Opinion What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? - Part 2

[Scotland]

Problem with the AFL is that the draw is horribly compromised by the amount of teams and the amount of games played in each season not adding up right. It's also compromised by the MCG deals but that's another issue.

This.

I agree that finishing top, top, top (hai Port) deserves more recognition but if it's two teams on top with 14 wins in a 17 game COVID season who cares? 2019 was 3 teams on 16 and 2 on 15 wins, 2017 was 2 teams on 15 and a draw, 1 on 15 and 3 on 14. It's hard to get too excited about that. Unless you are winning 18+ games in a 22 game season ladder position is only really important for finals seeding. I've got more admiration personally for an 18/19 win team that finishes 2nd than a team that finishes top with 15. Ross Lyon fielded a team of nobodies the other year because H&A record wasn't important compared to rest before finals.

In order for a first past the post system to work you need to play everyone home and away. But Australia has a sporting culture of finals. AFL, NRL, NBL, even the A-League who try to pump up the 'Premier's Plate' for finishing top, Super Rugby, Super Netball, Shield, BBL... all finals.

 

[Blackhawk42]

The two best Demons are Christians.

And both are worth their long contracts.

 

[Richo83]

This.

I agree that finishing top, top, top (hai Port) deserves more recognition but if it's two teams on top with 14 wins in a 17 game COVID season who cares? 2019 was 3 teams on 16 and 2 on 15 wins, 2017 was 2 teams on 15 and a draw, 1 on 15 and 3 on 14. It's hard to get too excited about that. Unless you are winning 18+ games in a 22 game season ladder position is only really important for finals seeding. I've got more admiration personally for an 18/19 win team that finishes 2nd than a team that finishes top with 15. Ross Lyon fielded a team of nobodies the other year because H&A record wasn't important compared to rest before finals.

In order for a first past the post system to work you need to play everyone home and away. But Australia has a sporting culture of finals. AFL, NRL, NBL, even the A-League who try to pump up the 'Premier's Plate' for finishing top, Super Rugby, Super Netball, Shield, BBL... all finals.

That's another issue; the ladder leader isn't that much ahead of 2nd, 3rd or 4th placed teams. As long as there's finals, no-one will care. I doubt anyone cared even when the fixture was fair and even in a VFL with 12 teams and 22 rounds. No-one cares in the NBA even though that has a (fairly) consistent fixture. No-one cares in the NFL either apart from the bye it gives (it has fixturing issues but overall there's a consistent logic).

The other reason why sports like soccer don't have finals and focus on the whole season is that soccer is a sport where winning and losing can come down to a stray own goal, and basing a whole season on one match is unfair. The FA cup is quirky but works because a) it has the magic of the lower leagues and b) isn't trying to decide who the best team in the league is. And even then, I care much less about the FA cup than the premier league trophy and I think most soccer fans feel the same. World cup trophies are decided by a final, but it'd be impossible to have a global league for months on end. The super league was designed to create a European league but failed for a whole host of reasons and to me the only way you can ever have a European league is to turn the champions league into a mini league with the same qualification process. But clubs and players will hate that as it puts even more pressure on scheduling matches.

 

[MadMundy]

This whole prison bar guernsey fiasco had way more media attention than it needed. Nobody ******* cares about some stupid guernsey that a team wore 30 years ago back when they weren't in the AFL. You can call it history all you like, the prison bars don't hold any ******* significance. Stop pretending that they're some huge importance to the club. Port would be better off bringing back their old guernsey of teal at the top, black on the bottom with the jagged lightning bolt in the right corner, more people would have nostalgia for that then some ******* prison bars.

 

[Billy ray]

Just rotate the prison bars 90 degrees so it is how you see prison bars in prison when you get knocked over

 

[MadMundy]

Fremantle vs Carlton and West Coast vs Collingwood are bigger rivalries than Fremantle vs West Coast now.

The Derby doesn't mean anything anymore and nobody gives a * about it either. There's no hatred on either side for each other outside of BigFooty and Facebook.

 

[The_Eagles]

Fremantle vs Carlton and West Coast vs Collingwood are bigger rivalries than Fremantle vs West Coast now.

The Derby doesn't mean anything anymore and nobody gives a fu** about it either. There's no hatred on either side for each other outside of BigFooty and Facebook.

Dockers really need a flag, more and more eagles fans feel pity and want WA to do well
If/when Dockers forge a dynasty and it’s suddenly 3 to 5 flags or something it will be pure fire

 

[mattyc25]

This whole prison bar guernsey fiasco had way more media attention than it needed. Nobody ******* cares about some stupid guernsey that a team wore 30 years ago back when they weren't in the AFL. You can call it history all you like, the prison bars don't hold any ******* significance. Stop pretending that they're some huge importance to the club. Port would be better off bringing back their old guernsey of teal at the top, black on the bottom with the jagged lightning bolt in the right corner, more people would have nostalgia for that then some ******* prison bars.

It’s jut a pissing contest between two rich flogs who never get told “no” by anyone.

 

[CarnTheScray]

I do not see why Port can't wear the guernsey every game except away v Collingwood.

Who outside of Port cares so much about it that they want to prevent them from wearing it.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

I do not see why Port can't wear the guernsey every game except away v Collingwood.

Who outside of Port cares so much about it that they want to prevent them from wearing it.

Exactly. If Power had ties to Glenelg and not Port Adelaide and wanted to don the yellow and black a few times a season I honestly couldn't give a bugger, as long as it wasn't when they're playing the Tiges. It's not as if they stole the idea for the colours black and white, like they pinched the Never Tear Us Apart before games from the Newcastle Jets.

 

[windyhill]

I know this opinion is unpopular, but I hate the father son rule.

1. It's nepotism.
2. it compromises the draft.
3. It allows a young player to have the advantage if playing for the team he barracks for, whilst another player of equal ability can end up anywhere.

The argument of , "Oh, but the fans have an emotional attachment to the father" I find a crap argument. The son is a 17 year old kid who is his own person, who the fans know nothing about. If the son plays somewhere else that doesn't change the memories the fans had of the father one iota.

The rule will never go, but it should. It's stupid.

Davy twins incoming.

 

[Dan26]

Davy twins incoming.

Yeah, but we could have had Gary Ablett Jnr or any other great father son prospect. You can take that flawed logic anywhere.

 

[windyhill]

Yeah, but we could have had Gary Ablett Jnr or any other great father son prospect. You can take that flawed logic anywhere.

Dodoro would’ve taken Nathan, not Gaz.

 

[MadMundy]

Rebuilding isn't a legitimate excuse for teams at the bottom of the ladder, you're just s**t. Good teams know how to develop their youth and bring them in place of veterans while still being able to compete at the top level for so long. So no you aren't rebuilding, you're just poorly run.

 

[Luv_our_club]

Rebuilding isn't a legitimate excuse for teams at the bottom of the ladder, you're just sh*t. Good teams know how to develop their youth and bring them in place of veterans while still being able to compete at the top level for so long. So no you aren't rebuilding, you're just poorly run.

Wow, that is courage from a fan who is yet to see their club win a flag

I disagree because teams falling to the bottom or rising to the top follow a pattern - and it is only the very odd exception like Geelong that buck the `trend'.

 

[Luv_our_club]

A direct and intentional push in the back in the ruck was legal last year - Hawkins did it weekly - the coaches had to find solutions - the commentators lauded it.

This year it results in a free kick - commentators say nothing - the AFL say nothing.

Even the `hands in the back' in marking contests is getting stricter - I never heard the AFL make an announcement, Not since 2 years ago when they announced hands in the back was okay for players to do.

I prefer the 2021 interpretation, but it feels like everyone is pretending nothing has changed. .

 

[Vaccination]

There should be a set number of times a team has to appear in front of a national audience each year. While the rolling fixture is great, I don't want to see Geelong, Richmond or Port every week. After 15 round Freo still won't have had a game on 7. Make like a minimum of 4 or 5 a year

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Wow, that is courage from a fan who is yet to see their club win a flag

I disagree because teams falling to the bottom or rising to the top follow a pattern - and it is only the very odd exception like Geelong that buck the `trend'.

Geelong (& maybe Sydney) are the only premiership teams in the last twenty years to have less than 3 top 6 picks on their list and they got incredibly lucky with father sons, especially Hawkins who would have likely been top 4 in an open draft.

 

[HTPunter]

Rebuilding isn't a legitimate excuse for teams at the bottom of the ladder, you're just sh*t. Good teams know how to develop their youth and bring them in place of veterans while still being able to compete at the top level for so long. So no you aren't rebuilding, you're just poorly run.

This is a poorly made argument.

Firstly, because 1) no one thinks rebuilding teams are good. They are s**t. That in itself is not a bad opinion, I'd argue it's factual.

But where it falls down is that "top teams stay up the top". Apart from Geelong, which teams haven't had to rebuild?

And as for the replacing veterans with youth, geez I wonder if it's easier to develop Bolton, Balta, Graham and Short (and now Collier-Dawkins, Ralphsmith and Coleman-Jones) alongside Martin, Grimes, Cotchin and Houli
OR
Ziebell, Pittard, MacMillan and Atley...

But yes, aside from Geelong who have basically been up since 2004, every team has had to rebuild? Richmond may stay up, Dogs may stay up. But as Hawthorn and Sydney showed, they probably won't.

 

[HTPunter]

I know this opinion is unpopular, but I hate the father son rule.

1. It's nepotism.
2. it compromises the draft.
3. It allows a young player to have the advantage if playing for the team he barracks for, whilst another player of equal ability can end up anywhere.

The argument of , "Oh, but the fans have an emotional attachment to the father" I find a crap argument. The son is a 17 year old kid who is his own person, who the fans know nothing about. If the son plays somewhere else that doesn't change the memories the fans had of the father one iota.

The rule will never go, but it should. It's stupid.

I agree, and I also dislike all the clubs jumping on the academy bandwagon. As if North need "access" to Tasmanian players, or that Reef McInnes as a Vic Metro player was really likely to be lost to footy if it weren't for the Pies academy...

All clubs should be putting in for non traditional pathways anyway. We all get enough from the AFL (money handouts or fixture preference etc) to put in without being gifted players for the academies. I like the new rules about drafting around academies, and reckon they should be applied to the F/S rule too.

 

[Scotland]

Rebuilding is something 18 clubs do.

Talking about rebuilding is just selling hope to fans.

 

[old55]

Lower scoring football is more interesting and compelling - give me the 2005-6 GFs over the 1972 GF every day.

Basketball is boring because it's too easy to score and Soccer is because it's too hard. High scoring AFL trends towards the basketball territory - there's not enough premium on each score.

I think American Football and the Rugby codes have got the scoring rate about right.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Rhys Mathieson is an annoying little piss ant when he's playing against Geelong, but great theatre when he's playing against any other club.

Between him and Robinson, it was good to see that at least a couple of AFL players aren't afraid to ruffle Dustin Martin's feathers. Since 2017, Martin's seemed to have this Ablett Sr, Barry Hall, Plugger Lockett aura about him on the field, that opponents are genuinely frightened for their safety if they get in his face. Maybe more teams and opponents will see if these tactics can put him off his game in the future... as obviously the overly respectful plan against him hasn't worked.

 

[hoddo22]

Rhys Mathieson is an annoying little piss ant when he's playing against Geelong, but great theatre when he's playing against any other club.

Between him and Robinson, it was good to see that at least a couple of AFL players aren't afraid to ruffle Dustin Martin's feathers. Since 2017, Martin's seemed to have this Ablett Sr, Barry Hall, Plugger Lockett aura about him on the field, that opponents are genuinely frightened for their safety if they get in his face. Maybe more teams and opponents will see if these tactics can put him off his game in the future... as obviously the overly respectful plan against him hasn't worked.

That's the thing with Dusty. I've never understood why others haven't tried to ruffle his feathers. I've never seen him really get into some argy bargy.

You'd never do it to the other players you've mentioned as you'd expect it to comeback with interest.

On SM-A530F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

That's the thing with Dusty. I've never understood why others haven't tried to ruffle his feathers. I've never seen him really get into some argy bargy.

You'd never do it to the other players you've mentioned as you'd expect it to comeback with interest.

On SM-A530F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Yeah, and it's like the Michael Jordan thing... "don't say anything to him, don't get him fired up." He's won three Norm Smiths... he kills you when you are overly respectful to him, so what is there to lose?