Stop the AFL From Trialling New Rules in AFL Matches in 2018

[footyfan1978]

Amazed at the hysterical reaction to propose trial

Not overly surprised now at the lack of information from AFL. If you are not going to keep fans in touch with what you thinking, imagination of fear runs wild collectively.
"Game adjustment" .....What a load of bullshit.
Pretty pissed off after hearing that absolute wanky spin from afl pr department.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

HAHA,Richmond games are a joy to watch.

If it's about Richmond from oppos,then it's about changing the rules to stop Richmond winning flags,not because of the style they play.

Richmond play the game so well,brilliant tackling,consistently score over 100 points a game,it must feel depressing for oppos watching us hence the "state of the game"

The media brought " the state of the game " up only after Richmond won alot of games early on,they thought we would be a flash in the pan after last year,no chance!

I'm a Richmond member fwiw.

 

[smasha]

I'm a Richmond member fwiw.

Richmond play a great style of footy,can't see your problem there.

Anyway,what ever rules are "adjusted",Richmond will find a way to adjust with them.

Personally ,the code is fine.

I remember the Swans scoring bugger all for years,very low scores,won premierships on the back of that,but the media did not say a word.

Wasn't as good to watch as what Richmond are playing now but I didn't have a problem with it,that was their style at the time.

The game evolves and changes all the time without rule changes.

 

[mr bagcroft]

We should just fold 17 teams and watch Richmond play themselves every week. Such entertaining footy. I cant see a problem.
Richmond can revolve around itself and bask in its glory. * everyone else.

 

[footyfan1978]

Discussion mutated like the game itself.

 

[Strange Cat]

HAHA,Richmond games are a joy to watch.

If it's about Richmond from oppos,then it's about changing the rules to stop Richmond winning flags,not because of the style they play.

Richmond play the game so well,brilliant tackling,consistently score over 100 points a game,it must feel depressing for oppos watching us hence the "state of the game"

The media brought " the state of the game " up only after Richmond won alot of games early on,they thought we would be a flash in the pan after last year,no chance!

Every rich game I’ve watch has been rugby type garbage viewing, but because you have been “successful” it’s a beautiful game play

 

[smasha]

We should just fold 17 teams and watch Richmond play themselves every week. Such entertaining footy. I cant see a problem.
Richmond can revolve around itself and bask in its glory. **** everyone else.

It's all coming out.

 

[smasha]

Every rich game I’ve watch has been rugby type garbage viewing, but because you have been “successful” it’s a beautiful game play

Richmond play great footy to watch,must be depressing for oppos though.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Haha, except Rome didn’t fall to the barbarians when Caesar was in power

Don't ruin my quote with facts. I should have said when Nero was in power right?

 

[Cincinnatus]

1) Assuming they're going to be trailing zones, that means that coaches will have to adjust parts of their gameplan that they've been working on all year. Can't have that spitter rushing off the back of the square at the centre bounce. Can't start with a loose man in defense to stem a flow of goals. Will disrupt coaches' gameplan and player developments.
2) Draft positions, obviously. Isn't going to take much for a player to not be entirely aware of the new rules and make a mistake that costs a goal, which affects win/loss and %s and will impact draft positions.
3) Increased size of goalsquare will allow forwards who stay closer to goals the potential of having easy set shots, which will affect the Coleman tally and club BnF awards (which will therefore affect player bonuses).
4) Teams that are selected basically get a head start in learning how to adjust to the new rules, an advantage over the rest of the competition if those rules are introduced permanently.
5) It's a bad spectacle. I imagine some people will switch off when they see an overly umpired game that has a whole bunch of rule adjustments that they aren't used to.
6) Basically tells some teams that their games are meaningless just because they are out of the finals picture. Clubs and fans deserve better than that... no game is meaningless to them.
7) Most importantly, it's just a ****ing stupid idea that spits in the face of the integrity and fairness of a competition. That should be the most important consideration.


If I was the coach of a team that gets selected to do this trail, that's exactly what I'd be doing. I'd be dropping all my decent players and I'd play a VFL-grade B-team. Pretty obvious the AFL doesn't care about the result of that game anyway, so it would be hypocritical of them to take a dim view of my team tanking it.

To reply with my initial thoughts.

1) realistically if these rules come in, then gameplans need to be changed anyway, if anything its an advantage which you alluded to in another point. Besides I dont think the AFL will force any side to do it. It would be entirely opt-in. If no clubs agree it becomes a moot point. If 2 clubs agree then this whole point becomes moot because they agree.

2) i dont think this is much impact realistically. There is still 2 teams that are playing under the same set of rules. Whateley made a good point about this that we conceive some pre-determined outcome, when in reality we cant know. Adjustments or no adjustments, thrre will have still been a result. In fact losing is and has always been more beneficial for the draft.

3) Club BnF is decided by the club, not a computer. Coleman Medal i concede is an issue, best not to trial in a game where that has an impact.

4) yes this might be seen as unequal but to be honest the AFL has never proclaimed to be an equal competition and doesnt treat it as such. They espouse that interstate clubs can train more on the MCG in the leadup to the GF and try to say that there is no home ground advantage in the GF as if by just saying it it makes it true. We need to stop this nonsense idea that there is equality in this league.

5) pure speculation - impossible to know unless a trial match happens.

6) again this sounds like opt-in and its an idealist view that every game matters. Realists would know that the game doesnt impact the 8. Lets remember that they arent taking away scores or anything drastic like this, fans still get a result. They still see footy.

7) refer to previous about fairness not ever being on the AFL agenda. Integrity? They couldn't be treading more lightly, both teams play under same rules, it sounds like its opt in, only involving games not impacting the 8 and its trialling some rules, not changing the game. Had they mandated all of rd 23 to have this trial it would be different.


As to your last bit, Im sure the AFL will mandate that full strength sides be played or the trial is abandoned. It will be very obvious if 1 team tanks. We are only trialling 6-6-6 etc - bit of a stretch to somehow lose by 100 because players dont remember to man up after a goal. What is the punishment? A free kick? If players continually did it itd be very suspicious given the focus.

 

[mr bagcroft]

I reckon the AFL will weaken and not go ahead with the in season trial.
Must be a lol a miute down there at AFL house.
All running around with the latest TV ratings claiming the sky is falling.

 

[Velvet Thunder]

Get the non-finalists to play a 'lightning premiership' under the trial rules for a cash prize at the same time the finals are on (or played midweek) is a much more sensible idea.

Great suggestion Wikked.

would clubs like Carlton

How do you know it will impact any of these things?

Sorry it COULD
still playing for premiership points and Brownlow votes

 

[chiwigi]

The only way this could even be remotely fair is if every game over the last 2 (3?) rounds use these rules, and even then it would still be a farce

If you have a team that has focused it's game plan on current rules, then they randomly decide to change the rules this is massively unfair. I know they do it all the time, but this is another level.

 

[BIRDBRAIN]

What in the hell is the point of zones for centre bounces? Centre bounces aren't congested anyway. All it will mean is the 50m arcs are now congested when a team get a centre clearance out to their forwards. How the hell will that improve the game?

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Not overly surprised now at the lack of information from AFL. If you are not going to keep fans in touch with what you thinking, imagination of fear runs wild collectively.
"Game adjustment" .....What a load of bullshit.
Pretty pissed off after hearing that absolute wanky spin from afl pr department.

You see the complete hysteria as soon as a little bit of info is leaked, IMO they have handled it well and kept it in house until they had worked through everything and come to a conclusion.

 

[_jrtp09_]

We should just fold 17 teams and watch Richmond play themselves every week. Such entertaining footy. I cant see a problem.
Richmond can revolve around itself and bask in its glory. **** everyone else.

I know you’re hurting right now, but things will get better for your club, you’re morale and eventually your enjoyment of the game. Do what I did when we were s**t, pick a young up and coming player and track his progress. It can be a good distraction.

 

[BIRDBRAIN]

I know you’re hurting right now, but things will get better for your club, you’re morale and eventually your enjoyment of the game. Do what I did when we were s**t, pick a young up and coming player and track his progress. It can be a good distraction.

I'd prefer to pick a young up and coming pr0n star and track her progress.

 

[mr bagcroft]

I know you’re hurting right now, but things will get better for your club, you’re morale and eventually your enjoyment of the game. Do what I did when we were s**t, pick a young up and coming player and track his progress. It can be a good distraction.

Nah mate, I honestly dont give a s**t. Far too much going on too be happy if they are up, or down if they are s**t. Dosent affect my day/week one iota.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Freo 'would not support' being in rules trial - http://m.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-25/freo-concerned-at-being-guinea-pigs-says-lyon
With Lyon on this one. It's fundamentally disrespectful to the clubs involved to use them as Guinea pigs. They're AFL games and they matter to the clubs.

 

[SydneyMalakellis]

theyve been there a while, so why are ratings suddenly dropping off a cliff this year? Maybe it's because we are getting lower scores, and more goal-less quarters than every before

That too but I truly believe it’s years of build up of the rubbish they spout. The dam has finally burst.

 

[mxett]

That too but I truly believe it’s years of build up of the rubbish they spout. The dam has finally burst.

you have a volume button for those idiots. There's no button that turns off congestion and flooding

 

[Scanlens Man]

AFL clearly needs their investments to pay off. Sure, I want to win a premiership (dont care about GC TBH) but changing the game to something I don't recognise? Hmm maybe not.

Its funny because this push to change the rules so dramatically wasnt going on when Hawthorn and Geelong won their 3 premierships with apparently free-flowing football, yet teams like Richmond and now Collingwood who never benefited from a re-build opportunity during the GWS and GC drafts had to construct teams from cast-offs, rookies, scrappers and free agent trades. That they've done it successfully must really irk the AFL - this was never their plan.

Sure, I hate the AFL since they took my Swans away from me, but am worried about the AFLs motivations.

I guess more goals means more ad breaks though

 

[boltsbabyblues]

only losers out of these changes are richmond sadly

 

[Scanlens Man]

Freo 'would not support' being in rules trial - http://m.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-25/freo-concerned-at-being-guinea-pigs-says-lyon
With Lyon on this one. It's fundamentally disrespectful to the clubs involved to use them as Guinea pigs. They're AFL games and they matter to the clubs.

Agreed. What if they want to trial new players or tactics, get forced to play some sort of AFLX with rules that never end up getting implemented anyway? What a waste of time and effort

 

[footyfan1978]

Sure, I hate the AFL since they took my Swans away from me

Where is my Francis Jackson card?