TOPIC:

some very lame results in the AFL again. In what should be a competitive elite level, the AFL is showing some cracks in terms of quality.

too many sides that cant score a realistic amount of goals stands out like a sore thumb. Eagles just 4 goals, Sydney 6, Gold Coast 7, St.Kilda 7, Carlton 7, Brisbane 7, and Richmond had just 3 goals to 3/4 time before Collingwood put the cue in the rack. What was normally an attraction to our sport was the fact we have regular scoring. Goals is what this code was all about, but it isn't anymore. So many games these days give you nothing worth watching.

This negative kicking backwards & possession at all costs form of footy is depressing and the great game is suffering. It is not the spectacle it once was. Maybe I am a depressed Royal and my mindset is not quite right, but regardless I think I see clearly on this front. Highlights are fewer and contested marks are rare.

And its getting beyond the joke with the AFL playing games here in Perth this time of year during the day. SubiacoOval has lights and this time of year they must be utilised for the welfare of the players & spectators. Every year the AFL botch up this fixture planning which continues to show them up in the incompetency stakes. WA is hot hot hot in March/April. And that wont change. Work it out!!

I have had enough of rule changes, however due to the endless negativity of AFL coaches these days, you can expect the AFL to force a significant rule change to end the madness of flooding. I expect the AFL to eventually bring in a rule that demands sides must have at least 4 players from each side on one side of the ground. And perhaps 2 of them inside the 50 arch while the ball is not in their zone. A line across the ground will easily identify this. I hate the thought but what else can they do to stop having 36 players all at one end of the ground following the ball? It is killing our code. The game is becoming unwatchable and bringing a rule in to keep numbers at one end of the ground could be a reality. I think it has to happen and at least be trialled in the pre-season next year.

Lame results perhaps for some teams, because they got smashed. Did you notice their oppositions score? Does that reflect your trend? You are suggesting the game is preventing scoring however the only low scoring match was from a couple of dud teams in blues demons, the rest got smashed.
30 degrees is only hot for the weak! Otherwise an absolute beautiful day.
These teams train through most of Summer. 30 degrees is not an anomaly.
I dont agree with zoning but the ump should probably throw it up a bit quicker. This is a tough topic, maybe trial your suggestion in pre season as you said.

I agree with you. It is all rather dull and flat. i have not really watched much afl over the last 10 years. Last season i took out an afl subsription so can watch any much live now - but it is not the game i remember .It does seem like there is alot of players around the ball. It seems congested and scrappy to say the least. Hardly exciting. I am starting to wonder is it worth the 120 bucks?

Maybe they could field 16 players instead of 18. And get rid of the interchange and replace it with substitutions.

Worst thing to happen to Aussie football was the interchange bench. It allows players of lesser ability to rotate on better players to nullify them and players to be around the ball all over the ground.

jardine wrote: some very lame results in the AFL again. In what should be a competitive elite level, the AFL is showing some cracks in terms of quality.

too many sides that cant score a realistic amount of goals stands out like a sore thumb. Eagles just 4 goals, Sydney 6, Gold Coast 7, St.Kilda 7, Carlton 7, Brisbane 7, and Richmond had just 3 goals to 3/4 time before Collingwood put the cue in the rack. What was normally an attraction to our sport was the fact we have regular scoring. Goals is what this code was all about, but it isn't anymore. So many games these days give you nothing worth watching.

This negative kicking backwards & possession at all costs form of footy is depressing and the great game is suffering. It is not the spectacle it once was. Maybe I am a depressed Royal and my mindset is not quite right, but regardless I think I see clearly on this front. Highlights are fewer and contested marks are rare.

And its getting beyond the joke with the AFL playing games here in Perth this time of year during the day. SubiacoOval has lights and this time of year they must be utilised for the welfare of the players & spectators. Every year the AFL botch up this fixture planning which continues to show them up in the incompetency stakes. WA is hot hot hot in March/April. And that wont change. Work it out!!

I have had enough of rule changes, however due to the endless negativity of AFL coaches these days, you can expect the AFL to force a significant rule change to end the madness of flooding. I expect the AFL to eventually bring in a rule that demands sides must have at least 4 players from each side on one side of the ground. And perhaps 2 of them inside the 50 arch while the ball is not in their zone. A line across the ground will easily identify this. I hate the thought but what else can they do to stop having 36 players all at one end of the ground following the ball? It is killing our code. The game is becoming unwatchable and bringing a rule in to keep numbers at one end of the ground could be a reality. I think it has to happen and at least be trialled in the pre-season next year.

Great post Jars I agree 100% ..the great game of football I have followed religiously for the last 33 years has become almost unwatchable at times this year ..boring, defensive, ultra floods made up by coaches trying to presrve their $500k a year jobs who were just ordinary back pockets in their playing days destroying our great game!
And dont even get me started on these modern coaches trying to turn the majestic positions of full forward & centre half forward into extinction!
At least the WAFL boys still rate the key forward position ..for now!

Yeah, well said Jardine. Went to see the Freo v Ess game yesterday. The result aside, it was a damn hard game to watch. I was actually bored, even the Freo crowd was mellow all day. Not sure how much effect the heat had but I was in the shade so not bothered by it and watched 34 players run around in a huddle all day with the odd outrider thrown to the side. No wonder tv coverage is always a close up and focused on the ball or we'd all be seeing half a screen of unoccupied grass with the shite being played that is now recognised as football. Would be interesting for the cameras to have a full ground panoramic view as a viewers choice on the fox except for the fact that you'd probably turn off after 10mins.

BH, you are 100% correct re back pocket coaches.i would love to look Mick Malthouse right between the eyes when he finishes and sincerely ask him if the shite style of footy he has coached for decades has really done our game any justice. Hugging boundary lines with the ball does not make for a good spectacle. What ever happened to playing to win with no fear of defeat rather than playing to avoid defeat. Read Barcelona FC's club mantra. Beautiful football must be the focus of the players and coaching staff and will lead them to the holy land of success. i know that money still rules in their sport of choice but at least they have the games future at heart by seeking to play attacking footy at all costs. Can see our game needing netball type zones soon to save it from the coaches.

just did a little exercise to see if I was misleading myself. I have plenty of time on my hands. Ive gone back 30 years to 1984 and compared the opening 3 rounds, aligned with the opening 3 rounds of 2014.

Keep in mind 1984 had only 6 games per week.
And in 2014 we have 9 games per week.

1984 ROUND 1 : Goals scored 203 at an average of 33.8 per game
2014 ROUND 1 : Goals scored 234 at an average of 26.0 per game

1984 ROUND 2 : Goals scored 179 at an average of 29.8 per game
2014 ROUND 2 : Goals scored 213 at an average of 23.6 per game

1984 ROUND 3 : Goals scored 233 at an average of 38.8 per game
2014 ROUND 3 : Goals scored 234 at an average of 26.0 per game

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In terms of scoring shots, here are the figures by comparison.

1984 ROUND 1 : Scoring shots 369 at an average of 61.5 per game
2014 ROUND 1 : Scoring shots 393 at an average of 43.6 per game

1984 ROUND 2 : Scoring shots 348 at an average of 58.0 per game
2014 ROUND 2 : Scoring shots 413 at an average of 45.8 per game

1984 ROUND 3 : Scoring shots 385 at an average of 64.16 per game
2014 ROUND 3 : Scoring shots 436 at an average of 48.44 per game

__________________________________________________________________

The averages show that what we loved about our great game being attacking and scoring, has diminished substancially due to modern day negative tactics. Set shots at goal are very disturbing, watching AFL players constantly missing from very close range. Keep in mind also that modern day players don't have day jobs. Back in 1984 they all did. And the grounds were far from the manicured venues we see today, and there was no stadium with the roof to play under. Waverly Park and the Western Oval were at times terrible wind tunnels, yet these days most grounds are hugely protected by the big stands completely .

I realise the modern game is what it is. I don't agree the spectacle is as enticing as it once was, and that should have always been protected in a code. Australian Rules Football should always been retained as uniquely Australian, and I listened to Kevin Bartlett speak last night, and he was spot on. He said what was unique about our game, is that it was nothing like any other sport in the world. Not even close. Now it is resembling Rugby with its scrums, Soccer with this endless back & forth passing, basketball by going backwards, and Ice Hockey with its circle work and low scoring.

The AFL wanted to speed up the game, when it didn't need speeding up. As a result coaches went crazy with interchanges, they started slowing the game down, and out scoring the opposition is now more like out defending them. All due to the AFL tinkering with something that didn't need tinkering. Now the AFL are in overdrive trying to thwart coaches, instead of what they should have been doing. And that is merely honing and riding with the wave of a brilliant spectacle that just took everyone with it.

I remember a very very long time ago walking with my brother-in-law to Windy Hill to an Essendon North Melbourne game. The anticipation of getting into the ground and standing behind the goals to watch Malcom Blight and Ross Glendenning kick those pure sculptured drop punts from many angles, was what football was all about. We also had the brilliance of Paul Van Der Haar and Simon Madden who never seemed to have a fault. These guys were naturally attacking and the people loved it. I don't see this so much now with football. And it is because many in the media are quick to condone any player who takes a shot at goal and misses, when they should be encouraged to take the game on, and take some chances. There is no pressure like scoreboard pressure. It builds a better player and a more versatile player. A player we want to pay to see - like a Lockett or Daicos.

Spot on

1984... No hands in the back rule, fitness came in a stubby of VB and obviously there was no Darren Glass.
I know what you're saying Jardine, and even though I enjoy most of today's footy, I would like to see what no interchange with perhaps 2 subs looks like.
A bit tongue in cheek because whats obvious to me is fitness is the real killer, take away their pre-season.

shwaborn wrote: 1984... No hands in the back rule, fitness came in a stubby of VB and obviously there was no Darren Glass.
I know what you're saying Jardine, and even though I enjoy most of today's footy, I would like to see what no interchange with perhaps 2 subs looks like.
A bit tongue in cheek because whats obvious to me is fitness is the real killer, take away their pre-season.

Yes there are always reasons for certain situations forming, I agree. Times change and all of that.

However my point in an overall sense is that the game and the rules have changed far to much for the liking of the game itself. Have a look at the forwards of today. They play for free kicks constantly. The way they can milk a free kick is on their minds before the half forwards kick the ball in. It is like we have generically designed players based on the interpretations of the rules. And now good luck getting them back to being straight out core forwards, and playing as such.

How often did we see Dunstall, Lockett and Co play for free kicks? Im sure they did at times, but they used their brains and expertise predominantly. They had a job to do and the focus of kicking goals was everything. These days the media heap praise on a player like Buddy Franklin if he kicks 3 goals, that is wrong. Franklin is the prototype of the modern day forward in regard to the effort he puts in to attracting free kicks. He does this relentlessly and it has been to the detriment of the full forward club. And the fact he is on the kind of money he is, makes the whole thing even more ridiculous. Not doubting his ability, but I am doubting his train of thought in the full forward position.

But to see 36 players at one end of the ground is just wrong. It happens all the time. As a result we do not see the players able to show their skills properly. The fact our players have their skills hindered is a terrible fault right there. And it is because the AFL has encouraged this through mixed signals and knee jerk reactions to every one-off incident that has happened over the past 10 years.

We play our sport on the biggest grounds in the world, which should really create openness and flow. These days its like the game is played in a phone box. The AFL choose to neglect any criticism these days. They simply say the game is OK. They are making a monumental mistake. The game needs a reality check.