Unpopular AFL Opinions
- Thread starter Carbine Chaos
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Quivorir
"Unhinged"
- Mar 29, 2010
- 58,677
- 77,467
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- LAL-MMA-Victory-CFC-Seahawks
"i'm glad my team lost the grand final" is certainly in interesting take.
mcgarnacle
Norm Smith Medallist
- Dec 2, 2003
- 9,819
- 4,217
- AFL Club
- Sydney
How about listing Greater Western Sydney on the premiership ladder, as 'Greater Western Sydney,' instead of 'GWS.'
And the AFL wonder why their club have no supporters!
And the AFL wonder why their club have no supporters!
- Aug 6, 2021
- 5,843
- 10,550
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
I think as football fans we have to understand that having the game 100% how we want it isn’t an option.
If we can’t make it safer then participation numbers will drop and the game won’t survive.
Actually this deserves some more inspection: what’s wrong with just changing their name now that they have a bit of identity to Western Sydney?
We have Melbourne and North Melbourne, we did have South Melbourne, we have the Western Bulldogs, why do we need ‘Greater Western Sydney?’
- Aug 6, 2021
- 5,843
- 10,550
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Isn’t the Greater part of the name to reflect that they want to include the general area west of Sydney (including Canberra), in their identity, not just the western suburbs of Sydney?
I probably have posted this before, but the reason the bounce was brought in was because it was unpredictable, as opposed to throwing the ball in the air. It's not meant to be "perfect". It's meant to be erratic, therefore spreading the players out and (by extension) playing man on man.
But we've gone too far to realise that now.
My other unpopular opinion is that umpires should say the name of the team which is getting the free kick before they say the infringement. It would negate some of the confusion around advantage and 50m penalties.
But we've gone too far to realise that now.
My other unpopular opinion is that umpires should say the name of the team which is getting the free kick before they say the infringement. It would negate some of the confusion around advantage and 50m penalties.
Kobe Gryant
Professional Quidditch Player
The Giants made a claim and filed a trademark to be referred to as the 'GIANTS' in all caps whenever possible.
You'd have to ask them why they see it that way, but I imagine it's mostly because 'GWS GIANTS' looks better in writing than 'Greater Western Sydney GIANTS'.
It also fits into the parameters of space afforded on things like the ladder, scoreboard etc.
It happens a lot though, so clubs seem to prefer to go the franchise route, and others want to be known as a football club.
Geelong for instance are always written as 'Geelong Cats' when the majority of our supporters (including myself) refer to them as the 'Geelong Football Club' far more regularly.
Suppose it's down to preference for everybody, and the same goes for the people in charge of these things.
Where BT just opens his mouth and surprises everyone including himself with the crap that exits it
- Aug 6, 2021
- 5,843
- 10,550
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
I’d never noticed the Cats thing. The GIANTS and SUNS in all caps confuses me as well.
I understand why Brisbane and Sydney prefer to be referred to as Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans because of the Fitzroy/South Melbourne link but don’t know why us, the Eagles and Cats do it.
LifestyleSaints
Debutant
- Apr 5, 2024
- 117
- 129
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
My (very) unpopular opinion is that the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne should merge. Both clubs are unsustainable in the AFL. They don't have enough members. They have both shown that they don't hold their original names dear to their hearts having changed it in days gone by. For the good of the AFL they should both merge and become the Western Kangaroos.
- Nov 7, 2012
- 9,660
- 31,447
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- St Kilda
- Other Teams
- Bristol City FC, Urawa Red Diamonds FC
AFL as we love it is unsustainable.
Over the generations, players have been steadily getting:
Sadly, no one has yet found a way to make players' brains and bodies less sensitive and more resistant. Furthermore, the whole world is getting a lot more litigious. So one of three things is going to eventually have to happen:
EITHER:
We somehow impose a limit on how big, strong or fast a player can become. Clone wars, anyone?
OR:
Players will only be able to register to play professionally if they waive all rights to sue during or after their career due to brain injury, spinal injury and other long-term debilitating injury caused by playing the game (some fools might even sign up for that, though their families wouldn't even let them get drafted) and we basically cease to care about a player's personal welfare and treat them like Roman centurions, (Are You Not Entertained?)
OR:
The game will just have to continue its current evolution, with the end game a more or less non-contact version of the AFL most of us have grown up with. The head and spine must be protected at all costs in all scenarios, now more than ever. The increasing early retirements will keep increasing unless we stop paying lip service to long-term injury and protect players from themselves.
And if you are disappointed about how soft the game is nowadays, have a look at the speed and power in the average tackle in 2024 compared to 1970 or even 1995 and ask yourself how you would feel allowing your son or daughter to be vulnerable to that type of injury, how you would feel caring for them for their remaining 60-70 years. Of course accidents like this are "rare", but car crashes are rare, yet we still have seatbelts.
Regardless of how the spectacle compares to the golden years, I don't think we can go backwards can we? It is just evolution. We chose faster, we chose power, we have to accept the consequences.
Over the generations, players have been steadily getting:
- taller (eg: Wayne Carey and "Big Carl" Ditteritch were both shorter than Paddy Cripps, I'm sure you have your own examples)
- harder bodied
- faster (like, a LOT faster)
- stronger
Sadly, no one has yet found a way to make players' brains and bodies less sensitive and more resistant. Furthermore, the whole world is getting a lot more litigious. So one of three things is going to eventually have to happen:
EITHER:
We somehow impose a limit on how big, strong or fast a player can become. Clone wars, anyone?
OR:
Players will only be able to register to play professionally if they waive all rights to sue during or after their career due to brain injury, spinal injury and other long-term debilitating injury caused by playing the game (some fools might even sign up for that, though their families wouldn't even let them get drafted) and we basically cease to care about a player's personal welfare and treat them like Roman centurions, (Are You Not Entertained?)
OR:
The game will just have to continue its current evolution, with the end game a more or less non-contact version of the AFL most of us have grown up with. The head and spine must be protected at all costs in all scenarios, now more than ever. The increasing early retirements will keep increasing unless we stop paying lip service to long-term injury and protect players from themselves.
And if you are disappointed about how soft the game is nowadays, have a look at the speed and power in the average tackle in 2024 compared to 1970 or even 1995 and ask yourself how you would feel allowing your son or daughter to be vulnerable to that type of injury, how you would feel caring for them for their remaining 60-70 years. Of course accidents like this are "rare", but car crashes are rare, yet we still have seatbelts.
Regardless of how the spectacle compares to the golden years, I don't think we can go backwards can we? It is just evolution. We chose faster, we chose power, we have to accept the consequences.
'Greater Western Sydney" is (or was) an actual thing. The AFL didnt invent the term and it has nothing to do with Canberra. The term pre-dates the AFL team. It is a term that was/is used by the NSW government which the AFL adopted after testing names with focus groups.
See here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Western_Sydney
(Side issue but the Brisbane Lions didnt invent their theme song - it predates the AFL by some time - 1792 in fact
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Agree. and they are only 3km apart. they can also take over the ballarat/M80 corridor together.
I also still think the gold coast or northern kangaroos would have worked well.
- Nov 7, 2012
- 9,660
- 31,447
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
- Other Teams
- Bristol City FC, Urawa Red Diamonds FC
Might as well lump Essendon in as well. The North Western Bomberoodogs!
catters05
Norm Smith Medallist
Once Canberra comes in, hopefully the Greater will be removed.
Quivorir
"Unhinged"
- Mar 29, 2010
- 58,677
- 77,467
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- LAL-MMA-Victory-CFC-Seahawks
Saints supporters saying this type of s**t is always hilarious.
Engimal v3
**** m**nl*nd*rs
Smart move - merging two teams gets them one spot closer to that 2nd flag. We would still have shorter odds though, as would Fitzroy and maybe even University
- May 24, 2011
- 4,996
- 12,814
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
western bulldogs midfield isn’t the best in the competition. Not even top 3
- Nov 7, 2012
- 9,660
- 31,447
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
- Other Teams
- Bristol City FC, Urawa Red Diamonds FC
dude, not THIS week what are you doing?
- May 24, 2011
- 4,996
- 12,814
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
I’ll pencil bont in for 30 and 3 then
mcgarnacle
Norm Smith Medallist
- Dec 2, 2003
- 9,819
- 4,217
- AFL Club
- Sydney
'Greater' in the name has nothing to do with Canberra. Greater Western Sydney is an administrative reference for government and agencies. Nothing more. It's basically a collection of local government areas. As the diagram WillHayward post shows, Greater Western Sydney comprises the LGA's which made up the original Western Sydney Region of Councils + the Macarthur region LGA's (Campbelltown, Camden, Wollindillly).
Folks in Sydney don't use the term as a reference for the region. I don't understand how the AFL's focus groups (who I hope were based in the region) decided that is the best name, unless 'Greater Western Sydney Giants' was the option selected, rather than an option without 'Giants' included. Besides, the AFL and everyone outside of Sydney started calling the club 'GWS' almost from inception which has absolutely no traction in Sydney apart from being the weird name of the football club that plays in front of lots of empty seats at the Showgrounds, and we only hear about come September when they make the finals.
And it certainly doesn't begin from the western end of Anzac Bridge, no matter how much a 'Victorian' salesman called Kevin Sheedy tried to remap the boundary.
mcgarnacle
Norm Smith Medallist
- Dec 2, 2003
- 9,819
- 4,217
- AFL Club
- Sydney
And they share colours too.
I'd also suggest Melbourne and St Kilda merge as well, and become the super club of the South-East - the posh areas, and the rest. I'd call them Melbourne Hells Angels.
