Round 3 - All The Other Games

AmericanAFL

Cancelled
Shiny Penny
Oct 8, 2018
4,466
5,777
Near Philly
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Philadelphia Eagles
The games been going to s**t for years. Im 28 and its not the same game I grew up watching as a kid. Everything I enjoyed about the game as a kid has been either sanitised or coached out of the game.
High marking, Torpedoes, Big bumps, Fights, Rivalries, Full Forwards, Attacking footy, Shepherding One on One etc
All been replaced with Themed rounds, Congestion, Forwards bringing the ball to ground, Men behind the ball, Banning of all bumps, Hybrid forwards, Zoning etc.

The AFL has turned into a ******* drama series, all of the shows spend equal time talking about social issues, rules, suspensions etc than they do actually celebrating the game.

I’m enjoying the game, but what you describe does sound like a better product.
 
The games been going to s**t for years. Im 28 and its not the same game I grew up watching as a kid. Everything I enjoyed about the game as a kid has been either sanitised or coached out of the game.
High marking, Torpedoes, Big bumps, Fights, Rivalries, Full Forwards, Attacking footy, Shepherding One on One etc
All been replaced with Themed rounds, Congestion, Forwards bringing the ball to ground, Men behind the ball, Banning of all bumps, Hybrid forwards, Zoning etc.

The AFL has turned into a ******* drama series, all of the shows spend equal time talking about social issues, rules, suspensions etc than they do actually celebrating the game.

Only way we'll ever see any of the bolded again is if the AFL stop their ticky-touchwood half-measure rule changes and just bite the bullet and make hardcore changes. 6-6-6 at every stoppage (maybe even kickouts) drastically reduced interchange and last touch out of bounds.

I don't think the AFL community is prepared for that kind of change.

We will never ever see big fights or massive bumps in the game ever again. The legal ramifications and the fear of how that could impact junior leagues terrifies the AFL.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,052
84,962
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
Only way we'll ever see any of the bolded again is if the AFL stop their ticky-touchwood half-measure rule changes and just bite the bullet and make hardcore changes. 6-6-6 at every stoppage (maybe even kickouts) drastically reduced interchange and last touch out of bounds.

I don't think the AFL community is prepared for that kind of change.

We will never ever see big fights or massive bumps in the game ever again. The legal ramifications and the fear of how that could impact junior leagues terrifies the AFL.

Not necessarily those changes I think there's other measures they could try aswell. Drastically reduced interchange I agree needs to be done. Players will then conserve some more energy.

I think we need to go back to 16 on field. Players can cover more ground than before.

Also Alistair Clarkson had an interesting suggestion, once you handball your team loses prior opportunity. So say Oliver wins a clearance and he handballs to a player standing still who is tackled it's holding the ball. I don't mind it, means players will stay on the move and stop huddling together. Showed a statistic on the mainboard, in 2002-06 there were like 5-10 players every season averaging 25+ disposals
Last year there were 70 odd. Far too many useless handballs that don't progress play at all.
 
Oct 13, 2015
11,629
17,164
Brisbane
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Blackhawks, 76ers
Drastically reduced interchange I agree needs to be done. Players will then conserve some more energy.
I've never understood this viewpoint that reducing the interchange would improve the game. Players will conserve energy right up until the first game of the year when a player cops a massive spray from all and sundry for not chasing hard enough. Expectations on players work rate won't change, so all you'll have is players running themselves into the ground sooner, causing skills to get even worse, and soft tissue injuries to spike
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,052
84,962
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
I've never understood this viewpoint that reducing the interchange would improve the game. Players will conserve energy right up until the first game of the year when a player cops a massive spray from all and sundry for not chasing hard enough. Expectations on players work rate won't change, so all you'll have is players running themselves into the ground sooner, causing skills to get even worse, and soft tissue injuries to spike

Over possessing the footy has gone up ever since the interchange went up. I proved it on the mainboard.

The skills are already at an all time low, maybe they'll start training skills instead of running
Guess what if you force all your players to run to the point of injury pretty sure you'll stop making them run quick.
 
Oct 13, 2015
11,629
17,164
Brisbane
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Blackhawks, 76ers
Over possessing the footy has gone up ever since the interchange went up. I proved it on the mainboard.

The skills are already at an all time low, maybe they'll start training skills instead of running
Guess what if you force all your players to run to the point of injury pretty sure you'll stop making them run quick.
Was it immediate, or has it evolved?

Increasing interchange might, over time, right the ship ... but not before damage is done first.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,052
84,962
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
Was it immediate, or has it evolved?

Increasing interchange might, over time, right the ship ... but not before damage is done first.

Overhandballing is the single biggest killer of good football.

Theres are the totals for players averaging over 25 disposals

2000 there were 11
2001 there were 7
2002 there were 2
2003 there were 7
2004 there were 3
2005 there were 4
2006 there were 9

2007 there were 15
2010 there were 26

2018 there were 44!

In the year 2002 there were only 12 players average over 10 handballs a game
In 2018 there were 118 players who averaged 10 handballs a game
 
Oct 13, 2015
11,629
17,164
Brisbane
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Blackhawks, 76ers
Overhandballing is the single biggest killer of good football.

Theres are the totals for players averaging over 25 disposals

2000 there were 11
2001 there were 7
2002 there were 2
2003 there were 7
2004 there were 3
2005 there were 4
2006 there were 9

2007 there were 15
2010 there were 26

2018 there were 44!

In the year 2002 there were only 12 players average over 10 handballs a game
In 2018 there were 118 players who averaged 10 handballs a game
I completely agree with the over handballing, and Clarkson's idea about it removing prior opportunity is an interesting one. I'd be fascinated to see the affect it has on umpiring, does it make the job more difficult as it's another thing to keep track of, or is that more than offset by the fact it removes the need to judge prior.

What I'm not sure of, is what that has to with interchange numbers? Wouldn't the fact that there was such a massive number of players averaging 10 handballs a game disprove it? By your rationale, those number should have peaked in 2010, before the interchange cap was introduced in 2011, and dropped again in 2016 when it was cut again?
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,052
84,962
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
I completely agree with the over handballing, and Clarkson's idea about it removing prior opportunity is an interesting one. I'd be fascinated to see the affect it has on umpiring, does it make the job more difficult as it's another thing to keep track of, or is that more than offset by the fact it removes the need to judge prior.

What I'm not sure of, is what that has to with interchange numbers? Wouldn't the fact that there was such a massive number of players averaging 10 handballs a game disprove it? By your rationale, those number should have peaked in 2010, before the interchange cap was introduced in 2011, and dropped again in 2016 when it was cut again?

On the first point id love to see it trialled, I think it would make the biggest difference to the game. It forces you to kick the ball more often which is what would fix the game. If you kick more coaches will need to give you players to kick to.

2nd point the rise in handballing started going up around the same time as interchanges started. It's not the biggest impact but you can tell in a game when teams get tired because they start kicking more. They stop getting run from behind and players won't be able to make contest to contest.

I fail to see how skills could get worse, the skills are a disgrace now because they have to spend 5 years training these guys to be athletes. How the * does the number 2 draft pick not have a left foot? It's a disgrace.

Id cut the interchange to like 8 a quarter or something. Then you won't see your FF running to the HBF to get a kick.
 
Oct 13, 2015
11,629
17,164
Brisbane
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Blackhawks, 76ers
On the first point id love to see it trialled, I think it would make the biggest difference to the game. It forces you to kick the ball more often which is what would fix the game. If you kick more coaches will need to give you players to kick to.

2nd point the rise in handballing started going up around the same time as interchanges started. It's not the biggest impact but you can tell in a game when teams get tired because they start kicking more. They stop getting run from behind and players won't be able to make contest to contest.

I fail to see how skills could get worse, the skills are a disgrace now because they have to spend 5 years training these guys to be athletes. How the **** does the number 2 draft pick not have a left foot? It's a disgrace.

Id cut the interchange to like 8 a quarter or something. Then you won't see your FF running to the HBF to get a kick.
Or would tired players lead to more stoppages, which leads to more handballing in circles as players struggle to get separation etc? We'll never know until when/if they try it, but I still don't see it to be the magic cure all that some do.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,052
84,962
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
Or would tired players lead to more stoppages, which leads to more handballing in circles as players struggle to get separation etc? We'll never know until when/if they try it, but I still don't see it to be the magic cure all that some do.

No it would have be tested I mean i think my theory is correct but I know as much as you. I think we can both agree that the Clarkson rule would make the most tangible difference
 
Mar 31, 2010
3,056
2,706
Hobart
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Middlesbrough FC
I agree with TK that skills are just horrendous at the moment. They are perpetuated as well, by the AFL allowing blatantly incorrect and illegal handballing technique to worsen as well. Some of the 'handballs' you see this year are just flat out illegal. Like holding the ball upright, letting it go and punching it with the front of your knuckles. Yeah, that's a throw, but you'll hear the commentators say 'oh quick hands by Neale'. Then there's simple 2m handballs going 5m over players' heads. It's ugly af.

Set shots are diabolically bad this year too. Every team.

Also agree that the game now is just about running and fitness. Fittest teams with fewest injuries over a stretch will always be near the top if not at the top. I guess that is why you see super high draft picks with half the skills they should have.

However up until this year, when they have completely changed the fabric of the game with these horrendous rule changes, I was of the opinion to have a rule change moratorium. No changes for a decade and let the game just evolve. If it is ugly for a few years, suck it up, that's just the way it is. It was crying out to just be left alone for a while. But nope, they've doubled down and now it's borderline unwatchable.

If you want to solve the interchange thing, go back to once you're off, you're off and you don't come back on. You get 4 a game. That'll tire em out.

I think we need to scrap the 666. It hasn't done anything except completely change the competition for teams who weren't really ready for it and who were just on the rise (us, what a surprise) and not fixed anything they said it would fix. In fact it has gone way the other way.

My opinion on prior opportunity is the opposite. It needs to be longer, not shorter. At the moment it doesn't exist. Just go back to what it was 10 years ago, where if you didn't have prior opportunity, it was a ball up. It just didn't need fixing. Barely any of this stuff did. The rules they have brought in, aside from 666, were all already there. Just umpire the game properly, with some common sense.

It's like this contact below the knee rule. It's gone completely haywire because they have taken it to the nth degree. Just pay the completely obvious Adam Goodes ones and let the others go.
 
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