What's wrong with the AFL ?

[Rabman]

Their is nothing wrong with the AFL and the game, its just the typical baby boomers who love to whinge and whine about it not being what it use to be back in the 80's. If they want their bankrupt clubs, thug players, alcoholic loving unprofessional footballers back then it shows how out of date they are. Personal opinion from white i hear from fans.

 

[Bokonon_]

Their is nothing wrong with the AFL and the game, its just the typical baby boomers who love to whinge and whine about it not being what it use to be back in the 80's. If they want their bankrupt clubs, thug players, alcoholic loving unprofessional footballers back then it shows how out of date they are. Personal opinion from white i hear from fans.

Bit harsh
I love footy and dont want a return to the eighties. There's a certain fondness for the days when the game was bit less professional, and empathy with the discipline it demands from players these days. I dont want a return. At the end of the day I agrèe the games in good shape, and the players are all volounteers.

 

[Rabman]

Bit harsh
I love footy and dont want a return to the eighties. There's a certain fondness for the days when the game was bit less professional, and empathy with the discipline it demands from players these days. I dont want a return. At the end of the day I agrèe the games in good shape, and the players are all volounteers.

I just get sick and tired of people whinging for the sake of it. All sport is a business these days, no sport is what it use to be back in the 80's. People just love to whinge unfortunately.

 

[Bokonon_]

I just get sick and tired of people whinging for the sake of it. All sport is a business these days, no sport is what it use to be back in the 80's. People just love to whinge unfortunately.

Well yeah I agree with the sentiment.
Just a bit unfair to blame it all on baby boomers I think.

 

[Dr Whoooooooo]

Their is nothing wrong with the AFL and the game, its just the typical baby boomers who love to whinge and whine about it not being what it use to be back in the 80's. If they want their bankrupt clubs, thug players, alcoholic loving unprofessional footballers back then it shows how out of date they are. Personal opinion from white i hear from fans.

Well said ... is so true & in todays world they have so many mediums to whinge and whine in ie Football Forums, Facebook, Twitter etc, etc, etc

Funniest thing is they dont understand the damage is doing to the club they claim to support ... but ironiclly I support their right to freedom of speech ... so suppose its just a sign of the times we live in.

We just deal with it & move on - stay positive & ignore them.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Their is nothing wrong with the AFL and the game, its just the typical baby boomers who love to whinge and whine about it not being what it use to be back in the 80's. If they want their bankrupt clubs, thug players, alcoholic loving unprofessional footballers back then it shows how out of date they are. Personal opinion from white i hear from fans.

I think most of the complaint is at why has there been so many rule changes more than anything, I think the vast majority are happy the days of thugs in the AFL have gone.
But in my view if the rules of the game were exactly as they were in 1990 now then many of the complaints about the game would not appear.
We are not the only sport in the world that looks at its rules but we are the only sport that has basically changed the game completely and for no good reason what so ever, were crowds dropping off? No. Were people disenchanted with the game? No.
So why the rule changes? We loved it as it was and it was not needed. But now it has happened there is no turning back and rules will change yearly until the sport is basically not recognisable as the sport it was for over 100 years.

 

[Rabman]

I think most of the complaint is at why has there been so many rule changes more than anything, I think the vast majority are happy the days of thugs in the AFL have gone.
But in my view if the rules of the game were exactly as they were in 1990 now then many of the complaints about the game would not appear.
We are not the only sport in the world that looks at its rules but we are the only sport that has basically changed the game completely and for no good reason what so ever, were crowds dropping off? No. Were people disenchanted with the game? No.
So why the rule changes? We loved it as it was and it was not needed. But now it has happened there is no turning back and rules will change yearly until the sport is basically not recognisable as the sport it was for over 100 years.

I can understand the rule changes that might annoy people, but take example with the banning of the third man up, my dad's been going to footy since the 1960's third man up wasn't relevant back then, if anything this recent rule change is back to the old style of footy we all want. Yes the AFL do make weird decisions, but it happens in all sports, soccer and NFL have numerous changes every year, we whinge about one rule change, i think people start having a look at themselves and see if their agenda is more important than the love of their football club then they shouldn't be part of the game.

 

[Rabman]

Well yeah I agree with the sentiment.
Just a bit unfair to blame it all on baby boomers I think.

I come from Adelaide. The baby boomers are notorious for their whinging and whining, why do u think it took so long to get Adelaide oval upgraded, they were more interested in seeing the hills in the background then giving the stadium the upgrade it deserved.

 

[Seeds]

I think most of the complaint is at why has there been so many rule changes more than anything, I think the vast majority are happy the days of thugs in the AFL have gone.
But in my view if the rules of the game were exactly as they were in 1990 now then many of the complaints about the game would not appear.
We are not the only sport in the world that looks at its rules but we are the only sport that has basically changed the game completely and for no good reason what so ever, were crowds dropping off? No. Were people disenchanted with the game? No.
So why the rule changes? We loved it as it was and it was not needed. But now it has happened there is no turning back and rules will change yearly until the sport is basically not recognisable as the sport it was for over 100 years.

You are wrong. If the rules of the mid 1990s still existed we would have mass flooding, 180 bench changes a game today and keepings off possession game. Most of the game changes have occured because the athletes became full time professionals and significantly fitter than what they were in the 1990s. Not because of rule changes. Some rule changes have had minor impacts that have altered the game and some rule changes have helped make the game more like the 1990s to counter the impacts of increased fitness and more complex game day strategies.

Plenty of players still smoked and some still got pissed a friday night before a game in the 1990s. All the major changes are fitness related.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

You are wrong. If the rules of the mid 1990s still existed we would have mass flooding, 180 bench changes a game today and keepings off possession game. Most of the game changes have occured because the athletes became full time professionals and significantly fitter than what they were in the 1990s. Not because of rule changes. Some rule changes have had minor impacts that have altered the game and some rule changes have helped make the game more like the 1990s to counter the impacts of increased fitness and more complex game day strategies.

Plenty of players still smoked and some still got pissed a friday night before a game in the 1990s. All the major changes are fitness related.

We have mass flooding now, what game you been watching? 90% of the game all players are in one half of the ground. Who cares how many interchanges there are? Never understood this. When did how many interchanges become a problem for the fans? Who goes to the game and watches the interchange bench? How many times you walked out of a ground and all you hear is people talking about how many interchanges there were? And today's game is a keepings off possession game, that is all it is now. Half the possessions in today's game are uncontested.

The athletes would still of become stronger, faster, fitter as they have in other sports without changing the rules significantly, the coaches would of become better and more strategic as well.
We would not know any different and still be loving the game.
We have rule changes because we have a rules committee, no rules committee no rule changes.

The game is the game, should not be changed by reactionary rules committee's. The players and coaches should operate under the games rules which don't change.

Each to their own though and if you like seeing rule changes every year then good for you.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I can understand the rule changes that might annoy people, but take example with the banning of the third man up, my dad's been going to footy since the 1960's third man up wasn't relevant back then, if anything this recent rule change is back to the old style of footy we all want. Yes the AFL do make weird decisions, but it happens in all sports, soccer and NFL have numerous changes every year, we whinge about one rule change, i think people start having a look at themselves and see if their agenda is more important than the love of their football club then they shouldn't be part of the game.

if people are complaining about the AFL these days, for the most part it seems to be the standard old timer 'back in my day etc' rant. the game has certainly changed and younger people embrace change more than old people. the fact that it isn't the same as it was 20 years isn't automatically a bad thing.

In my opinion the biggest problem people have with the modern afl is the fundamental shift from being a sporting competition to being an entertainment product. many people may feel like the competition has been compromised with fixturing, afl making up the rules as it goes along, expansion etc etc. rule changes for the most part are designed to make the game a better spectacle which i generally don't have a problem with unless it's something extreme which changes the very nature of sport.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I can understand the rule changes that might annoy people, but take example with the banning of the third man up, my dad's been going to footy since the 1960's third man up wasn't relevant back then, if anything this recent rule change is back to the old style of footy we all want. Yes the AFL do make weird decisions, but it happens in all sports, soccer and NFL have numerous changes every year, we whinge about one rule change, i think people start having a look at themselves and see if their agenda is more important than the love of their football club then they shouldn't be part of the game.

The love of the sport should be of the highest importance, the love of my club is not so important as they don't need my love as they only want money.
I have no agenda other than i think the game of Australian Football is no longer played, it is now AFL which is a totally different sport played with totally different rules. I still enjoy it and want my team to win but I don't love the game like I once did. That's ok isn't it?

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

We have mass flooding now, what game you been watching? 90% of the game all players are in one half of the ground. Who cares how many interchanges there are? Never understood this. When did how many interchanges become a problem for the fans? Who goes to the game and watches the interchange bench? How many times you walked out of a ground and all you hear is people talking about how many interchanges there were? And today's game is a keepings off possession game, that is all it is now. Half the possessions in today's game are uncontested.

The athletes would still of become stronger, faster, fitter as they have in other sports without changing the rules significantly, the coaches would of become better and more strategic as well.
We would not know any different and still be loving the game.
We have rule changes because we have a rules committee, no rules committee no rule changes.

The game is the game, should not be changed by reactionary rules committee's. The players and coaches should operate under the games rules which don't change.

Each to their own though and if you like seeing rule changes every year then good for you.

in the afl (probably in this country) we tend to change things for the sake of change because people in powerful positions need to be seen to be doing something. 'everything's fine the way it is' isn't a phrase a person who's in charge of something should say, even though everything may well be fine.

no one wants the game changed for the sake of change, but we shouldn't automatically reject improvements because we did things a different way yesterday. there's certainly a fine line to walk.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

in the afl (probably in this country) we tend to change things for the sake of change because people in powerful positions need to be seen to be doing something. 'everything's fine the way it is' isn't a phrase a person who's in charge of something should say, even though everything may well be fine.

no one wants the game changed for the sake of change, but we shouldn't automatically reject improvements because we did things a different way yesterday. there's certainly a fine line to walk.

I agree with that, we seem to be changing for change sake though.
You do know though the game was not that bad 20 odd years ago, huge crowds went and not many were unhappy with the game.

The only rule change in the last 20 years that I think has improved the game is being able to bring the ball into play after a behind without waiting for the umpire to waive the flag. I cannot think of another rule change or tweek and there has been numerous amounts of them that has made the game in my opinion a better game to watch.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I agree with that, we seem to be changing for change sake though.
You do know though the game was not that bad 20 odd years ago, huge crowds went and not many were unhappy with the game.

The only rule change in the last 20 years that I think has improved the game is being able to bring the ball into play after a behind without waiting for the umpire to waive the flag. I cannot think of another rule change or tweek and there has been numerous amounts of them that has made the game in my opinion a better game to watch.

i think the tougher deliberate rule has been a good thing last year as well.

i do like that they constantly look to improve, however i agree their execution has left much to be desired. like the goal review is a good thing but they use the cheapest cameras in the house on the goal line to actually make the review so everything is inconclusive. i also think the sub rule could have worked if they just left the bench like it is and changed the emergencies to subs and if players get hurt you bring them in.

 

[Rabman]

if people are complaining about the AFL these days, for the most part it seems to be the standard old timer 'back in my day etc' rant. the game has certainly changed and younger people embrace change more than old people. the fact that it isn't the same as it was 20 years isn't automatically a bad thing.

In my opinion the biggest problem people have with the modern afl is the fundamental shift from being a sporting competition to being an entertainment product. many people may feel like the competition has been compromised with fixturing, afl making up the rules as it goes along, expansion etc etc. rule changes for the most part are designed to make the game a better spectacle which i generally don't have a problem with unless it's something extreme which changes the very nature of sport.

I agree with some of your points especially the lack in consistency with the rules but with expansion it's needed. All sport is a buisness these days, money is integral for any sporting club to survive, there's a reason y the vfl expanded because afl there clubs were bankrupt, including collingwood. GWS and GCS are o an extent the reason the latest tv deal was at 2.5 billion dollars. This filter's into the clubs that can grow more and operate properly, Australia is one of the most competitive countries in the world when it comes to sport, any other sport if it can will take the chink out of the afl armour when possible.

 

[Rabman]

The love of the sport should be of the highest importance, the love of my club is not so important as they don't need my love as they only want money.
I have no agenda other than i think the game of Australian Football is no longer played, it is now AFL which is a totally different sport played with totally different rules. I still enjoy it and want my team to win but I don't love the game like I once did. That's ok isn't it?

Clubs in the AFL are Membership based, means their reliant on their fans attending and buying membership in order to be viable, sport is a business these days, money keeps clubs afloat, we dont have the international appeal so its difficult for clubs to be a big boy and be commercially viable whereas other sports have the international appeal.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

i think the tougher deliberate rule has been a good thing last year as well.

i do like that they constantly look to improve, however i agree their execution has left much to be desired. like the goal review is a good thing but they use the cheapest cameras in the house on the goal line to actually make the review so everything is inconclusive. i also think the sub rule could have worked if they just left the bench like it is and changed the emergencies to subs and if players get hurt you bring them in.

I have a problem with the deliberate out of bounds rule. I like why it was introduced years ago which was to stop players handballing the ball directly to the line to get a throw in.
But I actually think it is a skill of the game deep in defence to kick the ball long along the boundary to get some relief and a throw in. When a player advances the ball 30-40 meters in their direction and is penalised then I think that is wrong whether they mean for the ball to go out or not. Now if they said it won't be penalised if it is kicked 30m or more then I would be ok with it.
The game is attack and defence not just attack. Defenders should never be put in a situation where their only option is to give the ball to their opponent.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Clubs in the AFL are Membership based, means their reliant on their fans attending and buying membership in order to be viable, sport is a business these days, money keeps clubs afloat, we dont have the international appeal so its difficult for clubs to be a big boy and be commercially viable whereas other sports have the international appeal.

Agree with that also. I have been a member for 25 years of the Eagles, I became one to guarantee a seat not help the club. Indirectly I of course help the club but I see myself as a sponsor more so than a member.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I agree with some of your points especially the lack in consistency with the rules but with expansion it's needed. All sport is a buisness these days, money is integral for any sporting club to survive, there's a reason y the vfl expanded because afl there clubs were bankrupt, including collingwood. GWS and GCS are o an extent the reason the latest tv deal was at 2.5 billion dollars. This filter's into the clubs that can grow more and operate properly, Australia is one of the most competitive countries in the world when it comes to sport, any other sport if it can will take the chink out of the afl armour when possible.

i certainly understand how things are now. i think the league is in a very good place all things considered. and that's why the afl allows sponsorship from gambling and put money into fantasy football, womens footy etc it's all about increasing market share and attracting new customers from different demographics. these are all good things for the league.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I have a problem with the deliberate out of bounds rule. I like why it was introduced years ago which was to stop players handballing the ball directly to the line to get a throw in.
But I actually think it is a skill of the game deep in defence to kick the ball long along the boundary to get some relief and a throw in. When a player advances the ball 30-40 meters in their direction and is penalised then I think that is wrong whether they mean for the ball to go out or not. Now if they said it won't be penalised if it is kicked 30m or more then I would be ok with it.
The game is attack and defence not just attack. Defenders should never be put in a situation where their only option is to give the ball to their opponent.

this is exactly what i'm talking about. there's conflict between the game as a competition and the game as a spectacle. and not just in the sports but other sports too, the defenders are usually the sacrificial lambs when it comes to improving the product.

 

[Dr Whoooooooo]

Clubs in the AFL are Membership based, means their reliant on their fans attending and buying membership in order to be viable, sport is a business these days

Thank-you at long last great post ... Very simple concept ... very poorly understood by 99.99999% of the run of the mill "Joe average" supporters who post around here.

But as they say one thing about common sense is ... its not common.

 

[Dr Whoooooooo]

i certainly understand how things are now. i think the league is in a very good place all things considered. and that's why the afl allows sponsorship from gambling and put money into fantasy football, womens footy etc it's all about increasing market share and attracting new customers from different demographics. these are all good things for the league.

The AFL is in a very good place ... the clubs are going broke and things are set to go down-hill very quickly for some clubs.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

The AFL is in a very good place ... the clubs are going broke and things are set to go down-hill very quickly for some clubs.

who said anything about the clubs?

 

[greatwhiteshark]

this is exactly what i'm talking about. there's conflict between the game as a competition and the game as a spectacle. and not just in the sports but other sports too, the defenders are usually the sacrificial lambs when it comes to improving the product.

Which is exactly why the AFL should not be in charge of looking after the game itself, just their league. A National trust should be looking after the game and its rules and all leagues should be playing to those rules.