If you were the AFL CEO you would…

[Whit3y]

play a vfl or play a womens game before the main game
or even better yet play a weekly selected game of country senior football at the mcg every week before an afl game

not many people play a game of footy in front of a 30k-80k crowd
Just imagine your a player for a team in a league in country victoria, say the MCDFL. you get to play your game at the mcg before an afl game. those two clubs, those two towns would be on a high all week. those players involved would be on cloud nine. To give those players a change to play 1 game at the mcg would be a career highlight in front of a huge crowd

would be a way for the afl to support country football, one could argue they dont do enough now

 

[dazbroncos]

I would stop ******* with the game...

Too many changes for changes sake - and id fix the rules that are unclear. Give umpires the batsman logic "of benefit of the doubt" on things like DOOB.
Balls kicked - they hurt - but otherwise to gain meterage, that take leg break bounces OOB on bounce 2 or 3 are not DOOB for example.

Things like that. Keep the basis of the rule but not the BS that comes with it.

GO Catters

 

[Partridge]

That's a big part of why home games should be at a home or neutral venue. That QF was a pretty gratuitous example of the AFLs clear bias towards Melbourne clubs.

If that is the case, why wasn't it a huge issue 12 months ago? We played the 2016 Qualifying Final versus Hawthorn - at the MCG. A Melbourne club. At their home ground. For our home final. Why wasn't it an issue then but this season it is? It was exactly the same thing.

To me it's pretty simple. Contractual obligations aside, the AFL will always rightly or wrongly use the MCG if there's any way they can. 90,000 people means more to them than 30,000. As long as the club has the mindset that they can win anywhere that's all I'm worried about.

 

[Partridge]

I would stop ******* with the game...

Too many changes for changes sake - and id fix the rules that are unclear. Give umpires the batsman logic "of benefit of the doubt" on things like DOOB.
Balls kicked - they hurt - but otherwise to gain meterage, that take leg break bounces OOB on bounce 2 or 3 are not DOOB for example.

Things like that. Keep the basis of the rule but not the BS that comes with it.

Yep. If deliberate out of bounds was adjudicated properly I reckon you'd see it paid maybe once or twice a game.

Which leads into one of my bigger complaints - umpiring in response to crowd noise.

 

[Vdubs]

That is the responsibility of their parents, why should we be inconvenienced?

I would introduce designated areas where supporters can sit if they buy and drink alcohol.
Don't know how many times men and women clamber over us 2-3 x a quarter getting drinks, spilling some as the stumble over us. Serious issue; I am not alone in noticing this but from the vibe of those here on BF, I know this would be an unpopular move.

 

[Landgraft]

If that is the case, why wasn't it a huge issue 12 months ago? We played the 2016 Qualifying Final versus Hawthorn - at the MCG. A Melbourne club. At their home ground. For our home final. Why wasn't it an issue then but this season it is? It was exactly the same thing.

I've been irked by the idea that we play any home games at grounds other than KP for a long time, but it seems that you're less interested in addressing me specifically and more interested in addressing the broader conversation as you do or don't perceive it.

 

[Partridge]

I've been irked by the idea that we play any home games at grounds other than KP for a long time, but it seems that you're less interested in addressing me specifically and more interested in addressing the broader conversation as you do or don't perceive it.

It would seem wrong then. I'm happy to address either you or the broader conversation.

That Geelong shouldn't play home games anywhere but Geelong? Absolutely. But it's never going to happen. We've been playing 'home' games at Waverley, the MCG, and now Etihad for ever. Without checking I would guess it's at least 30 years (I remember seeing us play St.Kilda there in 1986 and that might have been our 'home' game). Probably more. I definitely agree that 9 games at Geelong is way more palatable than 7, and more reasonable, but aside from that, we're not going to get 11 anytime soon. Hope I'm wrong.

The point I raised was more specific to last year but I think valid. If it was such an issue for us not to play the Qualifying Final at Geelong - if anyone thinks that fair enough, and we did get a game there in 2013 - why wasn't there anything like the hue and cry the year before, under exactly the same circumstances? I'm not sure it's reasonable to complain after the fact because we lost, as opposed to silence the year before because we won. Either both fixtures were wrong or neither were.

I've got no doubt plenty will disagree but that's how I see it.

 

[Hello Kitty]

I would introduce designated areas where supporters can sit if they buy and drink alcohol.
Don't know how many times men and women clamber over us 2-3 x a quarter getting drinks, spilling some as the stumble over us. Serious issue; I am not alone in noticing this but from the vibe of those here on BF, I know this would be an unpopular move.

I understand the issue, it's very unpleasant for families to be subjected to drunken behaviour.

I remember, back in olden times, at the cricket, you know, about 1860s, no one would dream of leaving their seat until the end of an over. It was the same at the footy, you remained seated until the quarter ended.

I'd suggest that a better option, perhaps, is to create 'family areas', divided into alcohol free + alcohol consumption - would also alleviate issues that those without kids have to endure, like:

• kids spilling their food/drinks down your back;
• continuous kicking of the back of your seat;
• screaming/tantrums;
• jumping up + down on the seat in front of you;
• running back + forth to their seats during the game;
• the inability to swear like a sailor.

Further, there could be alcohol free areas for all those who prefer to avoid those alcohol-fuelled louts

Also at the SCG there was the Ladies Stand, for women + children, the Members Stand was for men only.

 

[Landgraft]

It would seem wrong then. I'm happy to address either you or the broader conversation.

That Geelong shouldn't play home games anywhere but Geelong? Absolutely. But it's never going to happen. We've been playing 'home' games at Waverley, the MCG, and now Etihad for ever. Without checking I would guess it's at least 30 years (I remember seeing us play St.Kilda there in 1986 and that might have been our 'home' game). Probably more. I definitely agree that 9 games at Geelong is way more palatable than 7, and more reasonable, but aside from that, we're not going to get 11 anytime soon. Hope I'm wrong.

The point I raised was more specific to last year but I think valid. If it was such an issue for us not to play the Qualifying Final at Geelong - if anyone thinks that fair enough, and we did get a game there in 2013 - why wasn't there anything like the hue and cry the year before, under exactly the same circumstances? I'm not sure it's reasonable to complain after the fact because we lost, as opposed to silence the year before because we won. Either both fixtures were wrong or neither were.

I've got no doubt plenty will disagree but that's how I see it.

Well, there was a lot of noise beforehand as well - and certainly noise about the MCG as the Grand Final venue was a pretty noisy topic in recent years when Hawthorn were up against interstate sides.

Safe to say that this normally minor issue was given a lot of prominence by the hot takes flying around the Richmond v Geelong game at KP. Following that emotions were higher on both sides and the issue was thrown more into focus... that was when the loud noise really started. Then Richmond goes on to play above the level they'd set for themselves during the season in three successive finals at their home ground and the issues status as a rallying point for sour grapes was confirmed.

I've always thought that the home team should have the right to determine a venue, simple as that. But I appreciate that the reality of the way this league is run makes that extremely unlikely in the particular case of non-MCG tenant Victorian clubs. I think its important to both appreciate the reality of how this league is run but still fair enough to think that it could be better.

 

[Partridge]

I've always thought that the home team should have the right to determine a venue, simple as that. But I appreciate that the reality of the way this league is run makes that extremely unlikely in the particular case of non-MCG tenant Victorian clubs. I think its important to both appreciate the reality of how this league is run but still fair enough to think that it could be better.

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I would simply do nothing. Change nothing.
On the principle that we change far too much far too often with this game.

Time to leave the game alone and stop changing rules.

 

[Larry Donohue]

I would give all teams 11 home games except the pies. To even things out Id give them a home and away game against all interstate teams (all away) each year for the next 20 seasons. Id ensure all 18 teams get 2 minimum games at the g'.
Id have an instant permanent dismissal for sexual assault and 1 chance for any other assault before permanent dismissal.
That is not only teaching players the code, but effective consequence if not adhered to.

 

[Jaydogga]

Would permanently replace AFL with AFLX.