia Eva?

Spoiler: “answer”

I cheer for Flo serving in the pie van

Easy - Eva.
B&F player leaves for the arch enemy.

 

[76woodenspooners]

True - but that was also an exhibition game and much more free-flowing than your standard AFLW game.

Now, if she played on a more talented, attacking side (say a Brisbane or Adelaide) then I'm sure she could still be very effective getting to the right spots and her team could take advantage of it.
Unfortunately we do not have the team to do that (concerningly - this applies to the mens side as well).

I guess that’s a symptom of equalisation ... the talent doesn’t run very deep (yet) and so those teams that spend their cookies on top line midfielders can’t afford topline forwards and vice versa. The current depth is enough for the all-star game but not for AFLW (and it’s going to get worse with expansion)

As you say, this applies to the men’s side as well.

The issue probably harks back to our decision to spend our original marquee cookies on a ruck and forward. These are the two positions we’ve most struggled with to fill on the men’s team in recent history. But the wonem’s game is a different game.

 

[Magpie Girl]

There’s a game day thread up now

 

[76woodenspooners]

The AFLW is experiencing youthful teething pains. There'll be a lot more of this before the competition is fully established and accepted. If anything, the standard of footy - or more likely the unequal quality between teams - will continue next year when the competition expands.

It doesn’t have to be this way for the AFL ...

... new teams could simply be filled from the draft. I’m a generous and reasonable man, so I’d allow them to enter the draft from the top position (no other concessions). Yeah, new teams will still be calling out numbers long after my club has had its fill of five or six players and our bingo caller has left the building, but heck, why not?

Sure, new teams will probably get flogged, but what’s wrong with that?

I come from an era where teams getting flogged (including my own at times) is just part of the circle of life.

I come from an era that saw Fitzroy and South Melbourne disappear as entities, and other clubs were basket cases for years. It happens, even in a 'mature' mens competition.

The women’s comp doesn’t have sheep stations riding on the results just yet, there’s a lot of goodwill and good cheer that bring crowds to the game irrespective of the result (or even what’s happening on the field).

I’m not in favour of expansion yet, but given the decision has already been made, then now would be a good time for the AFL to bank the goodwill around the game by letting the standard of the competition rise within the established teams, let the new teams get flogged (or not, heck this is a competition where last year’s MVP and Grand Final medalist was a rookie draftee) and trust that the fans would turn up regardless.

For example, if St Kilda was given a team of draftees - could even make them sit out the first four rounds for giggles - and reckon any St Kilda fans would skip the game because of the standard of their team? We’ve seen that experiment run many times before and we know the answer to that one.

Even better - if the AFL have got cash to splash on this ...

(and I know they do, because they put on a fifteen minute fireworks show for the few thousand free entry folks who stayed until the end of last night’s AFLW match between GWS and Carlton, but I digress)

... then simply give a women’s team to every club who wants one, then set up a two tier competition with a system of promotion and relegation.

Patience is required in terms of the footy quality. And support is required for our team who are doing their best to represent the black and white.

It was interesting to see the game live (it always is).

One of the areas that the game needs to improve on is teamplay. This is normal. We see this in the little league where every player on the field chases the footy. As players develop then it progresses onto them roughly playing roles and positions, teamplay. At its highest evolution a player knows exactly what they need to do to the footy before they’ve even got it (our men’s team still has a way to go with this)

The GWS v Carlton game was played in very slippery conditions, so the skill levels weren’t really on show.

The game was roughly played along the lines of players being where the coaches told them to be, and when the footy came in their vicinity then players would all rush to get it. Some did stay on the outside. However, whenever someone did get the footy they had to look around and figure out what to do with it next ...

... by which time they were usually tackled.

It makes for a very scrappy and low scoring game. At one stage a Carlton player ran down to the forward line (probably under instructions from a runner) to help Vescio break a tag and the teamplay element of that action really stood out as unusual. Vescio is a cracking player by the way.

So it seems crazy that the AFL want to break up teams and disrupt the continuity of players getting used to playing with each other.

(Our men’s team don’t need the AFL intervention to achieve that, they’ve done it all by themselves by offloading a quarter of our list most years in recent memory )