Unpopular AFL Opinions

[Joshen]

The league will never break the shackles of its Victorian roots. This will be its ultimate undoing.

How, what, when? Explain.

 

[Scotland]

Women's footy is a gimmick and people 'support' it for fear of criticism for not supporting it.

 

[jwint43]

Crikey, I must be out of touch, is that an unpopular opinion?

It would be now haha

 

[wally funk]

Women's footy is a gimmick and people 'support' it for fear of criticism for not supporting it.

It's a bit of a gimmick now. With regular scheduling at this level, the talent likely improves and ceases to become a gimmick.

 

[YES! YES! YES!]

Essendon will never ever make another final again.

 

[Quivorir]

Ever.

 

[AstonSouffle]

Women's footy is a gimmick and people 'support' it for fear of criticism for not supporting it.

Bit rough calling people willing to play our game gimmicks.

 

[Scotland]

Bit rough calling people willing to play our game gimmicks.

Why? Plenty of people play our game from 6 year old kids to fat middle aged men.

Not many people calling for a 'fat middle aged men' national comp, because there's no mileage in it.

 

[spinynorman]

If not for circumstance, Hird could have been the greatest coach since Barassi, and we will all come to look back on this day with regret.

 

[AstonSouffle]

Why? Plenty of people play our game from 6 year old kids to fat middle aged men.

Not many people calling for a 'fat middle aged men' national comp, because there's no mileage in it.

Well there is a fat middle aged men Como, it's usually our reserves sides? Actually in honesty, we've got a system for men. It's the one we watch.

Whether they deserve to be paid is another story, but a league where women with the ability to play other women? Let it run its course. Or maybe I've got this opinion because I had a roommate that jumped for joy when she made South Freo's women's side. Hate to think we're stopping a possible progression of a national competition just because we find women gimmicks.

Also as an aside, I did watch a women's game South vs. Peel. Some of those girls had a great skills on show.

 

[YeahNahYeahNah]

If not for circumstance, Hird could have been the greatest coach since Barassi, and we will all come to look back on this day with regret.

So true. Good bye sweet prince.

 

[Jak!x]

James Hird will coach at another club in the next five years and prove that he's a much better coach than in his tenure at Essendon

 

[Cicatriz]

James Hird will coach at another club in the next five years and prove that he's a much better coach than in his tenure at Essendon

Straight swap for Clarkson?

 

[edgie]

Why? Plenty of people play our game from 6 year old kids to fat middle aged men.

Not many people calling for a 'fat middle aged men' national comp, because there's no mileage in it.

Speak for yourself!

 

[Scotland]

Well there is a fat middle aged men Como, it's usually our reserves sides? Actually in honesty, we've got a system for men. It's the one we watch.

Whether they deserve to be paid is another story, but a league where women with the ability to play other women? Let it run its course. Or maybe I've got this opinion because I had a roommate that jumped for joy when she made South Freo's women's side. Hate to think we're stopping a possible progression of a national competition just because we find women gimmicks.

Also as an aside, I did watch a women's game South vs. Peel. Some of those girls had a great skills on show.

Look I'm not saying women's footy shouldn't be a thing - I have friends that play women's footy over here for Claremont and East Freo.

What I'm saying is that the sudden groundswell of support for women's footy at all levels is insincere. We don't really need a women's national league, and it's not some sexist conspiracy that we don't have one. There really just isn't real demand for one.

With the AFL more interested in social engineering than running the game there's no doubt we'll get one soon enough, but it will be subsidised by the AFL, poorly attended, more than likely televised on ABC2, and before too long the 'women's footy is awesome' crowd (who don't actually get behind women's footy) will be complaining that the star player works full time and barely makes $20k a year playing footy while your average AFL spud makes $300k.

 

[gbatman]

I disagree that we don't need women's football or a national league. It's going to become important in regards to grass roots participation levels. Not in all areas but in a lot of regions participation in aussie rules has dropped and has dropped in that step from juniors to seniors. I think nationally participation rates are fairly good but with kids not playing sport as much and the options and popularity of other sports it's important that Aussie rules continues to make big efforts to get people/kids playing. Where I live Sport and Aussie rules is dieing and it's ugly. One problem is parents. They can't be bothered making the effort and aren't willing to push their kids to participate in sport.

I think if you promote girls playing footy, which you can only do properly with a national competition, it's going to encourage parents to push their kids towards playing the game. It will make it easier for parents if they have a boy and a girl to get both kids to their sport if Aussie rules is seen as more unisex. They have the option of driving all their kids to footy instead of driving them all to soccer. The other option is that getting kids to play footy is often left to dad because he was the only one in the family who had played before and had an interest in the game. If Mum had played the game then there are two parents likely to push their kids into playing Aussie Rules. You also help kill off the over protective parent (often the mother) who won't let their kid play because they are afraid they will get hurt.

So really having a national women's competition, you get more girls playing and in turn this could lead to a small but significant increase in male participation which IMO can't help. Particularly at the elite level as with two extra sides and 90 odd extra blokes on AFL lists and 44 blokes playing AFL every week who in the past weren't good enough, the game isn't as elite at the top as it used to be and we need a much broader and deeper talent pool to keep the AFL a high level elite game.

In terms of large field sports for women, soccer is popular and there is a bit of rugby played. If we could make AFL the number one field sport for women then it's got a better chance of expanding into NRL heartland IMO as these girls who play will have sons who play and parents will like it if they can drive all their kids to the one sport. If the game wants to grow and it must, this needs to happen.

 

[TwentyNine]

Not many people calling for a 'fat middle aged men' national comp, because there's no mileage in it.

I'd watch that, especially if it's slippery and they fall over a lot.

 

[Scotland]

I'd watch that, especially if it's slippery and they fall over a lot.

If you want to watch blokes falling over just tune in to the next Blues/Bombers clash.

 

[TwentyNine]

If you want to watch blokes falling over just tune in to the next Blues/Bombers clash.

Yeah, but they're not fat guys.

Well not all of them.

 

[xxxWillxxx]

Speaking of fat...

 

[YeahNahYeahNah]

I wouldn't mind seeing Melbourne, St Kilda, Footscray or Richmond win a premiership and break their droughts before my club next wins one.

Hang your head in shame

 

[Borussia Teeth]

Hang your head in shame

Yeah... Nah.
Ha ha.
I would like to see Richmond win a premiership in my lifetime, even if it's just the one.

 

[The_Terminator]

Yeah... Nah.
Ha ha.
I would like to see Richmond win a premiership in my lifetime, even if it's just the one.

Be careful what you wish for. I bet a friend Geelong would not win a flag in his lifetime. He was 120kg and chugging beer like a fish. Now the Cats have won three times and all he talks about is the 2008 when 'slim' Stuart Dew turned the game on its head after leaving a divot 2 metres in diameter in the MCG.

If Richmond win one, they will want another one.

 

[Borussia Teeth]

If Richmond win one, they will want another one.

So they should. So should every team, including yours and mine.

 

[Meow]

The minimum kick distance needs to be increased to 25m. Several reasons:

1. Nothing infuriates me more than 10m chip passes being incorrectly paid as marks. It occurs with frustrating regularity. Increasing the kick distance would result in less margin for error on this front and, unlike the present rule, would reward players for carefully selecting targets as opposed to seeking out the short option ad nauseum.

2. Decreases congestion and time-wasting. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that failing to play on after 15m kicks (i.e. stopping and propping) allows opposition sides time to flood numbers back. This is very conducive to the proliferation of Lyon-esque gameplans, so if the AFL are serious about improving the game as a spectacle then why not start here?