So what was that about the game being in trouble...

[theyellowsash]

and this finals series being the worst ever spectacle to watch because of the shortened games, being played in qld (with no crowds if you listen to wa fans), and the general poor state of the game?

I didn't watch today but it seems there have been 3 absolute quality games so far with the best games still to come (week 1 usually being the week 8th spot gets reamed). Perhaps we need to stop listening to gerard healy and his doomsaying. if he has any consistency whatsoever he should still be saying that the game and finals series is in trouble this week, but you know he wont because he will look like a fool

if this is the spectacle we get when the best teams play each other (rather than when top plays bottom and complaining it was a bad game) then bring it on.

 

[VicBased]

I reckon this thread will get the respect it deserves.

 

[Supercoach Bargain]

AFL beats NRL in Friday night finals TV ratings battle

Almost 950,000 people watched Brisbane defeat Richmond in Australian capital cities on free-to-air, compared with just under 445,000 for Penrith's win over the Sydney Roosters.

www.smh.com.au

A few people had an interest. self included.

 

[The 747]

and this finals series being the worst ever spectacle to watch because of the shortened games, being played in qld (with no crowds if you listen to wa fans), and the general poor state of the game?

I didn't watch today but it seems there have been 3 absolute quality games so far with the best games still to come (week 1 usually being the week 8th spot gets reamed). Perhaps we need to stop listening to gerard healy and his doomsaying. if he has any consistency whatsoever he should still be saying that the game and finals series is in trouble this week, but you know he wont because he will look like a fool

if this is the spectacle we get when the best teams play each other (rather than when top plays bottom and complaining it was a bad game) then bring it on.

The finals are better quality as they always are. There are still long stretches of awful to watch play in those games. It's just better than what we have been watching for months.

 

[Roddy]

The ‘poor state of the game’ threads are just fodder for the sooks and the whiners, people who live to whinge. It’s been the best opening week of finals I can remember.

 

[juss]

and this finals series being the worst ever spectacle to watch because of the shortened games, being played in qld (with no crowds if you listen to wa fans), and the general poor state of the game?

I didn't watch today but it seems there have been 3 absolute quality games so far with the best games still to come (week 1 usually being the week 8th spot gets reamed). Perhaps we need to stop listening to gerard healy and his doomsaying. if he has any consistency whatsoever he should still be saying that the game and finals series is in trouble this week, but you know he wont because he will look like a fool

if this is the spectacle we get when the best teams play each other (rather than when top plays bottom and complaining it was a bad game) then bring it on.

If finals weren't decent contests the game would be a disaster. There's still a lot of (too many imo) poor spectacles in the home and away.

Most sporting codes have decent contests in finals/playoffs as you'd expect.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

If finals weren't decent contests the game would be a disaster. There's still a lot of (too many imo) poor spectacles in the home and away.

Most sporting codes have decent contests in finals/playoffs as you'd expect.

Every sport is the same. There are more boring sides in almost every comp because there are usually more poor sides then good ones. That goes for world sports too, no one is watching a 17 and 18 (mid table side nba games unless you are a supporter) Or in the EPL mid table sides like Burnley and Sheffield United, no one cares and are pretty boring type spectacles.

 

[MattyJayJ]

This has been the best opening week of finals in recent times. No blowouts, close and exciting contests, no complaints here.

 

[Clark G]

BT only calling the Thursday night game also helps with the ratings as well.

 

[TrimmyTraggot]

and this finals series being the worst ever spectacle to watch because of the shortened games, being played in qld (with no crowds if you listen to wa fans), and the general poor state of the game?

I didn't watch today but it seems there have been 3 absolute quality games so far with the best games still to come (week 1 usually being the week 8th spot gets reamed). Perhaps we need to stop listening to gerard healy and his doomsaying. if he has any consistency whatsoever he should still be saying that the game and finals series is in trouble this week, but you know he wont because he will look like a fool

if this is the spectacle we get when the best teams play each other (rather than when top plays bottom and complaining it was a bad game) then bring it on.

There isn't a single good team in the comp. These top 4 finals are so mediocre compared to only years ago

 

[HairyO]

Despite covid 19 lockdowns ratings were only up 4% ?

Yikes. I was expecting 20%.

24 million werent watching the major codes on the flagship night.

 

[sobrave]

Yes, one round in finals erases a season of s**t. The low scoring, 100 players around a contest type game sucks.

 

[Grin]

Yes, one round in finals erases a season of sh*t. The low scoring, 100 players around a contest type game sucks.

You're right to whinge. The game so much better when it was much less contested and chip scabs were king.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Despite covid 19 lockdowns ratings were only up 4% ?

Yikes. I was expecting 20%.

24 million werent watching the major codes on the flagship night.

Lol does a pandemic suddenly make people interested in football?

 

[juss]

Lol does a pandemic suddenly make people interested in football?

It should correlate with higher ratings given more people are at home with less to do, and have been for a while.

 

[Atomboy]

It should correlate with higher ratings given more people are at home with less to do, and have been for a while.

Only in Victoria where everyone is a footy fan anyway.

4% growth overall is pretty good, if you extrapolated over the entire population then 1.20 million more people were apparently watching the game (inaccurate as that is).

AFL would love to have that year on year.

 

[domus]

There isn't a single good team in the comp. These top 4 finals are so mediocre compared to only years ago

What?

 

[HairyO]

Lol does a pandemic suddenly make people interested in football?

NSW still has some restrictions. And Victorians cant do anything. Surely more than just a handful extra would have watched.

 

[theyellowsash]

NSW still has some restrictions. And Victorians cant do anything. Surely more than just a handful extra would have watched.

Let's be smart about it. In playing in Qld instead of Melbourne, the dogs saints game probably only lost 30,000 spectators who couldn't attend. If all those people watch on TV instead, it's probably a 2% increase, so a 4% increase is still more people. Besides there was also a 23% increase for Thursday compared to last year, and overall audience is up 15% in Melbourne alone.

 

[Roobs321]

Correlating pandemic with more glued-in couch potatos is very simplistic. Covid-19 created a weird vibe this year that made it harder to care about some habitual escapes, and a lot of people also had less free time. Continuity of engagement wasn't quite there as it might be in a regular season. Everyone's case was different. Sure, would-be crowds might have ticked up viewership, but there are probably also some regular game attenders who don't watch televised football. The presence of AFL in Melbourne must've also felt more abstract to casual followers of the game as well.

 

[t_94]

The finals being good doesn’t mean the minor round wasn’t s**t.

 

[theyellowsash]

The finals being good doesn’t mean the minor round wasn’t sh*t.

Well yeah, 12 vs 17 or 1 vs 13 is always going to be worse than 1 vs 4. That's not a problem with the game, that's just a product of there being worse teams. Just like in any sport around the world.

 

[sprockets]

I thought the Thursday clash was one of the worst games I've seen tbh. It had nothing, no real highlights, no free flow. The other matches were pretty good.

 

[Kram]

Yep Geelong play an ugly brand of footy, other games were very good though.

 

[afl genius]

3 really good games with the Pies vs Eagles the best of the year and one of the best in past few years. Still hate the 30 guys around the ball and seeing a fullforward standing ahead of the centre square on a kick out. This is were the game can improve