'Fads' or trends in footy over time

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PerthBoy86

Norm Smith Medallist
May 23, 2016
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The thread on checkside/bananas got me thinking...it seems during different eras there are certainly 'fads', like styles of kicking, or structures, tackling.etc, what have you. I'm not that sure about the past since I haven't seen a lot of old games, but of course the style of play in general has changed/evolved.

Right now, the checkside and dribbling seem to be the 'in' thing. While it's been around for awhile, it seems nowadays a player is often more likely go to for it than not, even when a drop kick would be a better option. It definitely has its place, but sometimes I feel it's a bit overused. Same with dribbling the ball. I've seen some pretty horrible misses where a player has tried dribbling it almost directly in front and the ball has bounced the wrong way. I can see how it suits the modern game more, which is less based on say, overheard and pack contested marks, and definitely suits players who like to play low, crumbers.etc, so it's also a reflection of the evolution of the game, and is probably here to stay - for the time being. It does in some ways add an element of excitement and unpredictability which I like.

In the 00s 'flooding' and the 'negative' defensive style were popularised by teams such as the Swans, but it's nice to see footy being more attacking based again. One thing you rarely see these days, and not for awhile, is the drop kick. Or so I've heard. I heard the drop-kick used to be used a lot more. I don't know if it's a 'fad per se', but was deliberate ducking such a big problem in the past? Didn't seem like it. Always it seems players don't go for the torpedo as much as in the past.

It'll will be interesting to see what other sort of 'fads' or trends pop up in our great game over time. I think the fluidity and flexibility of it is one of the great things about it.
 

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The thread on checkside/bananas got me thinking...it seems during different eras there are certainly 'fads', like styles of kicking, or structures, tackling.etc, what have you. I'm not that sure about the past since I haven't seen a lot of old games, but of course the style of play in general has changed/evolved.

Right now, the checkside and dribbling seem to be the 'in' thing. While it's been around for awhile, it seems nowadays a player is often more likely go to for it than not, even when a drop kick would be a better option. It definitely has its place, but sometimes I feel it's a bit overused. Same with dribbling the ball. I've seen some pretty horrible misses where a player has tried dribbling it almost directly in front and the ball has bounced the wrong way. I can see how it suits the modern game more, which is less based on say, overheard and pack contested marks, and definitely suits players who like to play low, crumbers.etc, so it's also a reflection of the evolution of the game, and is probably here to stay - for the time being. It does in some ways add an element of excitement and unpredictability which I like.

In the 00s 'flooding' and the 'negative' defensive style were popularised by teams such as the Swans, but it's nice to see footy being more attacking based again. One thing you rarely see these days, and not for awhile, is the drop kick. Or so I've heard. I heard the drop-kick used to be used a lot more. I don't know if it's a 'fad per se', but was deliberate ducking such a big problem in the past? Didn't seem like it. Always it seems players don't go for the torpedo as much as in the past.

It'll will be interesting to see what other sort of 'fads' or trends pop up in our great game over time. I think the fluidity and flexibility of it is one of the great things about it.
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Perthboy unfairly gets a bad rap on this site these days. Many of his earlier threads were straight up garbage, true, but they've seemed to improve over time, and actually engaging and thought provoking to a degree. By his standards this thread is actually decent but that terrible reputation still lingers and due to the frequency of his main board threads, people automatically dismiss everything he types without reading his threads anymore.

Suppose he brought it on himself.

As for trends, the 'tall' big-bodied midfielder is a fairly current trend.
 

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'Fads' or trends in footy over time

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