Is this the worst season of AFL in many a long while?

[PhatBoy]

I don’t.

But funny how Geelong supporters rate it when they are top 4 but say 2012-2021 were the weakest seasons in the history of football.

Don’t recall anyone saying the Hawthorn seasons were particularly weak. They beat a fantastic Sydney team to claim one of their flags for starters in a grand final where many had them pegged as underdogs. Just because people don’t think your teams werent the best of the best doesn’t mean people think they were shit seasons

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Don’t recall anyone saying the Hawthorn seasons were particularly weak. They beat a fantastic Sydney team to claim one of their flags for starters in a grand final where many had them pegged as underdogs. Just because people don’t think your teams werent the best of the best doesn’t mean people think they were shit seasons

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

 

[Mayes2Gray]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

Coming from behind with 11 seconds on the clock to steal the game from hawthorn was pretty neat.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Coming from behind with 11 seconds on the clock to steal the game from hawthorn was pretty neat.

Port have been good this year , but their supporters have not.

 

[Mayes2Gray]

Port have been good this year , but their supporters have not.

When are port supporters ever good? Not sure about you, I watch football for the football. Not for the nuffy supporters.

 

[PhatBoy]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

This current one?

I don’t recall arguing that there have been any, for starters. You’re picking a fight with someone who hasn’t argued for or against either side.

But for two thirds of the competition Sydney played at a standard worthy of many of the exceptional sides of the last decade. That they haven’t maintained it is neither here nor there. It was still exceptional football. The volume of big leads that were erased - or set up - in the blink of an eye, has been stunning to watch in some matches. In other games it can be put down to ineptitude.

Just as a cats fan I thoroughly enjoyed our first game against Port - as bad as we were for the first 10 minutes where they put four goals on us before we woke up, the next quarter and a half where they pushed the margin to 52 points was exceptional.

The second half where we at one stage got it back to a point was incredible. And then Port rightfully held on to win. There were many games like that. We did something similar against the Giants where again they held on to win.

No margin has seemed safe in a lot of games which has made for entertaining footy: twice we have led by six goals and had that margin gobbled up in 5-10 minutes against St Kilda and Sydney.


Those in game swings have been a microcosm of the ladder with teams sitting pretty at one point and being gobbled up by the chasing pack: Melbourne early, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Essendon, The Suns all spending time in the 8 or the 4 before spiralling down - the Cats as well going 7 rounds undefeated then losing 5 in a row. Only Carlton managed to claw their way back into the 8 of the teams that fell out of it.

Brisbane started terribly and found their way into the 4 at one point and could still cause problems, Hawthorn were abysmal early on and now bring some of the best form into the 8.

The Bulldogs have had everyone looking over their shoulder for months and even going into the last round still weren’t a lock for finals but have played some outstanding football.

Port had their coach being booed off the ground and have since barely put a foot wrong.

Even St Kilda had their own narrative of pissing off just about every team that crossed their path once it became apparent that they themselves couldn’t make the finals.

Something in and of itself does not have to be of the highest quality to be compelling.

 

[Sttew]

I don’t.

But funny how Geelong supporters rate it when they are top 4 but say 2012-2021 were the weakest seasons in the history of football.

Codswallop. Between 2012 & 2021 Cats finished H&A in the following positions - 6; 2; 3; -; 2; 2; 8; 1; 4; and 3. Cats weren't good enough in some of those years but to play in finals every year bar 2015 in that period....

 

[Sttew]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

1. Tigers finishing bottom... again. Always pleasing
2. Final round - had as many twists and turns as I can remember.
3. North v Collingwood - one of the great comebacks, even if against North
4. Anzac Day clash between Pies and Bombers - draw before close to 100,000
5. Re-emergence of the "Hollywood" Hawks.
6. Pies v Brisbane R23 and a plethora of other extremely close games with come-from-behind wins, e.g., Giants V Hawks, Blues v Pies, Cats v Brisbane, Demons v Giants and Adelaide v Bombers

 

[Vankri]

Putting point-scoring for your own club arguments aside, there might be a reason these arguments keep coming up.

The AFL introduced GWS and GC before the talent pool was ready thereby weakening the average strength of teams.

You’d have to say everything since 2013 feels like a lower standard of footy than the 10y leading to it (not going back to the 90s as you get into incomparable eras). Yes that does include 2023 if you’re looking at the flag next to my name. Less great teams (The Hawks cross over that mid point but sadly the GFs were disappointing), lower weekly standard of football, all feeling fairly equalised between the top and the mid teams.

Though I think we’re well away in recovering from the dilution of talent as every year the pool increases and the professionalisation of junior pathways goes on. So I’d like to think a golden era is coming… but then again Tassie might slow it down again.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

This current one?

I don’t recall arguing that there have been any, for starters. You’re picking a fight with someone who hasn’t argued for or against either side.

But for two thirds of the competition Sydney played at a standard worthy of many of the exceptional sides of the last decade. That they haven’t maintained it is neither here nor there. It was still exceptional football. The volume of big leads that were erased - or set up - in the blink of an eye, has been stunning to watch in some matches. In other games it can be put down to ineptitude.

Just as a cats fan I thoroughly enjoyed our first game against Port - as bad as we were for the first 10 minutes where they put four goals on us before we woke up, the next quarter and a half where they pushed the margin to 52 points was exceptional.

The second half where we at one stage got it back to a point was incredible. And then Port rightfully held on to win. There were many games like that. We did something similar against the Giants where again they held on to win.

No margin has seemed safe in a lot of games which has made for entertaining footy: twice we have led by six goals and had that margin gobbled up in 5-10 minutes against St Kilda and Sydney.


Those in game swings have been a microcosm of the ladder with teams sitting pretty at one point and being gobbled up by the chasing pack: Melbourne early, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Essendon, The Suns all spending time in the 8 or the 4 before spiralling down - the Cats as well going 7 rounds undefeated then losing 5 in a row. Only Carlton managed to claw their way back into the 8 of the teams that fell out of it.

Brisbane started terribly and found their way into the 4 at one point and could still cause problems, Hawthorn were abysmal early on and now bring some of the best form into the 8.

The Bulldogs have had everyone looking over their shoulder for months and even going into the last round still weren’t a lock for finals but have played some outstanding football.

Port had their coach being booed off the ground and have since barely put a foot wrong.

Even St Kilda had their own narrative of pissing off just about every team that crossed their path once it became apparent that they themselves couldn’t make the finals.

Something in and of itself does not have to be of the highest quality to be compelling.

Sounds more like lowlights than highlights.
The only highlight imo is the rise of Hawthorn

 

[PhatBoy]

Sounds more like lowlights than highlights.
The only highlight imo is the rise of Hawthorn

Why do big comebacks and changes within games and constant changes and unpredictability in the table ‘sound’ like lowlights?
What ‘sounds’ like highlights to you: games that follow predictable patterns where a team jumps out to a lead and the game is over at half time, and seasons where the finishing order is determined months out from the finish? (I suppose it was from your team’s perspective so that shouldn’t surprise)

What a stupid comment

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Why do big comebacks and changes within games and constant changes and unpredictability in the table ‘sound’ like lowlights?
What ‘sounds’ like highlights to you: games that follow predictable patterns where a team jumps out to a lead and the game is over at half time, and seasons where the finishing order is determined months out from the finish? (I suppose it was from your team’s perspective so that shouldn’t surprise)

What a stupid comment

The general standard has been low and not many great marks or goals.
Just because 2 average teams have close games doesn't mean it's a great game.

 

[PhatBoy]

The general standard has been low and not many great marks or goals.
Just because 2 average teams have close games doesn't mean it's a great game.

Has there been no great marks? Elliott’s mark was sensational - stacks up against anything from the last decade, Hill’s wasn’t that far behind it. Reid in his first year took a hanger, Weddle took one that wasn’t as high but was one handed. It was the same cross section you get every year, then you get the contextual ones like Alir took for the Giants against us when we were peppering their forward 50 and he kamikaze style takes one with the flight of the ball with the game on the line. Cameron did the same for us to help win the game against Adelaide.

There’s been heaps of great goals. Just because they don’t come from Eddie Betts doesn’t make them any less brilliant. Look at the Bailey Fritsch goal against us in round 8.

 

[Dangerousfield]

Best season ever, regardless of the Crows (read Nicks) botching the season badly. Never been more engrossed within games and within rounds.

Standard of footy has been excellent from lots of teams across a lot of the season. So many star players have had great seasons, as reflected in the various player awards. So many new stars have burst onto the scene, but none at Richmond.

Not surprised who the thread starter follows, Richmond as a club have been a low light this season and look like continuing that for several more. I hope they get a good draft hand because not much else for them to look forward to.

 

[sherb]

The general standard has been low and not many great marks or goals.
Just because 2 average teams have close games doesn't mean it's a great game.

That's a pretty limited set of criteria for what constitutes a good season.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

If you're a Blues or Swans supporter you would think it's exciting, especially the Blues, but footy really isn't as interesting as it was 20-30 years ago. Obviously I found 2021 exciting and loved the ride (something Carlton supporters are experiencing now) and you can say that it's because the Demons have been poor that I'm just whingeing - but I felt this way even through 2022-23 when we were never out of the top four.

Footy just isn't the same game anymore, there really are very few acts of individual brilliance these days, the rivalries are confected and very vanilla, you don't see the big forwards kicking bags anymore, the game is very defensive/controlled and all the flair and intuition has been coached out of players. Then you have the circus that's surrounds the AFL and the corrupt executive pushing their agendas and it all just leaves a very sour taste. I used to watch as many games as I could but now I'll be lucky to last more than a quarter of a neutral game, most games I've watched have been when it's on when visiting a relo.

There's still the occasional entertaining game (I thought Footscray/Collingwood a few weeks back was good) and maybe it's just me but I find it all very meh at the moment.

I'll have to revise this post, I doubt Carlton supporters think it's as exciting as they did two months ago

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

The whole season has been a highlight.

 

[Lion_LegacyXL]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

Don't think there has been a round where there hasn't been at least 1 thriller game.

 

[PhatBoy]

Even some of the blowouts have been entertaining in their own right. The swans port game was a freak show. The suns game against us - I wasn’t surprised at the result but the magnitude of the result and how badly they flogged us was colossal. Same with how badly they beat up on the tigers for half a game.

 

[deck]

Even some of the blowouts have been entertaining in their own right.

Unexpected blowouts are usually interesting for various reasons.

 

[hawkman]

Has there been no great marks? Elliott’s mark was sensational - stacks up against anything from the last decade, Hill’s wasn’t that far behind it. Reid in his first year took a hanger, Weddle took one that wasn’t as high but was one handed. It was the same cross section you get every year, then you get the contextual ones like Alir took for the Giants against us when we were peppering their forward 50 and he kamikaze style takes one with the flight of the ball with the game on the line. Cameron did the same for us to help win the game against Adelaide.

There’s been heaps of great goals. Just because they don’t come from Eddie Betts doesn’t make them any less brilliant. Look at the Bailey Fritsch goal against us in round 8.

Higgins goal to beat the Blues was a beauty. If Freo won, it would have been talked about for years.

 

[juss]

I watch way less neutral games than I did 5, 10, 15 years ago, the overall product is not as enjoyable as it was but that's been a decline over time not unique to this season.

 

[Consolaçao]

What are the highlights of this steller season then?

For me, Adelaide’s win against Essendon in Melbourne after Draper cheated in the Adelaide leg was speeeecial. Loved it like i haven’t loved a win in a while.
For me, that was a genuine highlight in a bad year for AFC, though i accept these things will always be subjective.
For you, as a supporter of a team that won 2 games, i can understand highlights would be hard to find.
Do you think the fact your team had statistically the worst season since GWS in 2013 might be contributing to your view?

 

[RCAB]

There must be some Richmond supporters out there that find this season entertaining.

This was the most entertaining season of all time, surely the wooden spoon hasn't dampened your ability to watch other games so much you can't bear to watch any football? Are you guys taking a break for the finals as well?

Given you won three premierships a few years ago, are you that astute that you know what's going to happen this week? Can you tell me which teams will win this week and by how much so I can put them in multi because I have NFI.

 

[Gavin Excell]

North beating Richmond was amusing