Spuddigger
Senior List
When the new rules came in Mr Negative ( Malthouse) thought it was the end of the world. There will be blow outs all over the place. Coaches adapt . The comp is very even and faster. As for soccer, do you notice that the ball is being soccered more now? Pressure.I have heard many in the media talk last year about the "crisis" in AFL of low scores. People flooded talkback and said that they were bored with AFL, because it is too defensive and there aren't enough goals kicked.
Peanuts like Gerard Whatley and Andy Maher were even talking about having a forum to discuss how to improve scoring in the game.
New rules were brought in, like 6-6-6, and other rules to increase scoring, yet we have the lowest scoring season for many years.
What I don't get is this.
People who follow AFL complain about the low scoring, and how it makes the game boring, yet many of the same people will watch soccer.
Hang on. Isn't soccer low-scoring? Aren't nil-all draws or 1-0 scorelines more common than not?
Yet soccer is one of the biggest sports globally and some call it the "beautiful game".
I don't hear soccer media complain about how to increase scoring. I don't hear talkback callers say that they won't watch soccer anymore because the scores are too low. I don't hear of forums on how to increase scoring, and FIFA don't change the rules to increase scoring.
So, what is the difference? Isn't it hypocritical to abandon one sport because of low-scoring, while following another who has the exact same problem?
Also, soccer don't see low scores as a problem.
So, who has it wrong? Is soccer wrong to not change scoring so that there are bigger scores, or is AFL wrong to worry about how low the scoring is in their game?
Fact is, I like high-scoring games, but some low scoring games can be good if there are other things that made the game good (such as the pressure, like in finals).
Also, making scores higher isn't the panacea many think it could be. I fear that increasing scoring might cause better teams to kick higher scores, but lower teams may still not be able to, and there could be more blowouts and one-sided games, and that wouldn't be interesting. Whereas low scores lends itself to closer contests, and both teams being in the game until the end.
So, is the AFL too obsessed with high scores, and why does it matter in AFL when it doesn't matter in world football?