AFLW Round 2 Discussion - 2021 AFLW season

[BarbieITFC]

Well at least we got one close contest today, albeit in less-than-ideal circumstances. West Coast's goals came from set shots, Fremantle's were something-out-of-nothings...

It's hard to say Freo were fortunate, given how much of the match was played in their half, but it would've only taken a little bit of bad luck for that one to have slipped away. Impossible to extrapolate into anything meaningful form-wise, except that it looks like they came out of it ok on the injury front, especially compared to the Eagles.

Btw, despite both being red-headed South Australians who have played cricket at a high level, Katelyn Pope is NOT related to Lloyd Pope.

The commentators were on a different planet for the Derby. I know it must be hard to commentate from the screen, especially in those conditions, but the amount of times they got the names of players mixed up was ridiculous. Almost made me wish Basil was commentating.

 

[DEVO]

The AFL must be a concerned about the gulf between the best and worst teams. The first two weeks and there have been some embarrassing blow outs and three teams have percentages above 350.

 

[Teen Wolf]

If the AFL were really concerned about the gap between the top and bottom teams, they would've handed out more than just two end-of-first-round priority picks last year. Perhaps they'll be more active this year, but it's too early to tell.

Brisbane have started the season strong like always, but their idiot coach will run them into the ground by about r6 again.

Carlton have started in the opposite fashion to 2018, when they ended up winning the wooden spoon.

Other than GWS, who will bounce back from a nightmare fixture and preparation, the teams to have copped thrashings so far should be judged on their good days at this stage in their development.

 

[eastfreo75]

The AFL must be a concerned about the gulf between the best and worst teams. The first two weeks and there have been some embarrassing blow outs and three teams have percentages above 350.

14 teams is too many.

 

[eastfreo75]

Well at least we got one close contest today, albeit in less-than-ideal circumstances. West Coast's goals came from set shots, Fremantle's were something-out-of-nothings...

It's hard to say Freo were fortunate, given how much of the match was played in their half, but it would've only taken a little bit of bad luck for that one to have slipped away. Impossible to extrapolate into anything meaningful form-wise, except that it looks like they came out of it ok on the injury front, especially compared to the Eagles.

Btw, despite both being red-headed South Australians who have played cricket at a high level, Katelyn Pope is NOT related to Lloyd Pope.

I don’t get how professional media can’t do their homework.

 

[eastfreo75]

You reckon? Lions have been gutted by expansion arguably more than any other team and look at their performances year on year.

The development of women's junior football has rocketed forward since the AFLW started. The players will keep on coming.

American Soccer Women’s league has 10 teams and WNBA has 12 in a population of 300m. Plus they have international players.

Big Bash 8 teams, W league has 9, and Netball have 8 teams.

English premier women’s league have 12.

AFLW has 14 teams.

Way too many teams.

 

[Teen Wolf]

I shudder at the thought of the talent we would have missed out on if the AFL erred on a conservative number.

Erin Phillips, Ash Riddell, Kalinda Howarth, Meg McDonald, Gemma Houghton etc... These All-Australian players have something in common: They're rejects who never would've got a second chance if it was up to the too-many-teams crowd.

We can't currently see how many 2017/18 Anne Hatchards there are in the beginning of the 14-team era, therefore they must not exist?

 

[Dirty Bird]

Glad it wasn't just me, I had to turn it off

I would have if it wasnt the Crows playing

Just like I put off Collingwood vs Carlton, Collingwood vs Essendon and Collingwood vs Richmond, Sydney vs GWS etc. etc.

I will normally sit through any match. But if it's unwatchable (like the camera angle at Victoria Park, or the clash like the game at Blacktown) I will always put it off unless it involves my team. (An underated clash I hate is Adelaide vs Essendon. Dark bases and enough Red. Thank **** Essendon wore that mostly red guernsey in 2020, change of things to come? Probably not, I thought Richmond having to wear their clash in the 2017 GF was going to change everything. Guess not)

 

[DEVO]

14 teams is too many.

I do think expanding from 8 to 14 in two seasons was too fast, after North and Geelong in 2019 they should have held off an extra season and added another two for season 2021. Of course who knows what the pandemic would have done to that plan.

The standard of the top six teams is very good and there is another three or four that are very competitive but are at a different stage in their development, much like in the men’s game. It’s the bottom teams, Geelong, Richmond, GWS, West Coast and Gold Coast that must be concerning, and surely putting in doubt the inclusion of the four remaining teams in the near future.

 

[DEVO]

I shudder at the thought of the talent we would have missed out on if the AFL erred on a conservative number.

Erin Phillips, Ash Riddell, Kalinda Howarth, Meg McDonald, Gemma Houghton etc... These All-Australian players have something in common: They're rejects who never would've got a second chance if it was up to the too-many-teams crowd.

We can't currently see how many 2017/18 Anne Hatchards there are in the beginning of the 14-team era, therefore they must not exist?

Not saying expansion shouldn’t have happened, just that it’s been too fast. North Melbourne and to a lesser extent St Kilda have shown that it can work but at the moment these embarrassingly low scores by some teams suggests the talent isn’t there at this stage.

It should have been a slow growth up to the full 18 teams.

 

[HG Pennypacker]

These percentages are ridiculous. 65-2 is not a scoreline worthy of a professional league. A game that one sided is usually a country league where one team had to use senior colts to fill the team.

14 teams is crazy.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Not saying expansion shouldn’t have happened, just that it’s been too fast.

That's what I'm responding to. The sudden jump from 2 to 8 teams was also criticised at the time, but it has been vindicated within a matter of years (unless you think the league would be better off without those players I mentioned, and many others like them). Just as the sudden jump from 8 to 14 will be.

North Melbourne and to a lesser extent St Kilda have shown that it can work but at the moment these embarrassingly low scores by some teams suggests the talent isn’t there at this stage.

All it suggests is the talent hasn't been spread around evenly.

 

[DEVO]

That's what I'm responding to. The sudden jump from 2 to 8 teams was also criticised at the time, but it has been vindicated within a matter of years (unless you think the league would be better off without those players I mentioned, and many others like them). Just as the sudden jump from 8 to 14 will be.

All it suggests is the talent hasn't been spread around evenly.

I'm not arguing with the first expansion from 2 to 8, that was a sensible progression after a few years of exhibition games and the strengthening of state competitions that could support a national competition. I think the second expansion from 8 to 10 was a sensible progression as well as it brought in a club with a long history of involvement in the woman's game (NMFC) and a club with strong ties to it's local region (Geelong). From there though, to expand from 10-14 in the next season seems to have stretched the resources and the league is suffering a bit because of it.

You only have to look at the men's game to know that there will always be teams that struggle at different times, Adelaide and NMFC struggled greatly last season, but most years it's two or three teams that are in the early stages of their rebuild, not five, six or seven that is happening in the AFLW this season.

 

[Aardvark]

Expansion is short term pain for long term gain. The sooner we get to 18 the better. Essendon and Hawthorn have VFLW teams, Sydney have 80 u/19 & u/17s in their academy and Port have half of South Australia to pick from. The talent will level out in a few years. In the mean time if you don't like it you can always switch off. It's nice to see most of the Trolls have got bored and gone elsewhere.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Apparently some of the remaining teams without a side aren't really keen for one?

 

[eastfreo75]

I shudder at the thought of the talent we would have missed out on if the AFL erred on a conservative number.

Erin Phillips, Ash Riddell, Kalinda Howarth, Meg McDonald, Gemma Houghton etc... These All-Australian players have something in common: They're rejects who never would've got a second chance if it was up to the too-many-teams crowd.

We can't currently see how many 2017/18 Anne Hatchards there are in the beginning of the 14-team era, therefore they must not exist?

what?

Erin Phillips was always going to come back to play AFL and her WNBA career had ended.

Fremantle recruited basketballers Houghton, Sharp and O'Sullivan were recruited in the first year when their was 8 teams.

Teams would always look to players crossing sports to target the best athletes.

Second chance is non sense argument. All professional leagues have stories of players coming back from being delisted or undrafted.

Anne Hatchard was unprofessional and did the hard yards to get back.

Maybe, we should have 100 teams to give players a chance.

I rather 8 teams with players on full time wages in a full season ie 14 game season H and A with a final 4.

This competition is being let down by poor players and poor teams.

 

[eastfreo75]

Expansion is short term pain for long term gain. The sooner we get to 18 the better. Essendon and Hawthorn have VFLW teams, Sydney have 80 u/19 & u/17s in their academy and Port have half of South Australia to pick from. The talent will level out in a few years. In the mean time if you don't like it you can always switch off. It's nice to see most of the Trolls have got bored and gone elsewhere.

Mate, name a women's professional league that has 14 teams in the world?

I am not a troll.

What I want is the women to have a full time career in AFL. This half baked competition is letting them down.

 

[Dirty Bird]

what?

Erin Phillips was always going to come back to play AFL and her WNBA career had ended.

Fremantle recruited basketballers Houghton, Sharp and O'Sullivan were recruited in the first year when their was 8 teams.

Teams would always look to players crossing sports to target the best athletes.

Second chance is non sense argument. All professional leagues have stories of players coming back from being delisted or undrafted.

Anne Hatchard was unprofessional and did the hard yards to get back.

Maybe, we should have 100 teams to give players a chance.

I rather 8 teams with players on full time wages in a full season ie 14 game season H and A with a final 4.

This competition is being let down by poor players and poor teams.

But, but, but, the problem is not having more teams to weaken the stronger teams by poaching their players.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Mate, name a women's professional league that has 14 teams in the world?

I am not a troll.

What I want is the women to have a full time career in AFL. This half baked competition is letting them down.

Primera Division (Spain - 18 teams)

 

[eastfreo75]

But, but, but, the problem is not having more teams to weaken the stronger teams by poaching their players.

Look at the West Coast - Fremantle situation.

Hooker went to the Eagles as marquee. Great for her financially. Love to have her back.

Gibson was a cancer at Freo and the whole group hates her.

Pugh was the only player to switch who got a game at Fremantle.

The rest of the ex Dockers were borderline players.

West Coast will get better over time as they get the higher draft picks and I think when they are competitive Randall will come and play. Their game style is good and as better players come in it will work.

The point is that more teams won't weaken the top teams and you will get more poor teams.

People don't want to see crap teams being destroyed by the stronger teams.

 

[eastfreo75]

Primera Division (Spain - 18 teams)

Great pick up.

Barcelona 15 wins no loses. Goals for 78 and 3 against.

Barcelona has scored more goals than the bottom 5 clubs combined.

What's the Best Women's Soccer League in the World? - Girls Soccer Network

We're taking a look at five of the most successful international women’s soccer leagues and breaking down how they compare to each other.

girlssoccernetwork.com

Best five leagues have 8 - 12 teams.

Brisbane is at 757.1%, North Melbourne 563.2%, and Adelaide 357.6%.

Is that ok with you?

 

[Teen Wolf]

I'm not arguing with the first expansion from 2 to 8, that was a sensible progression after a few years of exhibition games and the strengthening of state competitions that could support a national competition.

You're not arguing with the expansion from 2 to 8 because you've seen how it played out.

And in a few years from now, you'll see the expansion from 10 to 14 was a good thing at the right time too.

Erin Phillips was always going to come back to play AFL and her WNBA career had ended.

Incorrect. Only 1 of the 8 teams was interested in her. Collingwood didn't even think she was worthy of a father-daughter pick. If the league only started with 4-6 teams, nobody would've felt the need to take the risk on players like that.

Fremantle recruited basketballers Houghton, Sharp and O'Sullivan were recruited in the first year when their was 8 teams.

Fremantle passed on Houghton at the draft, before signing her as a free agent. So she got one of the last list spots on one of the weaker teams at the time, nobody was looking for her in a 4-6 team league.

Second chance is non sense argument. All professional leagues have stories of players coming back from being delisted or undrafted.

Anne Hatchard was unprofessional and did the hard yards to get back.

Hatchard wasn't delisted. Benefitted from two years in the system where she found out what was required to succeed at the level. She would've been delisted after two years in a smaller league, and the effort put in to developing her would have all been for nothing.

Maybe, we should have 100 teams to give players a chance.

Pathetic argument.

But, but, but, the problem is not having more teams to weaken the stronger teams by poaching their players.

No the problem is the 2017 teams (aka the Hateful 8) squealed like greedy stuck pigs about losing a couple of "their" players, persuading the AFL to abandon its original idea about expansion rules which would've done a much better job at distributing the talent.

 

[DEVO]

Great pick up.

Barcelona 15 wins no loses. Goals for 78 and 3 against.

Barcelona has scored more goals than the bottom 5 clubs combined.

Actually, you take out Barcelona and that looks like a competitive league. Shame La Coruna is on the bottom though.

 

[DEVO]

You're not arguing with the expansion from 2 to 8 because you've seen how it played out.

And in a few years from now, you'll see the expansion from 10 to 14 was a good thing at the right time too.

But what is the damage to the brand in the meantime?

If those outside the fan base continually see the same five, six or seven clubs getting flogged each week while the same five or six clubs fight for the flag each year they aren't going to get too excited about the league, and the depth of talent is going to be questioned. And talk about the league coming good in three or four years isn't going to cut through because, unfortunately at the moment, the proof is on their side not yours.

I'm not against expansion, I have no doubt we will see all 18 teams in the league eventually, but if I was the AFL I'd be holding off bringing the other four clubs into the league because at the moment the gap between the best and worst is too great.

 

[jatz14]

Mate, name a women's professional league that has 14 teams in the world?

I am not a troll.

What I want is the women to have a full time career in AFL. This half baked competition is letting them down.

That women's leagues don't generally have 14 teams is a testament to how women's sport is viewed, not how much female talent there is.

AFLW has to get to 18 teams in the long run. Not doing so limits the market and revenue.

The question is, more pain for a shorter period, or less pain, but drawn out.

My take is, you do it faster, because this brings benefits outside AFLW.

What people aren't taking into account is how much better they are this year than 2017. You see strings of long passes hitting the target, and the mark taken in the hands out in front, even under pressure.

2017, you never got passages like that because either a kick was fluffed, a mark dropped under no pressure, or she tries to take it on her chest and gets spoiled. Then fumble it on the ground, then get tackled to oblivion.

The fastest way to make a player better is put her in an AFLW squad. The fastest way to make a lower league better is have as many players from that league as possible in an AFLW squad (barring Covid of course).

This is the rationale of fast expansion.

WAWFL gets better faster with 2 clubs in WA than with 1. Freos Mikayla Hyde has shown she has what it takes to play AFLW, and she didn't even get drafted, she is a top up player.

No Eagles, she has no chance of being selected.

Lewis, Davidson, Verrier, Hyde etc, are all kids that later this year will make the WAWFL a stronger comp. They will make the WAWFL training squads better.

AFLW improves when the second tier comps improve, and the faster you pump players through the AFLW, the faster that happens.

The whole league is bootstrapping itself. The faster the better in the long run imop.

On moto g(6) plus using BigFooty.com mobile app