Time and Space - James Coventry

[HeavyPop]

Anyone had a look at this? I bought it yesterday and I'm about 100 pages in so far.

It basically outlines how AFL has developed from its inception, mainly through explaining the evolution of tactics, etc and those who pioneered them. Covers things like how hand passing came to exist, kicking and certain rule changes, etc and how different states/people came up with ways to win and how they influenced the game.

Not sure how in depth it will go with more modern stuff like presses, etc but its been good so far.

 

[manboob]

Heard him in a couple of interviews and I think I will grab a copy. I think the timing of it is quite good - instead of listening to the old campaigner KB bang on about the rules and the interchange bench we get to listen to James calmly explain that these "issues" have always been a part of the game and it has a pretty cynical existence.

This guy approves.

 

[d33my]

Finished it last night. Quite enjoyable; and if you're not from Victoria you'll be pleased he looks at the game in WA and SA too.

I did feel that it sort of finished abruptly. I reckon there was room for a final chapter where he thought the game might go next. I suppose it's impossible to predict though.

One thing that it did make me realise was that the rules of the game have always been manipulated to try and make the game as free flowing as possible, and congestion has been a perennial concern. The relatively stable period (rules-wise) from 1960 to the mid-eighties maybe made people a bit sensitive to rule changes (although in that period there were still some big ones, including not being allowed to kick OOF and the centre square).

Also, as someone on BF pointed out somewhere else, high-scoring games were pretty much an anomaly of perhaps the late sixties to mid-late nineties. Before and after the game has settled around an average of maybe 10-15 goals per team (just pulling that number out of a hat, but if someone has some evidence to back it up I'd appreciate it).

 

[SJ]

Finished it last night. Quite enjoyable; and if you're not from Victoria you'll be pleased he looks at the game in WA and SA too.

I did feel that it sort of finished abruptly. I reckon there was room for a final chapter where he thought the game might go next. I suppose it's impossible to predict though.

One thing that it did make me realise was that the rules of the game have always been manipulated to try and make the game as free flowing as possible, and congestion has been a perennial concern. The relatively stable period (rules-wise) from 1960 to the mid-eighties maybe made people a bit sensitive to rule changes (although in that period there were still some big ones, including not being allowed to kick OOF and the centre square).

Also, as someone on BF pointed out somewhere else, high-scoring games were pretty much an anomaly of perhaps the late sixties to mid-late nineties. Before and after the game has settled around an average of maybe 10-15 goals per team (just pulling that number out of a hat, but if someone has some evidence to back it up I'd appreciate it).

Yep. Every time someone calls out 'just leave the rules alone!' you should ask if they mean pre- or post-centre square? Pre- or post-'on the full'? Pre- or post-interchange?