Has football become almost unwatchable?

[The_Eagles]

You switch off because you're older. You have other interests and responsibilities that you didn't have when you were 20. The average footy fan goes through this when they hit 30. It's not rocket science.

As well as interest in music, alcohol, clubs, drugs, pr0n around 40

 

[Humblebob]

Not a bad idea.

Footscray fought to survive so they, like North, should remain.

Won’t debate it, it’s not something I want to see happen. I just think it’s what makes sense.

 

[RUNVS]

You said you wanted 15 teams?

No, 15 players on the field for each team. So going from 36 players on the field to 30, making it much harder to zone and opening up space for the players.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Footy is great.

half the games will be below average quality - that's just how life works.

A big problem for me is that all the AFL media sites thrive on click/rage bait. This has led to more posts and content about contentious umpiring decisions.

Umpire whinging is out of control. When anyone in the AFL post something about a dodgy free kick situation (or a incident that could result in suspension) the amount of clicks, shares and comments is off the charts.

I don't think fans realise how much they're being conditioned to rage about umpires and how good it is for ratings, but how bad it is for enjoyment of the sport itself.

Fans will forget about a player missing a shot after the siren to win/lose a game, but will recall a dodgy umpiring decision from 5 years ago and refer to it frequently.

In my time watching footy - the obsession with umpiring has been one of the biggest changes I've noticed. I personally don't care about the umpiring. For me it's like the weather - it can work in your favour, or against. It's just another variable in the game. And because of this I am happy while other people are raging.

 

[Freomaniac]

WalshistheGOAT , you need to gamble more money lol

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

WalshistheGOAT , you need to gamble more money lol

Huh?

 

[Freomaniac]

It's been terrible for years. 05-06 grand finals, flooding, sideways and backward kicking, possession game to half fwd then long kick to the pocket....

The odd ripper like pies v cats are rare indeed

05-06 grand final wasn't that bad. It was at least close.

2013 grand final was bad. Yes I am a biased Freo fan. But I can't find too many highlights that were memorable.

At least every AFL Grand final from 1990 had a good goal or spectacular mark.

 

[Freomaniac]

Huh?

The only winners in the AFL are gamblers lol

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

The only winners in the AFL are gamblers lol

Yeah I'm gonna have to pass thanks. Got better things to waste my money on than punting.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

05-06 grand final wasn't that bad. It was at least close.

2013 grand final was bad. Yes I am a biased Freo fan. But I can't find too many highlights that were memorable.

At least every AFL Grand final from 1990 had a good goal or spectacular mark.

Objectively - it was not much of a spectacle.

 

[Pistol Night]

Yeah I'm gonna have to pass thanks. Got better things to waste my money on than punting.

GF tickets?

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

GF tickets?

Skydiving Pistol. Should get out and give it a go!

 

[beez]

OP might benefit from some pelvic floor exercises.

 

[Pistol Night]

Skydiving Pistol. Should get out and give it a go!

**** that. I fall off my bar stool sometimes

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Footy back to its best with high scoring. Teams sometimes getting smashed in one qtr or getting off to a fast start. Reminds me of the 90's.

 

[Chronz]

Yeah I'm gonna have to pass thanks. Got better things to waste my money on than punting.

Yeah, like a Carlton membership.

 

[Daka]

This week has made this thread look bad, the game isn't perfect though I feel the umpiring is the biggest issue in the game it's very inconsistent. the games are okay imo in terms of teams playing.

 

[Freomaniac]

Yeah I'm gonna have to pass thanks. Got better things to waste my money on than punting.

Such as?

 

[ibd77]

The only winners in the AFL are gamblers lol

...and the AFL on the take from gambling companies.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

You only have to look at scores from back then to realise there were a lot of shit games back then to. Fact is you only got about a quarter of the 2 matches of the round on TV.

People live in fantasy land when it comes to everything was better back in the day.

Disagree. 90s was the best. Most would agree.

 

[kickazz]

Was at the Cats Giants game and found the whole game pretty entertaining. Good combination of structured play, contested play, good skills, good body work.

 

[Daka]

Disagree. 90s was the best. Most would agree.

I love tackling though, in the 90s they never tackled hardly. look at the best players they all had low tackle numbers.
it shows how much the game is contested footy now.

My fav games to watch are contested games with high scoring. I hate Ross Lyon/Paul Roos low scoring contested games.

 

[Simche]

So I'll present this in terms of a list of gripes that I'd want addressed and then look at some of the 'pros'.

Things that make me really think about doing something more productive with my weekend:
Rules

1. The stand rule and the significance of the penalty for what is an extremely technical rule. The 'protected zone' that basically allows blokes to not have to kick drop punts anymore and execute a fundamental skill from angles, instead being allowed the privilege of wandering around to dead in front in the name of higher scoring (and it hasn't fixed scoring).
2. The 20 years of hands in the back equals a push, and then 'anything goes' for the last few years, to a new interpretation this past few weeks utilising some sort of Newtonian formula of a propulsion threshold that if exceeded warrants a free in some circumstances and in others does not depending upon a range of circumstances including where on the field it occurs, whether it is a forward or defender offending etc.
3. The general mess of 'holding the ball' / 'incorrect disposal' with any old decision being ticked off by the authorities that be. Its genuinely 'vibe' based as the young people would say.
4. Interpretations that in my view reward players ducking and generally putting themselves at risk by leading with their heads or attempting to exaggerate things like sling tackles. The rise of the professional 'milking' of free kicks is distasteful to me.
5. The failure to pay the plethora of dead set throws I see every week. All the calls of 'quick hands', are almost always scooped throws if you look closely and then have a look at the rule book and what a handball actually requires. I blame the failure to crack down on the Jarman boys in the 90s for this and the crow throw.
6. There are too many rotations even now. If we want to open the game up cut the bench and let the boys get tired. It'll really open up then. They also won't have the energy to run into each other to the extent they cause life threatening harm.

Coaching

1. Coaches have had too much input into the rules and it shows. The rise of the zonal defensive system and flooding mean that we'll never again see genuine one on one contest forward of the ball for more than a few brief interactions per match.
2. Negative gameplans are rewarded by the rules, the umpires and generally haven't been lambasted by the media like they should.
3. The chip kick reigns supreme and quite frankly some of the rule changes above that have made Geelong style possession controlling chip up football the dominant form of game plan without any complaint should be looked at. I didn't pay god knows how many years worth of membership to watch an elaborate style of keepings off where each kick goes precisely 14.95m.

General

1. It takes too long to make teams relevant and equalisation measures in my view have not been allowed to properly operate. There's about 10-14 teams year by year that know they are no shot at a flag and I honestly think that a great comp would be one where every side, every year, could potentially go the whole way.
2. Players have too much power under free agency and this is manifesting in ways where draftees are increasingly dictating where they will, and won't go. I think the future of a professional competition rests on providing clubs with greater flexibility to turn over their lists and trade away players, even if they do not wish to land where they are going. It would be a measure that would help significantly with competitiveness.
3. List sizes, no more under 19s, the bullshit NGA system which qualifies blokes that have played footy their entire lives, reserves being mixed with the VFL and generally just the second tier being a mess.
4. Consequence based tribunal punishments which are quite frankly made up and involve a bunch of overpaid solicitors and barristers talking garbage in a kangaroo court.
5. The fixture is genuinely a disgrace and ensures some teams that deserve to play finals don't and some that do not do. Needs to be moved to a model that is either everyone plays everyone twice (which can be done with the amount of faff that goes on but the players will sook about it) or a rolling two year fair fixture.

Now what I think has been great:

1. The skill level is unbelievable and the athletic ability of players has never been better.
2. The 666 rule has been a success and scoring from centre break has returned.
3. People are beginning to wake up to the need to properly ensure professionalism in the umpiring cohort.
4. The growth of the game across Aus has been terrific to watch.

Honestly I think we're a few rule tweaks away from significantly improving the game. I'd start with removing more than about 10 interchange rotations (see how hard it is to flood back when you're dead from running in the 2nd quarter) and reinstating the hands in the back rule to increase scoring.

 

[Clark G]

Essendon had nothing to play for that night as they’d already won enough games to guarantee a top of the ladder finish. They rested several players (like Hird) and went on to not lose a game for the rest of the season. The Bulldogs went on to not win a game for the rest of the season. Even if it was a memorable victory for Bulldogs fans, it surely would pale in comparison to actually making and winning finals (2016 and 2021 come to mind).

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Close games are still entertaining. But I have no idea what sport they are playing anymore. AFL is certainly not Aussie Rules Football as I remember it.
Basically any contact at all is now a free kick, suspensions now we’re not even free kicks 40 years ago.

The violence taken out of the game was a great thing, changing the rules of the sport was not a great thing.

To late now, this new sport is what it is now. Unrecognisable from the great sport we once watched.