AFL is on the decline - the younger generation is just not that into you

[Wallaby]

I reckon it started going to shit when we stopped recruiting footballers, and started recruiting athletes.

Less drinks, smokos, true footy nous and skill… and more fumbly mistakes on field and easy missed shots on goal because it wasn’t old school footballers playing the game anymore.

Just go and watch a game from the 70s (plenty on youtube) and tell me the skills were better.
Not just fitness and running - actual skills.
EG - Up until about 1980 it was an absolute cardinal sin to kick across your defensive goal (I'll not post the obligatory 'Simon Beasly vs Collingwood' vid) - now players do it regularly 50 times a game (it's called a 'switch') and we only get excited on the few occasions it comes unstuck.

 

[Shane Heard]

This thread is dumb.

I concur

A bunch of miserable knobs complaining about footy on a footy forum they frequently use

Bizarre

 

[giggler99]

Just go and watch a game from the 70s (plenty on youtube) and tell me the skills were better.
Not just fitness and running - actual skills.
EG - Up until about 1980 it was an absolute cardinal sin to kick across your defensive goal (I'll not post the obligatory 'Simon Beasly vs Collingwood' vid) - now players do it regularly 50 times a game (it's called a 'switch') and we only get excited on the few occasions it comes unstuck.

Its not the skills that is the problem. skills have always been improving, its the flow and pace of the game that is the problem. Where once it was this fast flowing end to end contested physical game is now a static stop pause game looking for loose pocessions (unless the game is online in the final quarter), Also due to team structures there isn't enough players expressing their dynamic skills and flare either.

 

[domus]

Well they won't , and I bet there is confusion in the schoolyards , the AFL has mangled the feel the rules the over umpiring ,, the 50 metre penalty made simply for over kill from hard players, I remember when odd years ago a ble barely could take a mark without being reminded by his opponent with a heavy knock and sniping I mean real sniping, not a Buddy Franklin tap, snipers I have witnessed in amateur footy many years ago, I was coached once by a fellow who would target certain payers from clubs he knew about and use oe of his sons, to carry out a pack snap and he was hard and successful , that should never happen in footy, but in higher level football that was taken out by what I always thought was a once every few weeks 15 metre when I played in the 70's then became 50 later on in VFL/AFL. NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS COULD i IMAGINE THE CARETAKERS OF OUR GAME, FOLLOWING UP TO NOW 2022 OVER THE LAST 10 TO 20 YEARS would eventually have the audacity to create penalties for emotion shown by players for a gesture? Then for running over a freed up area, what crap 50 m when half the players don't understand what they've done then the sycophants in the call box say they should be aware, well when its bullsh*t being aware in the heat of battle sometimes never enters a head, where in any sport does such a massive change in a situation, that gets a change so massive to the advantage of the kicker. Blatant foolishness from the rules people.
The worst thing about many of the rules developed over years and interpreted differently every week in every game is the fact that so many are so unfair, small insignificant incidental touching of opponents becomes a major penalty, then last week ot week beforwe Hawthorn v Brissy and the umps called 63 free kicks, 63 and no one can tell me free kicks create more scores than they ever did, and umpires have the game as their own , and can interprete to the grey rule as they see fit in every occasion. They call the camera for goal umpires to be certain, they are not accurate, we know what photography is those films every week have a couple that are determined not given to the umpire choice I find wrong at least a couple a round? Free kicks to ruckmen , they should be banned ruck is the start of play in any situation the game start at throw ins and goal centre bounces, but umps pick tiggy touchwood frees from nothing even the reciver of the free sometimes doesn't know why!!!
You are correct BIRDBRAIN, HOW IN GODS NAME DO THE KIDS WORK OUT THE RULES WHEN LOTS OF US LOCKED ON AND LOCKED IN TO THIS GAME CAN'T DECIPHER WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, THE ARM TOUCH IN FAVOR OF FORWARDS WHEN BLOKES DEFEND.
Life time follower of this game Iam, and sometimes I will turn a match off, when it makes me furious when I should be enjoying it, even when I watch non Hawk matches , I watch a bit, for the Sandgropers on here, I live in the west but I'm a Victorian, you WA folk will know and remember, as all of us do, Dennis Cometti, one of the greats of football callers going around. Known all over Australia retired from TV broadcasting but in a n article maybe three years ago said much the same thing , that the game frustrates him more sometimes than enjoyment. Well I agree and the adminiostration with the rules are to blame totally, because the spectacle is still great but the nonsensical is slowly killing it, and I am close to guiving things away, I won't of course give everything but I've contemplated leaving my membership , and I know that is why I have whinged about it for so long everywhere, its these words that explain, "WHEN I WATCH OUR AUSSIE RULES NOW , I HAVE A CLEAR VIEW OF WHAT WE HAVE.... LOST.... IN THE GAME. A castrated less contact therefore less contest too many frees and too much political correct nonsense turning this sport into what it was never meant to be.
So BIRDBRAIN you got me off the bench again with this, the game needs to be given back to us and the players.
Umpires should be seen and not heard!
And the rules....= SHOULD BE BLACK AND WHITE SO WE KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.

There is not a person who knows footy that can't describe unfair scoring because of rules and over the top dedicated(yes!!) umpires, with way too much control of games
And also another point no one wants to discuss.
How long before spot bets and gambling crooks get into some one who can change a game??? Think about it!
Gambling is a poisonous disease in sport these days. It'll come, and AFL is ripe for it.

What you said.

 

[domus]

I concur

A bunch of miserable knobs complaining about footy on a footy forum they frequently use

Bizarre

Many rule changes warrant a lot of complaining and people complain because they love iour game and don't want to see it altered so that it becomes unrecognisable.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

The AFL is also eroding their own supporter base at the top end too.

There's a growing cynicism among the footy diehards: the rules get bent for whoever the AFL loves at any given moment in time, they prop up some clubs at the expense of others, the on-field rules are interpreted to meet an agenda, they alternatively hit clubs/players with a hammer and then wet lettuce, clear incompetence is protected and basic game integrity issues like the MRP and goal-line technology are a joke.

All to protect Gilligan's end-of-year bonus, and those of his mates.

And many, many people I talk to who've followed footy for decades are jaded because of it.

Quoted for truth.

Posted 4 years ago yet these comments still hit home, sadly truer than ever.

 

[Cleavy]

Kids are not playing sport like they did and nor are they taking interest in it.

esports

 

[RedV3x]

Many rule changes warrant a lot of complaining and people complain because they love iour game and don't want to see it altered so that it becomes unrecognisable.

First of all, there aren't any rules - get it right - they are law as as written in the law book.
Secondly, there aren't many law changes - they are mostly changes in interpretation.
Thirdly, the people who change football are the coaches, not anyone else.

The laws are very simple - read them.
One law says that if a player is tackled he must immediately dispose (or try to dispose) of the ball - immediately, not after a 360 or 180 or bursting a tackle but immediately.
Just about every field bouncedown and boundary throw-in is illegal because like a mark players must be allowed a free run at the ball.
Other laws that are completely overlooked are pushing a player in the back as he runs into an open goal or shepherding a ball through for a goal when it might have been marked.
Oh, and for all the pushy-shovy argy-bargy. You cannot make forceful contact of any kind if the ball iks not within 5 metres - simple.
It is all in the law book - just read it.

 

[Shane Heard]

Many rule changes warrant a lot of complaining and people complain because they love iour game and don't want to see it altered so that it becomes unrecognisable.

Unrecognisable is a big stretch

The game has evolved

It’s just the umpire who continue to be morons with over umpiring and that’s been going on since the 80s

 

[Bjo187]

Every contact sport the fans are complaining about rule changes at the moment I've noticed.

 

[bergholt]

Every contact sport the fans are complaining about rule changes at the moment I've noticed.

Geez I wonder if contact sports might need to change now that we know that concussion effects are super long-lasting and no one can really give informed consent to that

 

[t_94]

I concur

A bunch of miserable knobs complaining about footy on a footy forum they frequently use

Bizarre

I often question myself on this less engaged with footy (outside of my own team) than ever, yet still spend a lot of time on this website.

Bit of a weird one.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I often question myself on this less engaged with footy (outside of my own team) than ever, yet still spend a lot of time on this website.

Bit of a weird one.

You aren’t the only one. Lol.

I’m just hoping the wheel will turn and the issues will be solved with the game soon.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

It doesnt matter how much they practice no ones skills can hold up when they have spent all game sprinting up and down a 150m field. Then have 15 seconds to catch their breathe before they are required to be in their runup on the way to goal

Spot on. Watch an NBA player shoot in practice with no pressure... they do not miss. That's why they're in the NBA.



Yet the greatest shooter in the history of the game has gone better than 50% from the field in exactly one season and Kobe Bryant was a career sub-45% shooter. It's simply not that easy to replicate the pressure of a game in practice.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

O

Spot on. Watch an NBA player shoot in practice with no pressure... they do not miss. That's why they're in the NBA.



Yet the greatest shooter in the history of the game has gone better than 50% from the field in exactly one season and Kobe Bryant was a career sub-45% shooter. It's simply not that easy to replicate the pressure of a game in practice.

you only have to look at free throws. It’s probably equivalent of having a shot 25m out straight in front a d some of the game greats are going at 70 odd percent

 

[Cuzz09]

Can you really compare?

Basketball 9.5" v Basketball ring 18"

Not a lot of room for error plus no score for hitting the ring.

AFL Footy 70(ish) cm v AFL goals 6.4m

huge

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

Can you really compare?

Basketball 9.5" v Basketball ring 18"

Not a lot of room for error plus no score for hitting the ring.

AFL Footy 70(ish) cm v AFL goals 6.4m

huge

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

It’s much easier to throw a ball then to drop and kick one and you’re obviously much closer to the ring. The point is that if you watch basketball players before a game they hardly ever miss. When it starts that all goes out the window.

 

[Mootsy]

I think part of it is that some exciting elements of the game have diminished that used to be more fun to watch. The move to the game being more defensive focussed meant that the there are less contested marks and big grabs from a percentage per round perspective and instead you see players punching the ball away from a contest to a 50/50 scenario and that is less exciting to watch. It’s much harder for players to find a run on of space to make a clear play with poise. I think the AFL had the balance correct around the 2004-2016 era. It just transformed over time into a really awkward looking game to watch because of that defensive and more tackle focussed game. In fact the focus became to tackle and stop the play and relying on a umpires whistle rather then instead of just going for the ball and getting it out really quickly as a more exciting skill to watch it creates flow and open play and it takes the umpire whistle out of the situation. The teams that tend to adopt the older 2000s style actually play better. Geelong, Richmond etc are not awkward defensive only teams for example.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Can you really compare?

Basketball 9.5" v Basketball ring 18"

Not a lot of room for error plus no score for hitting the ring.

AFL Footy 70(ish) cm v AFL goals 6.4m

huge

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

If you need to hit a given target that's 5-10m away with a ball, would you use your hands (either throwing, tossing or a basketball style pass) or would you kick it? Missing the target by 5cm with a basketball is a horrendous shot.

They're different, of course, but I think a no pressure free throw in practice is roughly equivalent to a no pressure set shot 25m out in practice.

 

[loki04]

Many rule changes warrant a lot of complaining and people complain because they love iour game and don't want to see it altered so that it becomes unrecognisable.

The DOC laws will see the dwindling of support of the game.
I know a lot of people turning to NRL these days citing the softness of the current game. Almost outlawed the bump, and the tackle now has to be limp wristed hug. Next will be marking with knees in the back of heads.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I don't know if it's COVID or personal circumstances with kids and stress or whatever, but these days sometimes I'm just not up for the stress of supporting the Geelong roller coaster and I'd prefer to just keep an eye on the scores. Sometimes after a tough week when I finally have time to unwind, I just need to relax and watch a silly comedy or something.

I don't know how many people can claim the same sort of feeling but it was pretty much a given that when Geelong was playing in Melbourne, I'd be going five years ago. Now it's questionable at best and sometimes I have the option to watch the game on TV and choose not to. It's nothing to do with the game as far as I can tell, just the current circumstances.

 

[RedV3x]

It’s just the umpire who continue to be morons with over umpiring and that’s been going on since the 80s

Umpiring continues to be the problem , but No, the opposite has been true in some cases.
The law about tackling has finally been resolved IMO.
Remember the times when all a player had to do was carry the player forward in the tackle to be penalised - complete rubbish.
Nowadays a player can tackled forcefully, in a controlled manner and not dangerously.
You can bump a player but a player must meet shoulder to shoulder now so as not to make head contact - very practicable and safe.
Another interpretation that is disappearing is the ball "came free" in the tackle (also prevalent in my day) and being replaced by "illegal disposal"
and I applaud that.

Umpiring continues to fail in the basic law - a consistent interpretation of holding the ball - probably because "immediately" is deemed too harsh
and the powers-that-be don't want a quantitative law i.e. one second to get rid of the ball.

Whilst IMO tackling has been largely sorted out and marking infringements nearly sorted except for wrestling, umpiring the game has deteriorated
w.r.t. bounce-downs/throw-ins and even kick-ins.
If anything, kick-ins should revert to old for everything bar AFL. Remember, AFL laws are football laws.
I've said this many a time, if you want good bounce-downs then mimic the good bounce-downs of the centre square -
have a 5m radius exclusion zone from the umpire except for the ruckmen until the ball is bounced/thrown-in.
This creates space, allows ruckmen to jump, stops shepherding and even protects the umpire.
Best of all - it gets rid of the childish "put your hand up if you want to ruck' scenario.

 

[RedV3x]

It’s much easier to throw a ball then to drop and kick one and you’re obviously much closer to the ring. The point is that if you watch basketball players before a game they hardly ever miss. When it starts that all goes out the window.

Basketball scoring requires precision and probably balance in general play.
Football requires precision (timing) and power in all but the shortest of distances.

 

[Billy ray]

The umpiring could be partially fixed if instead of having the three of them all doing a separate zone each (how they stay at each end and in middle), by rather having 4 field umpires operating in pairs at each end. That way there are two controlling umpires operating at all times, one outside the play and one inside.

 

[Gough]

The AFL has to compete in the global market in a way it never had to twenty years ago. Technology has meant that it's possible to follow any sport in the world in a way that never used to be possible meaning that instead of just competing against soccer and the rugby codes for spectator interest the AFL now has to compete with the IPL, NBA, and Champion's League in a way that they haven't had to before.