What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? Part 2

Barry_Badrinath

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 23, 2011
19,104
62,066
Bathing in Premiership Glory
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Grand Finals at the Gabba
5 year rebuilds are footy's version of fools gold

creates a culture of complacency failure and excuses. Nothing dumber than a club announcing one to the whole world.
Amazes me clubs, punters and the media that get sucked in with this questionable logic

Worked alright for Hawthorn and Richmond
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
The problem with 5 year rebuilds is that every team's timeline is different and it sets an unnecessary deadline. No one expected the Dogs or Tigers to win the 16 and 17 flags. Clarkson's flags came in his 4th, 9th, 10th and 11th years. Geelong's team looks nothing like it did in 2011 and Chris Scott hasn't won a flag since his first year. Is he rebuilding?

WC were arse in 2001 then finished 8th, 7th, 7th in 2002-4 before competing in back to back Grand Finals. We were arse in 2010 and then went 4th, 5th, 13th, 9th, 2nd in the following 5 years. 5 years is a long time. Hell we are better this year than last without Priddis and Mitchell, Naitanui and Kennedy for half the year and Gaff for the last half dozen or so.

Brendon Bolton has been in charge or Carlton for 3 seasons and they've won 15 games and are getting worse. Does anyone seriously expect Carlton to be a contender in 2019 or 2020? Melbourne missed finals for 12 seasons, Brisbane are on a 9 year streak.

Rebuilding is just a buzz word. 15 players from the 2015 GF have retired or moved clubs and the two competing teams are in the top 4 again 3 years later. 10 from 2016, Sydney in the finals WB not.

I reckon you get one year worth of grace, perhaps two - to make wholesale changes and get worse. After that you should be improving on what you have. North went down a path at the end of 2016 and let a bunch of players go, dropped down the ladder in 2017 and were better this year. The expectation should be that 2018 is the new benchmark to 'rebuild' from, not that they're 'rebuilding' so more 6 win seasons will be OK because it's all about 2021 when they'll magically be awesome.
 

Knox Harrington

Club Legend
May 27, 2016
1,010
1,409
AFL Club
Essendon
That if any player, or media personality on AFL sanctioned shows does the following:
1) positive recreational drug test
2) positive performance enhancing drug test
3) found guilty of drink driving
4) found guilty of any violent crime
The following punishment should occur
1) strike one = twelve month ban
2) strike two = life ban
 
Apr 12, 2014
30,331
52,239
AFL Club
Melbourne
The problem with 5 year rebuilds is that every team's timeline is different and it sets an unnecessary deadline. No one expected the Dogs or Tigers to win the 16 and 17 flags. Clarkson's flags came in his 4th, 9th, 10th and 11th years. Geelong's team looks nothing like it did in 2011 and Chris Scott hasn't won a flag since his first year. Is he rebuilding?

WC were arse in 2001 then finished 8th, 7th, 7th in 2002-4 before competing in back to back Grand Finals. We were arse in 2010 and then went 4th, 5th, 13th, 9th, 2nd in the following 5 years. 5 years is a long time. Hell we are better this year than last without Priddis and Mitchell, Naitanui and Kennedy for half the year and Gaff for the last half dozen or so.

Brendon Bolton has been in charge or Carlton for 3 seasons and they've won 15 games and are getting worse. Does anyone seriously expect Carlton to be a contender in 2019 or 2020? Melbourne missed finals for 12 seasons, Brisbane are on a 9 year streak.

Rebuilding is just a buzz word. 15 players from the 2015 GF have retired or moved clubs and the two competing teams are in the top 4 again 3 years later. 10 from 2016, Sydney in the finals WB not.

I reckon you get one year worth of grace, perhaps two - to make wholesale changes and get worse. After that you should be improving on what you have. North went down a path at the end of 2016 and let a bunch of players go, dropped down the ladder in 2017 and were better this year. The expectation should be that 2018 is the new benchmark to 'rebuild' from, not that they're 'rebuilding' so more 6 win seasons will be OK because it's all about 2021 when they'll magically be awesome.

Depends on what state the club was in when you came to it though. I love bagging Carlton but they were in a pretty bad spot when BB came in.

Hannah Mouncey should not be allowed to play AFLW.

Should not be playing VFLW either, FWIW.

Far from unpopular I’d say.
 
That if any player, or media personality on AFL sanctioned shows does the following:
1) positive recreational drug test
2) positive performance enhancing drug test
3) found guilty of drink driving
4) found guilty of any violent crime
The following punishment should occur
1) strike one = twelve month ban
2) strike two = life ban

*in nerd lmaoo
 
That if any player, or media personality on AFL sanctioned shows does the following:
1) positive recreational drug test
2) positive performance enhancing drug test
3) found guilty of drink driving
4) found guilty of any violent crime
The following punishment should occur
1) strike one = twelve month ban
2) strike two = life ban

Would you hold yourself to the same standard?
 

weetert

All Australian
Jul 4, 2018
702
783
AFL Club
Adelaide
Hannah Mouncey should not be allowed to play AFLW.

Should not be playing VFLW either, FWIW.

It'd be interesting to hear more from current female players on this issue.

That said, I do remember Sam Newman asked a few AFLW players on the footy show about it and they were terrified of giving anything resembling an opinion.
 

Knox Harrington

Club Legend
May 27, 2016
1,010
1,409
AFL Club
Essendon
Would you hold yourself to the same standard?

Personally I've not done either of the four things so far on my life.

The AFL like to put themselves out there as community leaders yet they have turned a blind eye to a lot of these behaviours.

The players get paid a lot of money and at least part of it comes with some form of social responsibility .

Putting it's foot down against this type of behaviour would do wonders for the games image and show them at community leaders.
 
Jul 28, 2012
11,010
10,327
Melbourne, the lost City.
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
QPR, Buffalo Bills
Unpopular Opinion 1) The women should be playing an updated version of AFLX with 9 players a side and 3 interchange on a field 120 metres x 60 metres over 4 x 15 min QTRS?

Unpopular Opinion 2) Interchange benches on opposite sides of the ground.

Unpopular Opinion 3) Scrap all "White Away" strips.

Unpopular Opinion 4) Any coach or player who uses the word "narrative" in any interview should be suspended.;)

Unpopular Opinion 5) Geelong must play all teams at Kardinia Park on a rotation...(Collingwood, Hawthorn, Richmond, Essendon etc)

Unpopular Opinion 6) Princes Park Carlton should re-open and host a minimum of 5 Carlton home games! It wouldn't hurt North Melbourne to play some there also!

Unpopular Opinion 7) No Sunday games to commence after 2.30pm in Melbourne!

Unpopular Opinion 8) Goal Umpires to be decked out in white coats and hats again!

Unpopular Opinion 9) Curtain raisers should be played at every AFL match.

Unpopular Opinions 10) Move the Brownlow Medal count to the post season BYE week which is quickly turning into awards week. The Brownlow is in trouble and it may be coming to an end? Will Gawn and Grundy poll 10 votes between them?

Unpopular Opinion 11) All Players to wear socks up in all games.

Unpopular Opinion 12) Scrap protected area rule, increase distance for a mark to 20 metres, make kicking backwwards play on at all times, kick-ins must clear the defensive 50 metre arc... you can still kick short, but it's a play on call...
 

PT Bar None

Banal Chaos
Cake Connoisseur
Mar 11, 2018
8,149
12,482
AFL Club
Hawthorn
The AFl is not a competition. It's a sports entertainment product.

I don't care if Hannah Mouncey plays AFLW.
 

Moody Blue

Premiership Player
May 21, 2012
3,283
3,590
Melbourne
AFL Club
Carlton
Unpopular Opinion 1) The women should be playing an updated version of AFLX with 9 players a side and 3 interchange on a field 120 metres x 60 metres over 4 x 15 min QTRS?

Unpopular Opinion 2) Interchange benches on opposite sides of the ground.

Unpopular Opinion 3) Scrap all "White Away" strips.

Unpopular Opinion 4) Any coach or player who uses the word "narrative" in any interview should be suspended.;)

Unpopular Opinion 5) Geelong must play all teams at Kardinia Park on a rotation...(Collingwood, Hawthorn, Richmond, Essendon etc)

Unpopular Opinion 6) Princes Park Carlton should re-open and host a minimum of 5 Carlton home games! It wouldn't hurt North Melbourne to play some there also!

Unpopular Opinion 7) No Sunday games to commence after 2.30pm in Melbourne!

Unpopular Opinion 8) Goal Umpires to be decked out in white coats and hats again!

Unpopular Opinion 9) Curtain raisers should be played at every AFL match.

Unpopular Opinions 10) Move the Brownlow Medal count to the post season BYE week which is quickly turning into awards week. The Brownlow is in trouble and it may be coming to an end? Will Gawn and Grundy poll 10 votes between them?

Unpopular Opinion 11) All Players to wear socks up in all games.

Unpopular Opinion 12) Scrap protected area rule, increase distance for a mark to 20 metres, make kicking backwwards play on at all times, kick-ins must clear the defensive 50 metre arc... you can still kick short, but it's a play on call...

Addendum: 13- All baggie shorts should be banned. Time to to return to the 1980's shorts.
14- Away jumpers to be banned. You wear your colors every game. Away team wears white shorts and boots.
15- Port Adelaide to be allowed to wear their traditional jumper...Most appalling thing I have ever seen, but it will annoy Eddie, so has to count.
16- Which ever team finishes on top gets during the final gets to host the GF. I want to see GWS-v-Coll GF at their 6,000 stadium.
 
Sep 15, 2007
50,367
46,595
Where i need to be
AFL Club
Geelong
The game is too long for most peoples' attention spans
20 minute quarters, no time on, 10 minutes half time, bingo.
If they shorten the game i stop going as its not worth the long drive down to geelong for a shorter game. The attention spam stuff is rubbish. Its only because you boomers are getting old that you think the game is too long.
 

Moody Blue

Premiership Player
May 21, 2012
3,283
3,590
Melbourne
AFL Club
Carlton
The game is too long for most peoples' attention spans
20 minute quarters, no time on, 10 minutes half time, bingo.
15 plus time on, otherwise everyone will just fall on the ball and rush it out of bounds. Boring enough as it is.
 
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