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

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mr bagcroft

Norm Smith Medallist
May 19, 2017
9,310
10,870
AFL Club
St Kilda
My unpopular opinion , and it may be bias , but you losers who hate Trent Cotchin are weirdos who probably have no lives. This guy is legit the most clean skined player you'll ever get in footy. Yet you hate him because he went for a ball and accidentally hurt someone like 1000s did before him. Or you hate him because he got tagged out in a game one time like 1000s did before him. You lot are stupid
FFS, its always about ******* Richmond isnt it?
 
May 1, 2016
28,404
55,370
AFL Club
Carlton
Actually, Hartung was actually an elite athlete, his capacity to run was first rate and he held the beep test record at the combine for a while.

It was his skills that let him down.

But, he could run.........
I know, I coached him in cricket.

You don't kick 20 in a game if you can't footy, sorry.
 

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May 1, 2016
28,404
55,370
AFL Club
Carlton
Aug 9, 2017
18,618
47,185
Penguin
AFL Club
Tasmania
Other Teams
Hurricanes, Panthers
I am presuming this must have been at junior level, because to be frank he never really fired a shot in the AFl across 2 clubs
I don’t like potting players or ex players but my god Hartung drove me insane... soft as butter, panicked any time he had the ball with someone within 50 meters but yep running was elite.
Wasn't Hartung's old man a serious problem and caused issues at both clubs?
Yep the stereo typical athletes parent.
 
Actually, Hartung was actually an elite athlete, his capacity to run was first rate and he held the beep test record at the combine for a while.

It was his skills that let him down.

But, he could run.........

It was his dad who let him down. Didn't he stamp Billy's papers at both Hawthorn and North?
 

jatz14

Brownlow Medallist
Dec 13, 2011
11,370
16,077
WA
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Perth Glory W-League
Financially speaking the AFLW league was and remains essentially a very expensive marketing exercise...!!!
I would have said it was a very cheap marketing exercise. The marketing required to replicate what the AFLW has achieved would cost an absolute bomb, if it could be done at all.
 
Financially speaking the AFLW league was and remains essentially a very expensive marketing exercise...!!!

It's not an exercise, it's an investment. In the first season of the AFL, women went from 30% of all Australian football participation to 40%. If the AFL can get women participating in Australian rules football over rugby (especially in QLD/NSW), it goes a long way to cementing the sport as Australia's premier football code for the future.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Even in cricket, the ball IS going on to hit the stumps or it isn't. Not always easy for the ump to tell, but there is a 'right' answer.

Lots of rules in AFL have areas of grey. You can push someone in the side in a marking contest, but not the back. But where does the back finish, and the side start?

The ump basically has to make it up on the spot. So it's easy to disagree, as 2 people looking at the same incident can disagree, and there isn't anything in the rule to say who is right.

On moto g(6) plus using BigFooty.com mobile app

'Good use of the body'
'Push in the back'

Even our MRP/MRO/tribunal decisions are all over the place and they aren't split second decisions.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Nah, it's nonsense and unknowable unless you're within footy clubs themselves. It's not an opinion that can be backed up with any sort of proof or authority unless you're involved in clubs.

But it's an opinion and this is an opinion thread. If you said there is rampant racism in every club that's not backed up either.

The AFL industry is pretty outspoken on racism. If someone peanut in the crowd says something to a player or some internet hero posts banana/monkey emojis on a social media post there is always a strong response.

Personally I find it hard to believe that racism is a big issue within the AFL and the clubs. 7.5m people attended AFL games in 2019, and 700-800 players participated in the season. How many incidents of racism were there? One? None? a handful? I reckon there is more racism outside the AFL than in it. Again just my opinion, but particularly with indigenous players the representation is high and the contribution of indigenous players to the sport is regularly celebrated. How many people can say they work with 40 other people and have half a dozen indigenous colleagues? I doubt most of the private school-Oakleigh/Sandringham NAB League players had indigenous teammates until they were drafted.
 

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deanc

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 13, 2014
5,808
7,535
Waverley
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Tasmania
Financially speaking the AFLW league was and remains essentially a very expensive marketing exercise...!!!
I would have said it was a very cheap marketing exercise. The marketing required to replicate what the AFLW has achieved would cost an absolute bomb, if it could be done at all.

Obviously your interpretation of 'a cheap marketing exercise' differs from mine - as I would be happy to learn what other sporting organisations in the World spend $14 million/year supporting and promoting a 12 week competition that generates zero profit...?
 
Aug 9, 2017
18,618
47,185
Penguin
AFL Club
Tasmania
Other Teams
Hurricanes, Panthers
Obviously your interpretation of 'a cheap marketing exercise' differs from mine - as I would be happy to learn what other sporting organisations in the World spend $14 million/year supporting and promoting a 12 week competition that generates zero profit...?
As pointed out above it is an investment not an exercise.
Think the league was well aware it was not going to be generating a profit at this stage.
 
Oct 22, 2008
17,318
19,556
Geelong
AFL Club
Essendon
As pointed out above it is an investment not an exercise.
Think the league was well aware it was not going to be generating a profit at this stage.
And its one of the few things i can think of that the big league has done in forever that has actually really helped the game at grass roots level.
 

Hallstrom

Senior List
Jul 10, 2013
233
223
AFL Club
Carlton
Perth could support 3 teams if they all started at once but probably wouldn't get off the ground they way things are now.

I think Canberra could support a team eventually but would need a bit more population growth (say 10 years at current rates). I've lived there for 10 years and it's not quite as raiders centric as people think.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
A third team in Perth creates scheduling headaches for the AFL.

I know ground sharing doesn't really occur in Qld/NSW but the beauty of the current system is the AFL only need to schedule one game a week in each of Qld, NSW, WA and SA. If you added a team in Perth you'd go from 22 games in 23/24 weeks at Optus Stadium to 33, which would probably see each WA team playing 13 games in WA instead of 12 and 27 teams needing to travel to WA instead of 20.

What would end up happening is low drawing Vic clubs would end up playing more home games against the new Perth (or wherever) side because the AFL won't want to sacrifice cash cow fixtures in Melbourne.
 
Sep 8, 2011
10,963
10,892
AFL Club
West Coast
Perth could support 3 teams if they all started at once but probably wouldn't get off the ground they way things are now.

I think Canberra could support a team eventually but would need a bit more population growth (say 10 years at current rates). I've lived there for 10 years and it's not quite as raiders centric as people think.

If there was a Canberra team, do you think people would drive in from all around the region for game day? Would it get support from say 2-3 hours around Canberra?

It would be epic if they tried to setup like an American college team with tailgating etc
 

jatz14

Brownlow Medallist
Dec 13, 2011
11,370
16,077
WA
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Perth Glory W-League
Obviously your interpretation of 'a cheap marketing exercise' differs from mine - as I would be happy to learn what other sporting organisations in the World spend $14 million/year supporting and promoting a 12 week competition that generates zero profit...?
Lets unpack this.

First, as is the case with everybody that raises the `waah, waah, it costs to much, it doesn't make a profit`. It was ever intended to make a profit. At no stage has the AFL ever set, or even suggested, that profit was a goal in establishing the AFLW. It was justified as an investment in growth. It was justified on the basis that the AFL itself is a not for profit organisation, that has set itself up as both a giant vacuum, sucking up all the cash in Australian football, and as the custodian of the game. Add those 2 things together, and it couldn't in all conscience, remain out of womens football.

Second, when determining that the AFLW cost the AFL $14 million to run, what value did you assume the 24 listed AFLW sponsors bring to the table? How about the 14 Carlton lists, or the 8 Collingwood lists? How about West Coast? they only list 7, but that includes BHP that seems to have gone in hard, and I have heard they have deep pockets?

If we assume each club has 7 AFLW sponsors (I cant be bothered checking each club), thats 98 club sponsors, plus the 24 for the league itself.

Thats 122 AFLW sponsors, that you seemed to have assigned a value of $0 dollars to. I am curious what the basis of this is?

How about the $150K+ of AFLW members packages sold by just West Coast?

Third, If the AFL was finding the AFLW to be an unjustified financial burden, COVID gave them the perfect out, and they didn't even blink. They not only didn't drop the value of player payments, they haven't stopped or even delayed, the already negotiated increases.

The reason for this is, AFLW gave them what it was intended to give, and the net cost of running the league (whatever that is, but it isn't $14 mill), is something they seem willing to keep paying.
 
Apr 27, 2008
64,475
78,070
The 'Yabba
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Chael Sonnen: Moral Champion
The 2020s team would beat 2010s team would beat 2000s team thing has some merit, but ultimately if 2017-2020 Richmond would flog 2001-2004 then a bunch of current teams would also. Richmond finished 3rd last year and lost their QF by 15 and PF by 6. If they are comfortably better than say the Lions 3-peat side then so are Port, Brisbane, Geelong etc. It's not a sexy opinion but ordinary current teams would probably also flog great teams of past eras.
Port would lose because Hinkley can't coach well.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk
 

Hallstrom

Senior List
Jul 10, 2013
233
223
AFL Club
Carlton
If there was a Canberra team, do you think people would drive in from all around the region for game day? Would it get support from say 2-3 hours around Canberra?

It would be epic if they tried to setup like an American college team with tailgating etc
I assume they would. Tailgating wouldn't work if the games were played at Manuka, the parking is atrocious.
Tailgating works if you've got a stadium in the middle of nowhere with a massive parking lot and nothing better to do. I'd prefer to keep it central with less parking, lots of public transport and pubs, cafes, eateries to go to.
 

Lsta062

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 15, 2014
21,589
41,458
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Chelsea, LA Lakers, Western United
The 2020s team would beat 2010s team would beat 2000s team thing has some merit, but ultimately if 2017-2020 Richmond would flog 2001-2004 then a bunch of current teams would also. Richmond finished 3rd last year and lost their QF by 15 and PF by 6. If they are comfortably better than say the Lions 3-peat side then so are Port, Brisbane, Geelong etc. It's not a sexy opinion but ordinary current teams would probably also flog great teams of past eras.
Yep I agree, if Richmond would thrash a team almost two decades ago then at the very least the other contenders probably would too.
 

OnceWeWereKings

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2007
4,138
9,171
Melbourne
AFL Club
Carlton
Obviously your interpretation of 'a cheap marketing exercise' differs from mine - as I would be happy to learn what other sporting organisations in the World spend $14 million/year supporting and promoting a 12 week competition that generates zero profit...?
You need to expand your view to the benefits the AFLW brings to the greater community.

Your community.

ANYTHING that promotes female participation in sport should be supported and celebrated.
Go out and have a look at the uptake in female participation at the junior level, there‘s huge upward trajectory.

Do you know why?

It’s because young girls can now aspire to play football at a developing elite level well in to their adult lives.
An opportunity that wasn’t afforded to them until recently.

The AFLW competition, and competitions like them, allow them that dream, and this can only be a good thing.

The physical and mental benefits alone outweigh and any type of “investment“ made.

It’s tunnel visioned, shortsighted, and quite simply sexist to judge the success or viability of the competition on how “profitable“ it is.

Go and ask your mother, your sister, your wife, your daughter, or your granddaughter what they think. Hopefully this can provide you with a semblance of balance.
 
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