Opinion Football now vs 10 years ago?

[The_JHF_Clinic]

Footy now vs 20 years ago would be a better comparison. The rot had well and truly started to set in a decade ago. Like some others have commented, these days I rarely watch games that don’t involve my own team, but during the late 90’s / early 2000’s I was keen to watch at least half of the games every weekend.

I’d say that ineffective rule changes (and their impact on umpiring), new coaching strategies inspired from other sports, and the league’s token support for political agendas in the name of ‘inclusion’ have all contributed to the decreased appeal of the game for its traditional supporter base. To clarify, I love indigenous round, the dreamtime game etc; however, the AFL provides nothing except token support for so many causes that it gives you the impression they are just posturing for profit motives.

It sucks that so many of us feel this cynical about the sport we love, but the overall experience of watching footy has declined and it’s disappointing.

 

[hawkman]

Probably the worst thing that happened was that free scoring Sydney lost to the Dogs in 2016 and Adelaide lost to Richmond in 2017. All of a sudden everyone went defensive.

The best teams were regularly averaging 100+ per game prior to this, since then only Melbourne in 2018 has done so and only Brisbane has been above 2000 in points for in 2019 and 2021

 

[Pessimistic]

As they say up North..."Aussie Rules, what rules?" The game is almost unrecognisable to what we had at the turn of the century. The AFL have fiddled farted around with the rules so much that nobody knows what the hell is going on, let alone the umpires? The basics of the game have been diluted to such an extent that it's arguable the game is Australian Rules Football at all? The bump is a dead duck wether they say so or not, (It's only a matter of time before it's gone altogether) The rules simply don't permit it anymore without consequences.
Teams are in trouble if the slightest contact mistake is made and there will be plenty when you have 36 players on a footy field all running around madly in a body contact sport for 2 hours! I'm not sure what Gil & Co are hoping to ultimately achieve?
Yes, i'm all for protecting the head, but who is protecting the game itself? What game do we want in the future? The game is a midfielders game, will we ever see a leading, marking 100 goal full forward again? The Brownlow is pretty much irrelevant as ruckmen like Max Gawn or backmen like Tom Stewart don't stand a chance, considering they can pretty much do what they want unhindered. Players are bigger and stronger than ever before, kids were just drafted at 193cm as midfielders and years ago that height would get you a gig in the ruck. You don't get that job in 2022 unless you hit 200cm plus.
So if a 193cm player accidentally runs into a 180cm player, what do they think is going to happen? We complain about the defensive style coaches employ, but do they have much choice? I don't expect anyone who has never seen a game in the 80s or 90s know what all this means. Sorry for your loss.

looking at the total history of the game the 100 plus goal spearhead was a freak occurrence in one era only
Stepping back it does seem unlikely in a game with 18 a side

 

[Pessimistic]

Probably the worst thing that happened was that free scoring Sydney lost to the Dogs in 2016 and Adelaide lost to Richmond in 2017. All of a sudden everyone went defensive.

The best teams were regularly averaging 100+ per game prior to this, since then only Melbourne in 2018 has done so and only Brisbane has been above 2000 in points for in 2019 and 2021

squiggle had a mix of teams above and below the 50-50 attack- defence line. Most premiers (while always being competent defensively) came from above the line. Occasionally premiers came from below the line.

now all teams spend the whole time below the line (carlton and brisbane snuck above the line occasionally)

it’s been like that in squiggle from 2019 on

 

[JackFlash]

looking at the total history of the game the 100 plus goal spearhead was a freak occurrence in one era only
Stepping back it does seem unlikely in a game with 18 a side

One era? 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s had a lot of freak occurrences?

 

[Pessimistic]

One era? 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s had a lot of freak occurrences?

AFL Tables - Miscellaneous Goalkicking Records

neglible outside 70s to 90s. Inb4discussion on meaning of era

 

[La Dispute]

Melbourne fans prefer footy today over footy in 2011 - shocked to be standing here.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

As a Melbourne supporter obviously this year was the most enjoyable in a long time. I don't think the game is much different compared to 10 years ago, if anything its better because it has opened up a bit however it still doesn't compare to the game of 20-30 years ago. Players just don't have the space to work in anymore because the field is too congested. Remove players from the field and the play will open up, players will have space to show off their skill instead of having rolling packs and players having to fend off tackles as soon as they take possession.

I don't think it's necessarily dilution of talent, although that doesn't help - it's the full ground presses/zones that teams can roll out now which came into effect in the late 2000's after Sydney won the flag in 2005. Other teams had done it before but the Swans under Roos made it the main feature of their gameplan. Now any team that doesn't train their players to run all day to cover ground is dead on their feet. Removing players from the field will make zones less effective/ineffective and will also lead to less dilution of talent on the ground and across the league.

 

[Pessimistic]

Surely if talent was diluted due to extra teams then average total draftees taken each year would also be 15% ?

it isnt

I conclude the two new teams have been accommodated by players playing longer on average

 

[sprockets]

With the Tiger's being sh*t this season, it allowed for some extra reflection of AFL as a whole. Quiet introspection lead me to realise "Hey, I am watching a lot less football this season". It was very true as in the past I used to watch the Tiger's game and at least 1 to 2 other games "viewed" (i.e. put on in the background/had it on the radio in the background). Now it is just the Tiger's games and this was the first year I didn't watch at least 1 game a week during the finals. I questioned if this was because my team had a poor season but I quickly squashed that assumption as I had been watching less footy since 2018. I also wondered if I had lost passion in the game after seeing 3 flags. This one is a definite possibility, maybe my passion for the game was because I chose to support a club that, for the most of my life, was a laughing stock. Could it be that I am looking back on the 2010 - 2015 period with rose tinted glasses as at that time I was finishing high school and was in my early 20's? More reflection was needed I thought.

A breakthrough! I recently decided to watch some old games from 2009 - 2017. Whilst, yes, I am only watching Richmond wins and other games on Kayo under the "Classics" tab, football back then looked that much more engaging. I was rewatching the 2014 Hawthorn v Port PF and thought how the way both sides were playing was just so much more enjoyable to watch, as a spectacle, than any of the decent games this year. Same thing with the 2010 Richmond vs WCE when Jack kicked 10. Even though the Eagles didn't have the best day, a lot of their transitions were just far more enjoyable to watch than anything that was displayed this year during the home and away. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed was not having to listen to the word "STAND" 200 times a game.

My question to everyone else is how is your passion for football now compared to 5 - 10 years ago? Have you found that you don't care as much? Why? Some of the possible reasons I think are;
- Massive "Fabric of the Game" rule changes ("STAND", 666, below the knees etc.)
- 18 teams has lead to too much dilution of talent
- Did Clarko's Cluster then Richmond's manic style cause too much of a defensive mindset?
- Any other reasons?

Lastly (and a bit tangentially) when the AFL puts in new rules they say they want to make scoring higher because that is what fans want, but how do they derive that? I have not seen a survey about that. The tin-foil hat part of me wants to say that the AFL wants more scoring because Channel 7 wants to flog more KFC and annoy people with betting ads.

There's been no dilution of talent. I agree that higher scoring isn't needed and the people that think that have allowed themselves to become brainwashed by the AFL.

 

[Hoops]

There was a down period, But the footy from last year was as good as 2011

 

[JayJ20]

I think a lot of people complaining about not seeing high scores were just a little too "offended" to enjoy the 2021 finals series maybe?

Maxy Gawn, what the fu** was that? 5 goals in a preliminary final? He was roving loose balls, kicking goals on the run, nailing set shots. That was ******* beautiful Australian Rules Football. It really was.

Second best team in the game got absolutely thrashed in a grand final. Melbourne literally doubled their score, 100 points in a bit over a quarter. Petracca, 39 possessions in a (BIG) game, 2 brilliant goals, that's football. That's quality viewing right there.

How much more scoring do you need?

Edit: that swearfilter, lol

You highlighted the problem. Melbourne's PF and GF scoring was great to watch, but before that, only the Gold Coast game (128 points) was above 104. I think that's the point of this discussion. To get that level of entertainment and skill from the premiers only 3 times in 25 games highlights what I don't like about modern day football/coaching.

Melbourne scored over 100 5 times in the Home and Away season (102, 103, 104, 104 and 128).
Not very high for a premier. Does defence get the job done? Yeah. Is it entertaining to watch? No.

For comparison, people used to complain about Ross Lyon's defensive style yet Fremantle in 2013 kicked 100 or more 10 times, including kicking 130 or more four times. St Kilda in 2009 kicked 100 or more 12 times. Melbourne would be considered ultra defensive even by Ross Lyon standard.

Defence may win premierships in this day and age, but the product is not as entertaining as it used to be.

 

[The 747]

Well I voted "increased" but being locked in my house for most of the past two seasons probably has something to do with that.

2021 was better on the eye than 2020 which was god awful. There are still good games, but probably the majority now are hard to watch.

 

[Toump Ass]

Melbourne's PF and GF scoring was great to watch

Why bother with the game then, just watch the "all the goals" videos the AFL put out.

"more goals = more entertaining"... nah.

 

[VinnieB]

With the Tiger's being sh*t this season, it allowed for some extra reflection of AFL as a whole. Quiet introspection lead me to realise "Hey, I am watching a lot less football this season". It was very true as in the past I used to watch the Tiger's game and at least 1 to 2 other games "viewed" (i.e. put on in the background/had it on the radio in the background). Now it is just the Tiger's games and this was the first year I didn't watch at least 1 game a week during the finals. I questioned if this was because my team had a poor season but I quickly squashed that assumption as I had been watching less footy since 2018. I also wondered if I had lost passion in the game after seeing 3 flags. This one is a definite possibility, maybe my passion for the game was because I chose to support a club that, for the most of my life, was a laughing stock. Could it be that I am looking back on the 2010 - 2015 period with rose tinted glasses as at that time I was finishing high school and was in my early 20's? More reflection was needed I thought.

A breakthrough! I recently decided to watch some old games from 2009 - 2017. Whilst, yes, I am only watching Richmond wins and other games on Kayo under the "Classics" tab, football back then looked that much more engaging. I was rewatching the 2014 Hawthorn v Port PF and thought how the way both sides were playing was just so much more enjoyable to watch, as a spectacle, than any of the decent games this year. Same thing with the 2010 Richmond vs WCE when Jack kicked 10. Even though the Eagles didn't have the best day, a lot of their transitions were just far more enjoyable to watch than anything that was displayed this year during the home and away. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed was not having to listen to the word "STAND" 200 times a game.

My question to everyone else is how is your passion for football now compared to 5 - 10 years ago? Have you found that you don't care as much? Why? Some of the possible reasons I think are;
- Massive "Fabric of the Game" rule changes ("STAND", 666, below the knees etc.)
- 18 teams has lead to too much dilution of talent
- Did Clarko's Cluster then Richmond's manic style cause too much of a defensive mindset?
- Any other reasons?

Lastly (and a bit tangentially) when the AFL puts in new rules they say they want to make scoring higher because that is what fans want, but how do they derive that? I have not seen a survey about that. The tin-foil hat part of me wants to say that the AFL wants more scoring because Channel 7 wants to flog more KFC and annoy people with betting ads.

I don't know what 'fabric of the game' is. I know silk feels nice on the skin, but inappropriate on hot days. Linen is nice during a summer breeze, but can be easily creased. I always come back to cotton.

In terms of footy. I love it just as much as ever, however, don't follow it as closely as I once did. This is probably due to me actually seeing more action from my wife over the past couple of years. Call it jealousy or whatever, but it seems whenever a Collingwood game is on, I get given the 'look' and it gets me every time. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pies, however, I'm also a realist and understand the Pies will be around forever, but this wont be.

So in summary, I love the game as much as I ever have. But sometimes there's more important things in life which you need to jump on (literally) knowing the opportunity wont last forever. I'm sure I'll be back. Hopefully not too soon.

 

[JayJ20]

Why bother with the game then, just watch the "all the goals" videos the AFL put out.

"more goals = more entertaining"... nah.

Goals are not everything, but it is undoubtedly the most entertaining part of the game. You can't seriously tell me Melbourne's last quarter and a half in the grand final was less entertaining than Melbourne vs Fremantle round 1 or Essendon vs Melbourne. It's easily the most entertaining Melbourne have played all year. Why? Because of their defence? Nope.
It's because of how they attacked all over the ground, which resulted in a lot of goals.

 

[Toump Ass]

Goals are not everything, but it is undoubtedly the most entertaining part of the game.

For you, and for the majority (maybe), but not for everyone. It's a bit like tennis: a point is a point, but I enjoy the rally, I like the endurance aspect of it, I'm more interested in a close game. The only reason I enjoy thrashings is because I'm a campaigner and I like trolling people who support the team at the end of one.

There was only 18 goals in total in the first 2010 grand final, but as a spectacle that was one of the most entertaining grand finals for me, I really enjoyed 2005 and 2006 as well.

 

[Kappa]

The "STAND" rule did for my engagement with the game, I just can't watch that confected stupidity.

I'm still on here though, chatting about footy, and still bought a membership. So in that sense, my disengagement has no consequences for the Gill/SHocking idiocracy.

TV audiences are still as high as ever, I understand? but we probably need to wait for a non-pandemic year to really get an idea of any significant turn off due to the endless rule change debacles of recent years.

You don’t think people were complaining about stupid rules 10 years ago???

 

[PetterdHoisted]

You don’t think people were complaining about stupid rules 10 years ago???

Yeah they were, but that was trivial stuff like 3rd man up etc. localised stuff.

the rules changes in the last 3 years are equivalent to the centre square introduction in the 70s,huge changes to the structure of the game.

would be interesting to know if people walked away when they introduced the centre square

 

[lumpinee]

The game has dropped off as it has every year since at its peak early 2000s. First let me say sometimes you do get the odd great game where you wish it was like that all season. But I'm finding those classic matches are becoming few and far between each season.

Few things that have gone which made the game great were characters and players that were allowed to be themselves and fight for the club without fines. I actually enjoyed a bit of fight in a match and players not being robots. These days they can't say or do anything without being sanctioned or fined for minor offences. And I understand the protecting for the head which I do agree needed to be implemented but some of the light stuff like jumper punches, mini fights where no one gets injuried then honestly don't see a issue with it being played out without penalties from the AFL.
Game also has become so over officiated that players are more actors then athletes. Seems most want to play for free kicks then go for the ball.

Use to be around 10-15 good matches a season around early 2000s. These days I probably could count on one hand the amount of those real quality classic matches in a season were you are so invested in it even if it's you're team or not playing. Commentators also are badly on the decline. Need to stop hiring ex AFL players and get some more professional broadcasters to call the matches to make it more appealing. Just because you played AFL doesn't mean you can commentate. It's a skill that you need to have similar to say horse calling. Some of the former AFL players these days trying to commentate without experience sound so bat sh*t dumb it gets real sickening listening and ruins the overall experience of enjoying the match.

couldnt agree more on the commentary,its at its lowest in living memory,talentless drivelers nowadays