Four rounds in, what's changed?

[Quivorir]

Will never happen, imagine the ball stopping 1/2 a metre on one side of a zone and players just standing there in the other zone watching it because they can't go into the other zone to get the ball and then a player in the correct zone just waltzes over picks it up and runs away.

Please tell me how that would be a good look for the game.

The chances of that happening would be less than .1%.

 

[HTT]

I think the bigger point is that people are concerned that if scoring does not go up.... what's next from the AFL re rule changes??

Happy you like the new rules... but i don't think the AFL will be happy unless scores go up.

It's going to become pretty clear that the reason for trying to 'open the game up' is really because the 7 bosses want more goals so there's more ads.

 

[gavaniacono]

Nonsense, they literally brought in these rules after all this whinging last year about the state of the game and how congested it supposedly was.

Channel 7 being the biggest critics of the game and the CEO literally stating how more goals would equal more ad time.

I suspect the current 666 rule is planned to be expanded beyond centre bounces. A Trojan Horse. A Slippery Slope. Look out...she will come in through the bathroom window!

 

[Duskfire]

I doubt that the game will ever truly open up until a team can win a flag playing a fast paced high scoring style. Bulldogs and Richmond won grand finals based on maniac pressure, teams combatted that by holding onto the ball and being patient soccer style. Eventually a team will win with crazy running and then other teams will adopt that.

As much as everyone complained, I bet you are all missing Geelongs style from the 2000s

 

[Belnakor]

The rule that needs to be un****ed the most is the below the legs free. It's s**t.

this is the only rule the AFL have bought in that actually makes sense.

The players are also huge supporters of the rule its only cretins like Danger who don't like it.

 

[Belnakor]

For a supposedly smart man Steve Hocking is a dimwit.

I don't know how anyone was of the opinion Hocking is a smart man. Smart men who played AFL are in very short supply unfortunately and most of them fade away from the game as quickly as they can (ie: Judd)

 

[basashi]

Congestion is caused by reluctance to pay the frees that are there. Eras of free flowing footy had higher free kick counts.

If you want flowing footy, pay the frees. As soon as a free is paid, players spread. Let it go or ball it up? You get congestion.

Not sometimes, all the time.

 

[Toump Ass]

this is the only rule the AFL have bought in that actually makes sense.

The players are also huge supporters of the rule its only cretins like Danger who don't like it.

Do you have a source for this?

I disagree it makes sense but that could be how the rule is adjudicated.

 

[JackFlash]

"Footballers' are a by-product in this game now, it's all about athletes and the run run run...run all day scenario. The AFL have succeeded in transforming the game that existed since the 19th century into an athletics meet. That's what's changed.

 

[sr36]

"Footballers' are a by-product in this game now, it's all about athletes and the run run run...run all day scenario. The AFL have succeeded in transforming the game that existed since the 19th century into an athletics meet. That's what's changed.

I agree that the game is congested because of the distances that players run and thus the number of contests they get to, but not sure why you are having a crack at The AFL about it.

 

[dean33]

Congestion is caused by reluctance to pay the frees that are there. Eras of free flowing footy had higher free kick counts.

If you want flowing footy, pay the frees. As soon as a free is paid, players spread. Let it go or ball it up? You get congestion.

Not sometimes, all the time.

They are paying far too many frees at the moment. Paying frees at every contest turns the game into a stop start spectacle where umpires have the final say on every contest.
Umpire likes in the last quarter of a grand final, pay the obvious ones but try and stay out of the game.

 

[iluvparis]

"Footballers' are a by-product in this game now, it's all about athletes and the run run run...run all day scenario. The AFL have succeeded in transforming the game that existed since the 19th century into an athletics meet. That's what's changed.

It's the same in a bunch of large team sports - Rugby Union - 15 pro athletes are just way to good at covering the the entire width of the pitch these days. Soccer - any tin pot African country can now stack 8-10 players behind the ball and defend reasonably well.

 

[basashi]

They are paying far too many frees at the moment. Paying frees at every contest turns the game into a stop start spectacle where umpires have the final say on every contest.
Umpire likes in the last quarter of a grand final, pay the obvious ones but try and stay out of the game.

That is fine but it is also the recipe for congestion.

 

[HTT]

That is fine but it is also the recipe for congestion.

Not if stoppages are done right.
Call them quickly, get them done quickly.
The rules need to change to allow that I.e. ruck nomination rule, cracking down on time wasting after a stoppage has been called.

 

[threesixpio]

I like most of the new rules. One thing I feel that has changed for the better is there seems to be far less congestion. This used to really frustrate me. The ball seems to bounce back and forwards much more now (don’t have any stats to back my theory up).

This is an interesting perspective actually and may explain the low scoring.

 

[basashi]

Not if stoppages are done right.
Call them quickly, get them done quickly.
The rules need to change to allow that I.e. ruck nomination rule, cracking down on time wasting after a stoppage has been called.

Been tried, hasn't worked.

 

[King Elvis]

Congestion is caused by reluctance to pay the frees that are there. Eras of free flowing footy had higher free kick counts.

If you want flowing footy, pay the frees. As soon as a free is paid, players spread. Let it go or ball it up? You get congestion.

Not sometimes, all the time.

Holding the ball (and throws) is all they need to fix, to address this.

They started allowing players to drop/push the ball forward a few years ago, now it gets caught in congestion, players hold it in, etc.

 

[Ghossein]

calling it now, next rule will be play on for backwards kicks

 

[TeeJay Blue]

Four rounds in, what's changed?

Everything but Carlton.

 

[NoobPie]

calling it now, next rule will be play on for backwards kicks

David King suggested it yesterday and anyone with a clue rejected it

 

[Ghossein]

David King suggested it yesterday and anyone with a clue rejected it

kind of like how most rejected the rules they've already brought in?

 

[Leeda]

call me dumb but I haven't noticed a limited six times three lazy round the ground partition...

if you know what I mean then you know what I mean.. there is still a glut of players overall

 

[Leeda]

Can we stage some kind of fan revolt where the members of all the clubs stage a coup and vote Gil and all the suits out? Then we can repeal all the last 10 years of rule changes, go back to simple rules that are easy to umpire and we can go back to watching footy.

no you're being still too cute..

 

[kranky al]

Does anyone else think the skills have fallen off big time this year as well? Can't believe the amount of basic skill errors I've seen in almost every game. Fumbling, handballing to teammates' feet, players under no pressure spraying kicks, out on the fulls etc. It's really noticeable this season.

Takes five or six games every season to dust off the cobwebs - thats why people say leave the gf replay to round 5 or 6

 

[jesterwester]

I think this will be an interesting discussion at the end of the year, when sides will have had a year to work out how best to use these rules. It’s come in with no AFL based trials so this year will always be a trial and error based season for many clubs. Scoring will settle soon enough.

Guarantee the scoring averages for the top sides will go up later in the year - especially when younger sides start to tire late in the season and lack consistency. But they will be because of blowouts rather than the 100 v 100 matches the AFL desperately want.

Of course, the issue with those games is that although they are high scoring, they often lack physicality and for mine, authenticity. That Melbourne v Essendon game was an example of that. High scoring yes, but boy it wasn’t a pretty match as a neutral viewer. I couldn’t be bothered watching it all.

Skills are just as big an issue when it comes to scoring, but given the athletic demands on an AFL footballer now, its hard to see that improving significantly in the near future.