At first thought, this seems plausible, but I think this is actually a myth.
In theory, there are plenty of breaks in play in an AFL match.
After a goal is kicked. Before the bounce down. At quarter/half/three quarter time. While a player is "in the hands of the trainers", and of course, during the endless rolling scrums. Chants can work really well in a 20 second gap - we are not talking about singing Stairway to Heaven here
In practice, Collingwood have shown that there are opportunities to make it work. Their slow chant certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
FWIW, I have a pet theory that a lot of non-Collingwood supporters hate that chant because they deep-down envy it. I do!
Well, it is melodically very basic, but that is a strength, IMO.
- It is very simple to join in with.
- It creates a hypnotic, eerie atmosphere which, according to D.Jolly, inspires the players.
- It drowns out the opposition fans' cheers.
What's not to like... other than the club that imported* it?
BTW, I am not advocating just copying this, and it is never going to be a hit single - but I do think it is a success.
* I say imported, as I believe it is a straight copy of a British soccer club chant. Probably Arsenal, but I am still looking for confirmation of this.