So much for the exciting new rules for AFL - the scoring is even lower and interpretation of the rules even more confusing

[Gaborone]

The reality of AFL football 2021 just goes to prove that coaches will always be able to work out ways that increase their sides chance of winning. Look at the scores in this year. Scoring 100 points is an exception. Hocking and all the sychophants pretending to be independent journalists working for or sucking up to the AFL in the AFL bubble just don't get it. They laud the new rules as if they have made an improvement to the game. They haven't. Let's go back to recognising the importance of both attack AND defence - both individual AND team. And while we are at it let's get rid of all these tiggy-touchwood rules that give free kicks milked by stagers.

 

[blitzer]

People went way too early falling over themselves to credit the AFL and the positive impact of the rules.
There's a strong correlation between early season games and high scoring games. I've always thought it was a combination of the best forwards being fit and available in addition to teams not having fully worked out their defensive game styles in real match conditions.
You can also tell visually that the first few games of the year are super quick and then it becomes more of a grind as the year goes on.

One thing that ticks me off about the AFL is they never bloody trial their rules properly. Most sports barely ever change their rules. You could watch a game from decades ago and the fundamentals are all the same.
AFL change it on a whim - mostly do not testing whatsoever and if their change doesn't give them the required result they just change something else and act like they fixed part of the problem.
Now admittedly some things have been prompted by health concerns and they don't bother me as much but things like 6-6-6 should never have been implemented without sustained testing at state level (my problem here is not so much the rule itself but the method of implementation).

 

[Ron The Bear]

People went way too early falling over themselves to credit the AFL and the positive impact of the rules.

They did the same thing with 6-6-6 - every time there was a quick goal out of the centre they were "See? The new rules are working!".

In the long run the bullshit fades and the facts stand.

 

[m0zza]

The reality of AFL football 2021 just goes to prove that coaches will always be able to work out ways that increase their sides chance of winning. Look at the scores in this year. Scoring 100 points is an exception. Hocking and all the sychophants pretending to be independent journalists working for or sucking up to the AFL in the AFL bubble just don't get it. They laud the new rules as if they have made an improvement to the game. They haven't. Let's go back to recognising the importance of both attack AND defence - both individual AND team. And while we are at it let's get rid of all these tiggy-touchwood rules that give free kicks milked by stagers.

This to infinity

Reality is that coaches and players will do anything to extract a winning edge

High contact rule creates the Selwood shrug and free kick
In the back leads to players tackled from behind lunging forward dragging the tackler for a free kick
I used to think dangerous tackles could be prevented by not paying HTB against the player tackled to the ground.
But players would routinely go to ground when tackled...don.t want that

Tinkering with the rules (and interpretations just creates new opportunities to cheat

 

[Shane Heard]

Ahhhh. ..errrrr….ummm…it’s the middle of winter dimwits

Scoring usually gets lower on slow tracks

 

[Ron The Bear]

 

[kickazz]

It's better to watch.

Last night's game want high scoring but it was very engaging.

 

[D-N-R]

It's better to watch.

Last night's game want high scoring but it was very engaging.

Did the new rules make it a better game to watch or was it just a better game? The same rules were in force on Thursday night and that was a snooze fest.

Last night's game was quick moving and, as I've pointed out on other threads on this topic, the stand rule is basically meaningless when teams play on immediately.

 

[afl genius]

Well none of the rules fixed why the scores are low. Congestion around the ball and having all 36 players in a 70 metres of the ground trying to squeeze the game up. None of the news rules alleviate these issues. Things like zones and last touch would probably work however even typing that sounds too much of a change. Given the AFL don't test anything or undo rule changes that don't work, they would probably completely utensil it all up anyway

 

[footyfan1978]

People went way too early falling over themselves to credit the AFL and the positive impact of the rules.
There's a strong correlation between early season games and high scoring games

Correct.
All Hocking has done is avoided fixing mess of past and added a number of little things that some people made out as if something big.
Worse still, if he was intending really addressing congestion seriously in a year or two to actually really improve things he now left when he not even finished what he started so he left us with a half backed case and that is scary what it means for game if next guy does not address the errors of past or more recent changes that done next to nothing but added more confusion and time wasted by umpires on silly things like waiting for nominating a ruck and police players like school children to stand still.

 

[sprockets]

Hinckley saying the coaches aren't responsible for the 'low' scoring. He says it's player fatigue and the longer the season goes the more it affects them.

Fatigue is part of footy (and many sports) and always should be.

 

[DavidSSS]

Average score so far this year: 79.85.

Last time average score for a season (excluding 2020 for obvious reasons) was under 80: 1967.

Well done AFL, now, want to undo the mess you lot have created?

DS

 

[juss]

It's because morons in the media jump into patting the AFL on the back too quickly. Then we don't hear s**t about it again.

 

[Alesana]

Can't blame the AFL when it's the coaches instructing the team to flood the other end of the ground. When your team has the ball at half forward and no one leading up at them from the 50, then you don't deserve to win, and you're creating a s**t spectacle to watch. This isn't soccer, there is no off-side rule, you don't have to ******* be further up the field than your opponent at all times. The game is over-coached.

 

[Shane Heard]

Errr it’s winter and the play is more congested

only been going on since the 1860s

 

[footyfan1978]

Can't blame the AFL when it's the coaches instructing the team to flood the other end of the ground. When your team has the ball at half forward and no one leading up at them from the 50, then you don't deserve to win, and you're creating a sh*t spectacle to watch. This isn't soccer, there is no off-side rule, you don't have to ******* be further up the field than your opponent at all times. The game is over-coached.

View attachment 1182351

*, that is nothing. See how many times a teams get ball at half back and there nobody on their own team to kick to at all as all 18 in one half of ground and they have to wait for their own players to run forward so they got someone to kick to. Or if they a speedster, just back yourself to run all the way to within 10 metres of goal and kick it yourself.

It is a terrible spectacle but it is very much quite normal to see for many years now.
In last two years I been more and more convinced they should just make it that when there a stoppage of ball at either end within 50 metre arc they rule it that 3 or 4 players from each team need to start from within 50 metre arc at other end. Then if all your other players still down the defending end, if you win ball from congestion you at least got a some forwards, staying forward to kick to. Coaches will not want all the space in middle for those forwards to lead into so they will end up spreading some players towards the middle. End of 18 man defense grid lock

 

[HTT]

Lol @ people blaming coaches

Ban all defence!

 

[Andyy]

The new stand rule is a disgrace.

Add that to the lack of HTB and you may as well never bother manning the mark or tackling. Just flood back and congest the backline, which reduces scoring. Exhibit A.

 

[Sir_Loin]

Lol @ people blaming coaches

Ban all defence!

it’ll be netball zones next and last touch

 

[DavidSSS]

it’ll be netball zones next and last touch

They want AFLX.

DS

 

[tigerwill]

Seeing as this years worst rule ever didn’t result in higher scores. “sHocking nominated for “gork of the year” and won it unanimously.
We can expect an adjustment to the “stand/statue” rule to improve scoring.

Only the player with the ball and his teammates can move around. Their entire opposition team must all “stand” and not move until a score is made (or the ball goes OOB on the full).

 

[Dr Tigris]

The AFL reality distortion field. We want the game played like it is AFLX, or if that won't happen like it's 1995. So we make rules to try and make that happen. Oh that didn't work, let's try something else. Hmm that didn't work, let's do something else more complicated.

What do you mean the coaches and players adjust to our new rules and interpretations and our intended affect doesn't happen? It's almost like they have learnt that pressure wins games and that you win when you both A) score and B) stop the opposition scoring. We focus on A and surely B will just go away. Oh bugger, the players and coaches work out how to make B happen. Didn't think of that.

So all our changes do is slow the game down and make it more complicated and open to interpretation.

Hmm, damn that must be wrong, let's change another random rule.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Want higher scoring and less congestion?
Be more lenient on deliberate out of bounds.
When they started being harsh on it, teams started the 18-in style. There's no incentive to keep players in positions given you're garrunteed the balls comes back to you when a team rushes a kick

If teams stop getting free kicks for it, they'll start putting players wide. If they don't the trade off is the players get exhausted running from throw in to throw in, which then opens up play late in the game.