Anyone for a game of basketball?(oops I mean AFL)

[Slatts]

Has anyone else noticed the increasing trend towards basketball in AFL. First of all, the incidences involving throws has increased. I reckon players are instructed to throw the ball if they can't handpass because there are heaps of throws a game while those umpires are blindsided to it or don't have the guts to call a throw. We might as well legalise it because we certainly can't umpire it. Hey it might even speed up the game!!

Now, footy is becoming more and more defensive now days with that wonderful innovation of flooding the backline and zoning off. I might as well watch a game of basketball, at least that is more exciting.

I am beginning to tire of watching matches where there is a lack of excitement just because a team wants to lose "honourably". The trend is getting worse and I am beginning to wonder how long it will be before it becomes like a soccer match where the opposition defenders have the ball in the backline and the other team has already flooded their own backline to prevent scoring.

This may be a slight exaggeration but if a formal rule isn't introduced soon, the above situation might become reality. I say bring on that line down the middle and trial the offside rule in the Ansett Cup. We have to make this game more exciting before the supporters fall asleep.
Comments anyone?

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

What are you proposing Slatts ?

some kind of 'offside' rule ? C'mon mate there are No, repeat No offsides in Aussie Rules - thats part of the games enduring appeal.

As to the trend of flooding backlines and 'zoning off' - big deal !

Its just a trend and once teams work out how to beat it (like you can beat an offside trap in soccer or spoil the ball before the advantage-line in Rugby)then overly defensive tactics will no longer be so important.

You might blame Rodney Eade and the Swans for inventing this tactic in the first place but flooding the backiline was only half the story of the Swans in 1996.

Part of the tactic was not only to flood the backline but also to counter-attack with quick running, lots of handballs and then a quick switch to the 'fat side' of the ground, usually to an umarked defender who had run down the ground (this was usually Paul Roos)

Nowadays whats happening is that teams have poicked up on Eade's flooding tactic but they haven't gone the whole way and tried to copy Eades hard-running, close-passing (almost Rugby-like really) style of counter attack.

The result is an overly negative game plan that most definitely WAS NOT the way Rodney Eade intended it to be.

What to do about it ? - I dunno but I really would not like to see the rules changed to bring in some kind of offside rule - that is a complete anathema to everything the game stands for.

 

[Grendel]

I had a post way back in the mists somewhere about the throwing situation. Its now beyond a joke. They should just now say okay its fine, dispose of the ball anyway you like just not in a tackle cause then we will penalise you even if you had no prior to get rid of it.
As to an offside rule, the soccer cheifs only introuduced that to stop scoring as to many were playing ahead of the ball and they were fearful of losing some of the games skill. Total reverse of whats now happening in Aussie rules. I agree with BSA all it takes is an imaginative coach to come up with a counter and it will just become another sometimes used sometimes not strategy for them to play around with.

 

[Slatts]

I am not encouraged by the solid belief that eventually a coach will be able to counter flooding because it is darn near impossible. The only way to beat it is to bomb in goals from outside 50m and pray they go through. That isn't likely to happen as accuracy hasn't exactly improved since the old days.
We have to change something in the rules and I'm not sure which way to go with the rule change. A line down the middle of the ground would also be bloody impossible to umpire. As on talking footy last night, maybe make goals from outside 50 worth a few points more so that opposition have to cover outside their defensive zone. This might work.(might be a bit too much like basketball though) We introduced the diamond to get rid of the clutter around the ball because no one could think of something better and it worked. Don't ride off rule changes due to history because we need to continue to improve this game.

Anyone got any other suggestions that could be introduced to get past the flooding tactic?

 

[dons_r_tops]

how about making 2 players stay within the forward 50 at all times, although this would also allow the defenders to run off and become a spare player in the forward line creating more goals so could have exactly the opposite effect of making it too easy to score and taking skill out of the game

 

[Slatts]

Not bad, not bad....

I think if you're going to leave 2 in the 50 you might as well make it so that the defenders have to be in the 50 as well. Might be a little like netball however..
Hey, I wonder how long it will be before we name tags marking a players position. Hmm. might be a bit too radical but hey who cares!

I still think that 3 players in the back half from both clubs would be a reasonable idea.