The AFL is on the edge of not coming back

[Crankyhawk]

It is.

If you get what you want and they dial these suspensions back and let everyone continue to tackle blokes heads into the ground, will these people you speak of including yourself be happy to fund the multimillion dollar concussion lawsuits?

Would you be happy to chip in say $10,000 or $20,000 towards those, so that they can keep the game just the way you like it?

lets see if one of these lawsuits gets up first, and in addition they occurred back in the prior adjudication of the game (where the byron pickett v Krummel incident was still valid)

 

[timokane]

Yeah i think AFL has run its course to be honest.

Like to see a football union assocation like an alliance amoungst the clubs and draw on the clubs resourses along with grassroots levels to help grow the game and more importantly develop it at school levels and all the way to grass roots club land and so on and so forth.

Do think AFL should drop its title in a few years.

This will of course take alot of time.

But i do think AFL has run its course.

Time for more input and a say at grass roots and at club land.

Another thing let the actuall supporters who front up week after week and pay thier dues more of a say in the way the game is run.

Like to see it go back kind of back to an assocation type of game then a gigantic league.

 

[Crankyhawk]

AFL will come back - this is just part of the evolution of things.

The Sicily tackle should not have been considered high contact - he tackled a dude around the waist. The fact the guy's head made contact with the ground during a tackle is very different to Sicily making contact with the guy's head.

Low contact, high impact is a very different thing.

Compared to Cotrell who actually headlocked a guy (actual high contact). Or compared to the Mitch Lewis goals up above where it's a direct knee to someone's head. Sicily literally could not tackle this guy any lower than he did and get's "high contact" as part of the suspension grading. Weird.

This is the insane part of it all. Comparing Sicily's tackle to other things. It doesn't stack up with the intent or care taken when compared to other things that received 1 or 2 or no weeks. The AFL has disappeared up its own bum a bit here.

harsh on cotrell though - the suns player ducked into him (trying to suck in a free kick IMO by headbutting Cotrells hip), hes fallen backwards, seemed to be trying to put the suns player onto his body, but because he is unco, misses and the suns players head hits the ground

 

[Dan26]

The AFL is making the same mistake that all governments (in their case a governing body) make when fixing a problem - they over-correct.

We see governments do it with problems like covid - a massive overcorrection. The AFL did it with the hands in the back rule a few years ago and in attempting to fix that problem, over-corrected to such an extent that they created a new problem. The hands in the back rule has since been eradicated. Back in the late 1990s the AFL suspended players for a week for tripping. It was a massive overreaction and they got rid of that penalty.

We saw the AFL introduce the “sliding” because Gary Rohan

23

Gary Rohan

Age

32

Ht

189cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.6

2star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.5

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

8.8

2star

K

6.0

2star

HB

2.8

2star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

3star

G

1.0

4star

D

9.8

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

4.2

5star

G

1.2

4star

, in a freak one-off broke his leg. By doing so they created a disincentive to go for the ball.

Most of these overreactions get corrected. I hope this stupid strict tackling regulation gets corrected too.

 

[Danw0w]

It is pretty obvious that the AFL are just protecting themselves from litigation here. This will inevitably cost a player a brownlow or grand final spot...

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Too much saturation advertising, too many ridiculous game times, too much say from tv and fox in the game.

 

[Freomaniac]

You made up your mind. I referred the other major sport in this country.

Look up the nrls history, and there is a lot of parallels. The AFL in 2023 is being run very similar to the nrl in about 2004/2005

how so?

 

[Obeanie1]

Not enough for the snow flakes.
They want to see linked hands, dancing round daisies, to the beat of Michael Buble and everyone gets a medal with no bothering to keep track of scores.

Geez that actually sounds wonderful to an Eagles supporter ATM!

Especially not keeping score.

 

[Obeanie1]

It is pretty obvious that the AFL are just protecting themselves from litigation here. This will inevitably cost a player a brownlow or grand final spot...

NRL are doing the same.

Just not to the same extent.

State of Origin tonight. Half the players tonight would be suspended within 10m. minutes if AFL high contact and tackling rules were applied.

Saw last week an NRL game where a doctor ordered a player off for a conccussion test after a head knock in a tackle. The doctor reveiws live footage and if they see a head knock they can order the player off to be assessed. So the NRL are also changing the way the game is played and officiated without turning it into a shadow of its former self.

So who's right, AFL or NRL?

 

[TheEscapeClub]

NRL are doing the same.

Just not to the same extent.

State of Origin tonight. Half the players tonight would be suspended within 10m. minutes if AFL high contact and tackling rules were applied.

Saw last week an NRL game where a doctor ordered a player off for a conccussion test after a head knock in a tackle. The doctor reveiws live footage and if they see a head knock they can order the player off to be assessed. So the NRL are also changing the way the game is played and officiated without turning it into a shadow of its former self.

So who's right, AFL or NRL?

I know what the NRL are doing, however with what's going on in the AFL at the moment, I am watching every Storm game (unless it clashes with Geelong, then I'll watch a replay of Storm) and bits and pieces of other NRL games. It's the non-Geelong AFL games where my viewership has dropped off almost completely.

 

[SleepingGiant]

No it's not. Essentially Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is what they are covering their asses against (see concussion on Netflix).

As long as Australia continues to be made more left leaning (generally as a rule of thumb more people in this category are more compassionate and against individual liberty and more collectivism) it will get worse. Collectivists generally prefer strong rules and government to make decisions for them to feel safe, and overall if you combine this with lawyers and class actions, it will definitely get worse.

The rules should revert to 2008 (when I personally enjoyed the game the most and this is me being unbiased) with maybe the 666 rule. All players should be informed of the risks, and sign a waiver of liability, and realise this is a brutal contact sport you are paid well for. Your call. Not I am going to do this, earn money, then counter attack when it suits me call.

 

[Roby]

No it's not. Essentially Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is what they are covering their asses against (see concussion on Netflix).

As long as Australia continues to be made more left leaning (generally as a rule of thumb more people in this category are more compassionate and against individual liberty and more collectivism) it will get worse. Collectivists generally prefer strong rules and government to make decisions for them to feel safe, and overall if you combine this with lawyers and class actions, it will definitely get worse.

The rules should revert to 2008 (when I personally enjoyed the game the most and this is me being unbiased) with maybe the 666 rule. All players should be informed of the risks, and sign a waiver of liability, and realise this is a brutal contact sport you are paid well for. Your call. Not I am going to do this, earn money, then counter attack when it suits me call.

CTE could be a problem of playing AFL (constant knocks and collision will cause the brain to be jostling) rather than one or two concussions.

Suspending players for one incident may not solve CTE.

 

[owen87]

All players should be informed of the risks

And as their employer, the AFL should be using new information to inform what is considered best practice for risk management and harm minimisation.

There's plenty of people who bemoan the loss of punching blokes in the head off the ball as being football going soft after all.

 

[Winganeen]

As long as Australia continues to be made more left leaning it will get worse

Log off the socials mate, the algorithms are frying your feed.

 

[offtherails9]

No it's not. Essentially Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is what they are covering their asses against (see concussion on Netflix).

As long as Australia continues to be made more left leaning (generally as a rule of thumb more people in this category are more compassionate and against individual liberty and more collectivism) it will get worse. Collectivists generally prefer strong rules and government to make decisions for them to feel safe, and overall if you combine this with lawyers and class actions, it will definitely get worse.

The rules should revert to 2008 (when I personally enjoyed the game the most and this is me being unbiased) with maybe the 666 rule. All players should be informed of the risks, and sign a waiver of liability, and realise this is a brutal contact sport you are paid well for. Your call. Not I am going to do this, earn money, then counter attack when it suits me call.

All players do know the risks though. And I'd argue that 90% of players at least who have their brain opened up post death would have CTE. I don't think they really look at too many brains of people who have had no concussions at all and whether they have CTE or not. Mini concussions which most players would sustain from collisions multiple times a game are just as much of an issue but it's ignored because it doesn't have the optics of a player getting KO'd.

Would Hugh McCluggage in 40 years decide to NOT sue the AFL because Sicily got 3 weeks for a tackle around the waist? Would the verdict of the lawsuit be that because the player was suspended, the AFL should doesn't have to pay anything to McCluggage? Weird arguments.

 

[SleepingGiant]

Log off the socials mate, the algorithms are frying your feed.

Keep tuning into the ABC and taking your kids to the little mermaid champ.

 

[Partridge]

And as their employer, the AFL should be using new information to inform what is considered best practice for risk management and harm minimisation.

There's plenty of people who bemoan the loss of punching blokes in the head off the ball as being football going soft after all.

Are there? Where?

 

[gbatman]

Anyone who judges what the people believe by social media comments has no idea. Very very small minorities can be very very loud on social media.

We will judge things by attendances and participation. Participation being a difficult one as sporting participation with kids and the youth of this generation as waned in general. Attendances at AFL games appears strong.

I'm guessing you have issues with concussion related rules and perhaps even some of the recent rule changes.

With the rule changes, aussie rules has been changing the rules forever, this is nothing new. The rule changes have actually worked, they have opened the game up, seen teams play more on instinct, created more free flowing play etc.

The concussion rules, tackling needs adjusting but it's on the right path. No sling tackling, no dumping players into the ground is good as it wasn't needed. Some of the tackles where the head hits the ground is unavoidable and some of the suspensions are rubbish.

 

[owen87]

Are there? Where?

Read the forums sometime, plenty of older blokes talking about how tough players were back in their day.

 

[Partridge]

Read the forums sometime, plenty of older blokes talking about how tough players were back in their day.

And they want to see more players hit off the ball? Or is that part made up?

There were plenty of tough players from previous eras in any case.

 

[Belnakor]

Dear AFL. There are too many teams nowadays. Please eliminate three.

PS: I am not a crackpot

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Most fans are actually in favour of horrific tackles being taken out of the sport.

There are plenty of things the AFL doesn't listen about but thuggery isn't one of them.

Not seen a tackle as you describe as thuggery or horrific for over 3 decades. Don't know what you have been watching?

 

[greatwhiteshark]

The fans don't care about the sport they care about their club. If they cared about the sport then 95% of the rule changes we have seen the last 20 years would never of happened. The fans don't care, they actually think their club needs them and they think their clubs appreciate them.
The AFL could change to a round ball tomorrow and the fans won't do a thing as they don't care about the sport.
The AFL convinced the fans that the bloke with the ball is at fault for head high contact, and they convinced them easily. AFL head office must of been laughing how they got that done sitting there in their meetings thinking the fans won't like this but in one foul swoop we now blame the bloke with the ball for head high contact. Even when I write that I am still stunned how that happened.
But thats how much the fans know or care about the sport, they couldn't give a crap about it and thats why the AFL can do as they please without question as they know the fans are sheep and that they own the media selling their drivel.
Welcome to AFL.

 

[owen87]

And they want to see more players hit off the ball? Or is that part made up?

There were plenty of tough players from previous eras in any case.

Every single time the AFL has had a crackdown on physicality in the sport people have cried like the sky is falling. This is no different.

 

[Partridge]

Every single time the AFL has had a crackdown on physicality in the sport people have cried like the sky is falling. This is no different.

It's very different.

Suspending players who make perfectly legal tackles - remember Sicily was awarded a free kick - is very, very different to "punching blokes in the head off the ball" (your words). I've also yet to see one instance of any fan, from any club saying "players should really be allowed to king hit guys like decades ago, the game is lacking that". No one is advocating it, no one is missing it. But in a contact sport it should be understood that players will suffer injuries at times, and sometimes, no one is at fault.