What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? (Part 1 - cont in Part 2)

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DangerSloane

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Goals and Possesions > Possesions.

I'd say Pendles best games are better but Swanny is so consistent in getting 35 touches and 2 or 3 goals, plus he is an awesome bloke which gets him over the line :D

Both top 5 midfielders of the comp
Id rather 20 disposals from Pendlebury than 35 one-metre handballs or scrubbed kicks from Swan.
I dont doubt he's a gun (Swan), and any team would love to have him. But Pendlebury is all class and his handballing in traffic is second to none in the AFL.
 

Hawkas1988

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Hawthorn fans have been the most humble fans on BigFooty in recent memory after winning the flag.
I haven't frequented the main board that much last cpl of months (tennis and cricket) but I remember after 08 we had an influx of flogs, has this year actually been pretty good and more humility shown?

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DangerSloane

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I haven't frequented the main board that much last cpl of months (tennis and cricket) but I remember after 08 we had an influx of flogs, has this year actually been pretty good and more humility shown?

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Definitely.
And ofcourse anything looks good against the Swans of 2012.
 

Gavin Excell

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I haven't frequented the main board that much last cpl of months (tennis and cricket) but I remember after 08 we had an influx of flogs, has this year actually been pretty good and more humility shown?

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Yes I think by and large Hawthorn fans been ok.
 

Richo83

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Fans need to stop being obsessed with worrying about the AFL copying ideas from foreign leagues, and the AFL should look to other leagues for inspiration. Names on jumpers, terrible half time entertainment, cheesy adverts might be something not found in European or American leagues, but it's still lame.

I'd be happy giving Sydney, Adelaide and Perth (once they built their new stadium) a grand final. All these stadiums are or will be 60k+
 
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Stat wise I'd bet Swans had some of his best games ever against us. And I don't really notice him unless he gets a goal, and they generally are very nice running goals. I'm talking 40 disposal games with no real midfield effect, his good games coincide with a Hawthorn thumping. Which might make someone say "oh so he's the only one trying his heart out in those games then", but like I said I really don't notice him. Pendlebury definitely. I guess you could say my unpopular opinion is that Swan only has a Brownlow because he gets a crapload of useless possessions. Norm Smith > Brownlow.
Our midfield gets horribly overrated because of the amount of disposals they rack up. I reckon midfield v midfield the last 5 times we've played Hawthorn we would have won the midfield disposal count yet were well beaten in midfield each time. Other than Pendlebury there are no other A+ ball users in our midfield Additionally, other than Ball and Pendlebury I think they're all a bit overrated and massively overrated as a group.
 

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Ian Dunross

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Our midfield gets horribly overrated because of the amount of disposals they rack up. I reckon midfield v midfield the last 5 times we've played Hawthorn we would have won the midfield disposal count yet were well beaten in midfield each time. Other than Pendlebury there are no other A+ ball users in our midfield Additionally, other than Ball and Pendlebury I think they're all a bit overrated and massively overrated as a group.
Based on your opinion of your midfield, how do you think they'll fare this season, ladder position wise? Top 6? Top 8?
 
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Based on your opinion of your midfield, how do you think they'll fare this season, ladder position wise? Top 6? Top 8?
I'd say 6th is about right. The midfield might be overrated but it is still probably the 3rd - 5th best midfield in the AFL. If a few of the younger players like Grundy, Seedsman, Thomas, Broomhead and Kennedy have big seasons then it could get back to being the best. Last year we missed a full season from Young and 3/4 season from Beams as well. Next year is probably a bit early, 2015 is the year where there really will be some expecations.
 

Richo83

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That is interesting. Why is it? Is it due to the weather/travel?
I try and make every Richmond game I can, but watching at home, the beer and food is cheap and easily available, the seating is much more comfortable, it's indoors away from the cold and there's no annoying people. Plus if you lose you don't have this long trek back to your house. Then again, football is a spectator sport game and it's best watched live.
 

master bate

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I'd be happy giving Sydney, Adelaide and Perth (once they built their new stadium) a grand final. All these stadiums are or will be 60k+
Perth yes. Adelaide, isn't AO only going to be about 50k? and serious question but does Adelaide the town have the atmosphere to deserve the grand final ie. will the restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs and hotels etc step up. Sydney would be huge for the AFL but I think we have to convert a few more first. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to move the grand final there and stage a grand final parade where no one turned up or a grand final live sight at Darling Harbour with tumbleweeds rolling past. The talk of the New York superbowl was that New York was too big and too busy for it to become a superbowl town unlike other cities that get transformed by the big show. Melbourne in grand final week has an amazing buzz about it. I think you could get that in Perth especially if you had a WA team there, not convinced you could get that in Sydney currently.

I've got some unpopular opinions most of which have already been mentioned.

- I like Demetriou
- I didn't mind the NAB Cup
- I think people forget how random the old tribunal was and that the MRP and new tribunal is an improvement and requires only some small tweaking to produce a pretty fair job. It's done a good job of taking care of the stupid and down right dangerous. It's the middle ground where you can get off or get 3 weeks that needs some adjusting. It over penalises high but fair intentioned bumps (Ziebell) and legitimate but slightly slinging tackles.
- I think the priority pick after the first round for teams who win less than 5 games should be reintroduced but they have to have won less than 3 by the half way mark as well. No one wants to see a pretty decent Coll team get Thomas and Pendles after going the entire second half of the year with no wins but some help for bottom teams is good.

- I don't think we have tried enough to change the game back to a skilled based game instead of a crazy elite fitness game. You should be fit to play AFL but the amount of endurance required is taking some players out of the game and making others push their bodies too far. The sub and rotation cap is not the answer. It just means players will either be fitter or more tired. The 'games opened up' because half the players are out on their feet argument to me is rubbish, it's not real footy as much as a big scrum isn't real footy. It's the equivalent of adding another lap to the melbourne cup and saying well that will make the game more skilled based and slower when instead it will just increase the focus on endurance. I think we should try zone based rules as a start in preseason football. Having at least 3 players required to be inside each 50m arc for every stoppage may at least leave some guys in place. Shortening preseason may help as well. In fact you could give players time off up until after Christmas. Any stoppage in the back or forward 50 should be a maximum of 10 v 10 (centre midfielders, ruck, forwards/backs respectively). Any repeat stoppage in the centre square should be 4 v 4 or maybe 6 v 6. Goal umpires and the boundary umpires furthest from play could be responsible for counting players getting back to position. Could even introduce a 2nd goal umpire per end and 3rd boundary umpire per side. I'm not against more umpires if they make less decisions. To that extent simplifying the rule book could improve umpire standards. Alleviating the scrum around the ball may mean ball ups and throw ins are not so distasteful and we could do away with the deliberate rule. Any rule that has an umpire having to judge intent of a player is inherently going to be very hard to enforce.

- Both the games and the season could be shorter. 18 rounds isn't a bad idea, play everyone once plus a match against either a rivalry or against the team directly above/below on the ladder as a way of evening competition and producing a rounds worth of quality competitive matches. Games could either go to 18 minute quarters or even 15 or 1/4 and 3/4 time breaks could be cut to about 4 minutes. Considering bench rotations and that players are so fit they don't need 6 or 7 minutes to get their breath back it serves little purpose. If teams need a spray or a magical coaching intervention then they are struggling anyway. Half time could shave a few minutes as well.

- A high profile player needs to get injured (not badly, but enough to miss weeks) by ducking to draw high contact, and another by throwing their weight forward and dropping at the knees to produce a push in the back. Due to scrums around the ball and due to modern umpiring both of these tactics are used repeatedly by players from every side I'd say. Both are counter intuitive to the aims of football and at the moment get rewarded by free kicks way more than punished. If the AFL haven't and might not be able to ever be tough enough to start getting umpires to call play on with enough regularity then someone needs to get injured so the league and players see the error. Last year we started to get on top of players bending down and staying hunched over after they have picked up he ball in order to win high contact. The infamous Selwood knee drop to get an arm over the shoulder and the feeling pressure from behind and diving forward are next on my hit list of painful things to watch on the field.
 

BM123

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Our midfield gets horribly overrated because of the amount of disposals they rack up. I reckon midfield v midfield the last 5 times we've played Hawthorn we would have won the midfield disposal count yet were well beaten in midfield each time. Other than Pendlebury there are no other A+ ball users in our midfield Additionally, other than Ball and Pendlebury I think they're all a bit overrated and massively overrated as a group.
Need speed to hurt the Hawks.
 

Kermit D

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simply see more whats going on.

May be an eyesight issue on my part.
I have glasses but don't really need or use them at all, just got them a few years ago to make reading easier even though I don't need them. My eyes are probably only 10-20% off perfect. Since I started wearing them to the footy however I can see a lot more play in the distance and simply enjoy watching games at the ground way more. If you think you need glasses or have slightly weak eyesight get some. You may not need them but it's just nice to not have to squint and strain.
 

gillon

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Grand Final should be played during the night.
The team that finishes on top at the end of the season should be given a better reward.
Travis Cloke, Josh Kennedy and Lance Franklin all deserved to be placed in the All Australian team ahead of Cameron.
 
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