What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? Part 2

Aug 27, 2014
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there are no other teams worthy
The up side is, if the rules are trialled by crap teams, we are highly likely to get a crap game, it's generally how these things work. Hopefully that kills of the whole thing, and if we are really lucky, Hockings career with it
Even you found your own upside in doing it.
Bring it on! The sooner we see trials of these rules, the better. :thumbsu:
 

mr bagcroft

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May 19, 2017
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Dudes and dude'etts,

You really dont want these rules failing. You will be sorry when the next lot of changes happen in place of them.
The AFL will.not.stop till they get the look of the game they are after as to maximise $$$$.
 

jatz14

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Dec 13, 2011
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Dudes and dude'etts,

You really dont want these rules failing. You will be sorry when the next lot of changes happen in place of them.
The AFL will.not.stop till they get the look of the game they are after as to maximise $$$$.
Do you remember the Aussie golfer from the 80s and 90s, name escapes me. Won a British open, then tried to alter his swing to get more distance.

The changes ruined his shot, and he then couldn't get his original swing, or any sort of decent swing back again, and his game fell apart.

My fear is the AFL is about to crack an egg, and if they don't like the mess they end up with, they will not put it back together again.

A bigger fear is this, by framing the discussion in the negative, and saying they need to introduce radical changes, and mid season, they have created a sense of crisis.

People on twitter are going feral over some of the things proposed. I fear they have seriously underestimated how angry a lot of people are.

What if these changes are great, and do improve the game, but crowds and viewers go down significantly, and stay down? What if this permanently alters the perception of AFL in the community? I certainly think this is possible, then what, more changes? How much can you * with the game before people give up on it?

Remember New Coke. Coca Cola came up with a new formula for a better tasting Cola and launched it to great fanfare as New Coke.

It was a ******* disaster, and how it tasted was utterly irrelevant. Coke fans and customers wanted Coke, if they wanted something different, they bought Pepsi.

I think Gil is making New Coke. It may taste great, but committed fans of the real product are going to go ******* feral.

I consider myself to be a pretty placid laid back guy, and very little of what passes for controversy in footy upsets me at all to be honest, but this is starting to make me angry, and if I am getting angry, more volatile people will, and judging by the internet, are, blowing a fuse.

If I was the NRL, I would be saying, See, even AFL headquarters can see their game is inferior. Don't play the sport they are trying to fix so it's enjoyable, play the sport that doesn't need fixing. It's basically the approach Pepsi took, and it killed New Coke stone cold dead


Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk
 

Luv_our_club

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 14, 2017
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Do you remember the Aussie golfer from the 80s and 90s, name escapes me. Won a British open, then tried to alter his swing to get more distance.

The changes ruined his shot, and he then couldn't get his original swing, or any sort of decent swing back again, and his game fell apart.

My fear is the AFL is about to crack an egg, and if they don't like the mess they end up with, they will not put it back together again.

A bigger fear is this, by framing the discussion in the negative, and saying they need to introduce radical changes, and mid season, they have created a sense of crisis.

People on twitter are going feral over some of the things proposed. I fear they have seriously underestimated how angry a lot of people are.

What if these changes are great, and do improve the game, but crowds and viewers go down significantly, and stay down? What if this permanently alters the perception of AFL in the community? I certainly think this is possible, then what, more changes? How much can you **** with the game before people give up on it?

Remember New Coke. Coca Cola came up with a new formula for a better tasting Cola and launched it to great fanfare as New Coke.

It was a ******* disaster, and how it tasted was utterly irrelevant. Coke fans and customers wanted Coke, if they wanted something different, they bought Pepsi.

I think Gil is making New Coke. It may taste great, but committed fans of the real product are going to go ******* feral.

I consider myself to be a pretty placid laid back guy, and very little of what passes for controversy in footy upsets me at all to be honest, but this is starting to make me angry, and if I am getting angry, more volatile people will, and judging by the internet, are, blowing a fuse.

If I was the NRL, I would be saying, See, even AFL headquarters can see their game is inferior. Don't play the sport they are trying to fix so it's enjoyable, play the sport that doesn't need fixing. It's basically the approach Pepsi took, and it killed New Coke stone cold dead


Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk
Ian Baker Finch is the golfer. He features in a Frontline episode where they discuss his form problems.
 
Feb 5, 2004
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I’m tired of the marketing behind the myriad good causes attached to each and every AFL game.

While each charity and cause advertised by clubs is worthwhile on its own merits, there are too many causes spruiked to fans. It has just become blanket advertising.

I’m particularly tired of how many ‘special edition’ uniforms the clubs and umpires wear to advertise such causes. It’s cheap and tacky.
 

Coaster2012

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Jul 10, 2012
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Im tired of how political the AFL has become. So much so, that its lost its personality a little bit. Where are the big characters? NBA is full of them having twitter wars. European football is full of the crazy hair and fueds. AFL has nothing. Everyone is too scared to rock the boat.
 
May 2, 2007
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Im tired of how political the AFL has become. So much so, that its lost its personality a little bit. Where are the big characters? NBA is full of them having twitter wars. European football is full of the crazy hair and fueds. AFL has nothing. Everyone is too scared to rock the boat.
You don't rate all our players covering themselves with crap tattoos?
 
Mar 18, 2013
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Im tired of how political the AFL has become. So much so, that its lost its personality a little bit. Where are the big characters? NBA is full of them having twitter wars. European football is full of the crazy hair and fueds. AFL has nothing. Everyone is too scared to rock the boat.

They get labelled “flog” and “arrogant spud” the first time they display an ounce of confidence.

See: Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar and Brayden Maynard.
 
Sep 8, 2011
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Im tired of how political the AFL has become. So much so, that its lost its personality a little bit. Where are the big characters? NBA is full of them having twitter wars. European football is full of the crazy hair and fueds. AFL has nothing. Everyone is too scared to rock the boat.
It's probably because (and don't shoot me down with this) they don't get paid enough to be stupidly arrogant and accepted. Obviously they get paid heaps, but not that superstar cash
 
Feb 5, 2004
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It's probably because (and don't shoot me down with this) they don't get paid enough to be stupidly arrogant and accepted. Obviously they get paid heaps, but not that superstar cash

They’re also not that interesting. Most footy players have pretty similar backgrounds, values and interests. They’re increasingly monocultural, middle class, private school educated and have few outside interests or unique life experiences.

The biggest exceptions are the Indigenous players who didn’t get private school scholarships. But as we know from the Adam Goodes saga, there’s a lot of community discomfort when Aboriginals display or voice their opinions.
 
Anthony Hudson lays it on way too thick these days, become a parody of himself.

Find his commentary C7 level grating these days.
 

Lemma

Premiership Player
Jun 4, 2010
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I’m particularly tired of how many ‘special edition’ uniforms the clubs and umpires wear to advertise such causes. It’s cheap and tacky.

On this, I reckon the club guernsey should be sacrosanct. Hawthorn wearing pink and brown, Saints wearing Purple, white and black? No. Don't give a s**t what a cause it is. The jumper stays the same. Spruik that s**t in other ways
 

Ishikawa

Club Legend
Jul 18, 2018
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They’re also not that interesting. Most footy players have pretty similar backgrounds, values and interests. They’re increasingly monocultural, middle class, private school educated and have few outside interests or unique life experiences.

The biggest exceptions are the Indigenous players who didn’t get private school scholarships. But as we know from the Adam Goodes saga, there’s a lot of community discomfort when Aboriginals display or voice their opinions.

No that's bullshit and you know it - simply choosing to be ignorant that there is a difference between their on-field and media demeanour with their personal lives.

There's very little incentive for most players to come out and say something controversial. Once a player has established themselves as a gun though, that's when they can come out with an outspoken opinionated or hipster persona (see Dangerfield or Gawn) which helps differentiate them and adds to their marketability.
 
Feb 5, 2004
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No that's bullshit and you know it - simply choosing to be ignorant that there is a difference between their on-field and media demeanour with their personal lives.

There's very little incentive for most players to come out and say something controversial. Once a player has established themselves as a gun though, that's when they can come out with an outspoken opinionated or hipster persona (see Dangerfield or Gawn) which helps differentiate them and adds to their marketability.

Settle down.

They come into the game at 18 years of age and many have similar life experiences. They don’t go to college, or train overseas, or grow up in ghettos. They’re just kids.

The problem lies with footy fans expecting them to be more than they actually are (maybe you’re one of them?). Just let them play and yeah - with time they may develop stories and views that are interesting.

(And if you want to see or hear more from players, then get angry at the clubs and the AFL’s in-house media rather than commercial press - comms staff and footy departments are equally culpable for the shocking lack of access given to players).
 

Ishikawa

Club Legend
Jul 18, 2018
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Settle down.

They come into the game at 18 years of age and many have similar life experiences. They don’t go to college, or train overseas, or grow up in ghettos. They’re just kids.

The problem lies with footy fans expecting them to be more than they actually are (maybe you’re one of them?). Just let them play and yeah - with time they may develop stories and views that are interesting.

(And if you want to see or hear more from players, then get angry at the clubs and the AFL’s in-house media rather than commercial press - comms staff and footy departments are equally culpable for the shocking lack of access given to players).

I think you're making a sweeping and inaccurate generalisation. Kids many still may be (though there seems to be increasing numbers of mature age selections), however player backgrounds are far more diverse than what you are claiming.

Frankly I don't really care to hear much more than what we already do. Got no problem if a player wants to make it known he supports a particular cause or has an off field interest, but doesn't bother me if I know SFA about that side of them.

Not to go all kumbaya, but at the end of the day they are all people. Everyone has their own experiences, obstacles they have overcome and context they have grown up in. As with any country or culture it's just lazy to make a shallow generalisation that a group of people don't have anything to offer - everyone has a story worth listening to.
 
Feb 5, 2018
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Good cause or not, it was silly for Richmond to wear the purple strip yesterday. Imagine it being your first ever game of AFL as a spectator. Perhaps from overseas. Two huge teams, a massive crowd and an amazing spectacle. Then seeing a team wear black and yellow with a bizzare purple trim. You'd be wondering what the hell is going on.

Just a small one. I don't really care that much. Just a thought that ran through the old head when I turned the game on yesterday.
 
Feb 5, 2004
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I think you're making a sweeping and inaccurate generalisation. Kids many still may be (though there seems to be increasing numbers of mature age selections), however player backgrounds are far more diverse than what you are claiming.

Frankly I don't really care to hear much more than what we already do. Got no problem if a player wants to make it known he supports a particular cause or has an off field interest, but doesn't bother me if I know SFA about that side of them.

Not to go all kumbaya, but at the end of the day they are all people. Everyone has their own experiences, obstacles they have overcome and context they have grown up in. As with any country or culture it's just lazy to make a shallow generalisation that a group of people don't have anything to offer - everyone has a story worth listening to.

Thirteen of the top 15 in last year’s National Draft were from private schools and the game has more family connections than probably any top level team sport in the world (one exception - amateur Irish sports, which draw from a total population of 6 million).

The game increasingly draws from a smaller pool of potential recruits for reasons too long to enter into here - but yes, it does mean their stories are less diverse than in previous decades. Following that, players spend the first few years of their career institutionalised within clubs, because of the longer training demands that ensure they play catch-up to seasoned pros.

So by the time players hit 21-22 years of age, their life experiences are often limited and that does inhibit their ability to connect. Add to that they are then coached on what and what not to say, while the clubs make players largely inaccessible to the media week-by-week.

There are more mature age recruits than there were 15 years ago and they do have more interesting stories and insights - that’s a corollary of life experience.
 

chrisdon16

@AFLsystembet
Mar 20, 2013
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Not sure if this has been brought up before, but Brian Taylor's commentary is absolutely cringeworthy to the point where now if I'm watching a CH7 telecast I have to mute the TV and turn on the radio. When he first started saying "Llooooooooooyyyyyd" and "Oraaaaazioooooo Fantaaaaasiaaaa" it was kind of funny, a bit of a chuckle. But 2 years on he's still doing it when they touch the ball. The most cringe worthy bloke on TV.
 

pablo668

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The AFL should in no way be the sole 'Custodian of the game'.
Especially when it comes to changing the rules of the game. Add in documenting the games history.
 
Jun 23, 2008
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Neither Collingwood or Richmond really need Tom Lynch.

Their current setups and gameplans seems to work pretty well, and I can't think of a game this year that either side have lost because of the lack of someone like Lynch. It just feels like it would change both side's list structure and game plan considerably to fit him in, and "fix" a problem that doesn't really exist.
 
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