Analysis How the state of the game has evolved, is the increased rate of injuries a result of of the evolution

[ThaiTiger]

Equilibrium. What is the perfect balance between attack and defence? Why do Richmond have a percentage of 141.6 while Carlton are on 66.3? What is the correct score for a football game? These things are always fluid and changing. Looking at the score lines this year I would say everything's going along just fine.

 

[Topkent]

The easiest way to get back to the game Topkent wants is to actually build a time machine and some memory wiping medication and return to the 1950's.

I prefer the old game I saw as a kid too, but I'm aware that it will never be like that again - that's something I have to accept rather than bemoan.

I'm not looking for that though and I understand that it will never be the traditional FF on FB battle again but surely we can move the game back towards where it used to be. When AFL was developed it wasn't supposed to have 36 players in one half of the ground. Realistically you could half the size of the ground right now take off 18 players and have basically the same game but playable all over the world. It makes no sense for the field to be so large anymore.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Overnight Tony Modra was a superstar player with no identifiable position.

Huh?

He only ever played one position - Full forward. It's not like he was ever on the ball, or rebounding off half back flanks.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Equilibrium. What is the perfect balance between attack and defence? Why do Richmond have a percentage of 141.6 while Carlton are on 66.3? What is the correct score for a football game? These things are always fluid and changing. Looking at the score lines this year I would say everything's going along just fine.

yep, if you can't appreciate great defence, your thinking is stunted.

the second quarter of the Pies - Tiges game on Sunday was my favourite. The Tiges were put under all sorts of pressure, I thought they would go in 5 goals down. But they didn't. Through brute force, skill, or luck the defence held firm.

The 'candy' of 8 goals in the last quarter was built directly on that second quarter.

 

[Since 2001]

I think that we should:
Have 6 players on the bench and no rotation limit. This allows an extra 2 players to get experience in the afl.

or

Have 5 players on the bench for rotation and one sub for a player who gets injured or concussed and no rotation limit

 

[Ron The Bear]

Without looking I would guess the last season with a scoring average over 100 was 2000?

Generally, scoring has been in the low to mid 90's since 1994, with a blip in 2000, and dipping under 90 from 2014 on.

Maybe we should ask what changed at the end of 1993 for the scoring to drop 10 full points per team/20 points per match? (My memory suggests this was when quarters were wound back from 25 minutes + time-on to 20 minutes.) This happened twice previously, in 1959-60 and 1969-70, with 1969 being a 'blip' similar to 2000. Conversely, scoring jumped 12 points in 1981-82 and 15 points in 1968-69.

Scoring also increased by 16 points per team between 1931-34, in what became a golden age of footy. Do we understand the game well enough to attempt to precipitate such changes?

(The cynic in me wonders whether this sudden concern isn't driven by the current game's general unsuitability for the Aboriginal boys. Only three debutants have made the grade in the first six rounds - all 21 or older - following seasons of 8,6,6,5,4,8,6,6,8,6 & 12. We know how the AFL values its claims to diversity, and we've seen the clout that Mifsud wielded.)

 

[DERIBERATE]

Huh?

He only ever played one position - Full forward. It's not like he was ever on the ball, or rebounding off half back flanks.

Exactly. The position of full forward basically disappeared from the game in the late 90s.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I'm not looking for that though and I understand that it will never be the traditional FF on FB battle again but surely we can move the game back towards where it used to be. When AFL was developed it wasn't supposed to have 36 players in one half of the ground. Realistically you could half the size of the ground right now take off 18 players and have basically the same game but playable all over the world. It makes no sense for the field to be so large anymore.

the critical point where the game became congested was in the mid 2000s when paul roos introduced the footy world to team defense. there are a host of reasons why the sport took over 100 years to catch on to that but they're not overly important to this discussion.

like it or not team defense is here to stay. when we have lots of rotations we call it the forward press and when the players can't run up and back quite so much we called it flooding. but it's a much more effective way to defend than to send one player to contain buddy and no amount of rule tinkering is gonna make coaches forget this.

 

[Ando727]

I'm not looking for that though and I understand that it will never be the traditional FF on FB battle again but surely we can move the game back towards where it used to be. When AFL was developed it wasn't supposed to have 36 players in one half of the ground. Realistically you could half the size of the ground right now take off 18 players and have basically the same game but playable all over the world. It makes no sense for the field to be so large anymore.

If the field was half the length, it would take only one kick to get from one goal square to the other. It would be mayhem. At least with the game as it is, you have to have some pretty decent ball movement to move it from FB to FF.

No matter what we do to the game in terms of interchange, subs, rotations, number of players - the only way to guarantee all players never being in one half is to have zones where players can't leave. I can see the value in that, but I think it would be incredibly hard to monitor. The old game effectively did have zones in the sense that players stayed close to their positions and it never occurred to them or their coaches to flood and crowd their defensive 50. Once you know you can do that, the option will be used unless the rules force you to do otherwise. But the game is already tricky to officiate - imagine the burden of policing zones. I think all the other measures that are being proposed will only have minimal effect, it's tinkering around the edges. The game has evolved. Evolution rarely reverses itself.

 

[Topkent]

If the field was half the length, it would take only one kick to get from one goal square to the other. It would be mayhem. At least with the game as it is, you have to have some pretty decent ball movement to move it from FB to FF.

No matter what we do to the game in terms of interchange, subs, rotations, number of players - the only way to guarantee all players never being in one half is to have zones where players can't leave. I can see the value in that, but I think it would be incredibly hard to monitor. The old game effectively did have zones in the sense that players stayed close to their positions and it never occurred to them or their coaches to flood and crowd their defensive 50. Once you know you can do that, the option will be used unless the rules force you to do otherwise. But the game is already tricky to officiate - imagine the burden of policing zones. I think all the other measures that are being proposed will only have minimal effect, it's tinkering around the edges. The game has evolved. Evolution rarely reverses itself.

I hate the idea of zones but I wouldn't mind seeing a trial just to try and work out the kinks. Some sort of soft zone maybe where it's not completely rigid. As of typing I don't know how or if it would work but I would like to see the game spread out.

 

[Percel]

JARROD WAITE

 

[ThaiTiger]

This one's for OP. The best way to fix modern footy?

Melbourne win a Premiership.

 

[the harry]

Dogs v Bombers 2000

Hawks in 2008, especially the GF when they were rushing behinds and refusing to give up possession

Tigers v Adelaide(?) Terry Wallace and his "basketball crap"

Geelong v Tigers round 5 2007.

 

[eastfreo75]

Then for some reason they got rid of that after 1939 didn’t they?

After scoring had gone through the roof and was the first era of 100 goal a season full forwards.

Victoria changed the rule due to having a physical advantage and wanted more stoppages.

The game in the past has always gone to more congestion and rules like the centre diamond was introduced. Then replaced by the square.

The law makers with the exception of throw ins in 1939 has been always attempting to open the game up.

The so called traditionalists should look at the history of the game and see how the rules have changed over time.

 

[Bombermania]

I don't mind the current game, just that my side is proving to be bad at it.

I think the game is over umpired, I don't mind them paying frees but if they pay one sort of free then they have to keep paying it or just don't bother paying the first one.

I think the biggest problem in today's game is the overuse of the handball which results in play being more congested wheres if sides kicked it long to a forward even if it was a contested pack, it would look better than the current staff.

There have always been poor sides and poor games, it is just that in the old days it was put down to weather or ground conditions wheres today in perfect conditions some of the skill errors look terrible particularly the set shot at goal inaccuracy.

I liked Chris Scott's idea of taking two off the ground and having six on the bench but I am not a fan of zones although if I was an AFL coach I would play a forward in the forward 50, sure the opposition will drop a player back but that may create space across other parts of the ground it would then be up to the forward to out work whoever drops back.

 

[Bombermania]

I've watched from the 80's. I've never seen the game in such bad shape, and it isnt just this year, it's been developing for a decade. How long do you wait for it to right itself?

That's not to say all games are poor. The best few teams cope with the defensive tactics and have the skill to move the football with minimal errors. Bu the majority of the teams cannot, making most games per weekend not worth watching.

Same here having watched since the 1980s but I don't think the game itself is in bad shape, looking back to the 80s, most weeks saw one or two ordinary games, that number has increased inline with an increase in the number of matches from 6 to 9 and there being full coverage of all matches so the ordinary matches stand out more. Plus the perfect conditions make the ordinary matches look worst as there are no excuses like wind or mud.

 

[gavaniacono]

Rd6 2007 on a Sunday afternoon at Dockland's

I dont seem to remember that game.

 

[Bombermania]

Not a fan of finding ways to increase fatigue, one area this game has improved is the ability of sides to come from behind has improved, back in the 1980s if a side was 5 goals up at 3QT then it was said if they kicked the first one then it was as good as over wheres nowadays a side can be 5 goals down half way through the last term and they are still in it if they are good enough.

 

[HawkMongrel]

What a surprise, all of the former members of the rules committee who implemented the rules that have ruined our game are now all in the media blaming the coaches for what has become of our game.

Colour me shocked.

 

[Tbonefreo]

Encourage booing

 

[HTT]

The Richmond fans are swept up in the now/current situation - which is understandable. They are excited because their team has won a flag - and are currently going great guns - on top of the ladder etc - so alls good . All supporters of all clubs would be rapt with that

However say in this little era - Richmond win 2-3 or 4 flags - so all the Richmond supporters or most of them will be very content with the flags won - then a couple more years click by - and their watching AFL accross the board as a neutral - and they will say to themselves - AFL isnt that attractive/exciting to watch .

No. We were good in 2015 and we were suitably shit to watch. The new Richmond is exactly what we’ve been asking for, applying serious pressure to get the ball, and then when we do, push forward and look to score. If you just watch the game vaguely, yeah it looks like a bit of a rolling maul, but you just have to watch it closely, and you’ll see the brilliance.

 

[SumTingWong]

Bullshit

This is pretty much the quality of response expected from a poster like you.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Does it annoy anyone else that those cups are out of year order?

I'm more impressed by how they managed to wipe Fitzroy's blood off the things.

 

[TJASTA]

teams should just get good

 

[HairyO]

3. who?

Last in, First out.
Clubs which have been financial basket cases for more than a decade.

Pay free kicks for incorrect disposal.
Get rid of the 3rd man up rule so umpires dont take 20 seconds every stoppage asking who is up.
Ball ups and throw ins to take 5 seconds maximum after the whistle is blown.

There will never be a coach willing to put 15 players on the ball again.

Fixed by enforcing rules already in the game and removing a dumb rule which made stoppages worse.

And it didnt need 4 ex players and Robbo to solve.