Is this the worst season of AFL in many a long while?

[Johnny Bananas]

not many high quality games.

Firmly disagree, there have been plenty of bangers. But none of them have involved Richmond, so I can see how you might have got a different impression.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I’m not sure where people get the idea there’s 6-8 teams still competing for a flag. The flag will come from one of the top four and you can lock Sydney Carlton Essendon and probably Collingwood in to the top 4. Essendon are the weakest of the 4 but have a good fixture on the run home.

Freo, Geelong, GWS , Bulldogs and Gold Coast are absolutely making up the numbers.

Was this comment made three weeks ago and only posted now? In that time, Essendon got spanked by Geelong, Freo beat Sydney, Collingwood lost to Gold Coast (and only scraped home by a single point against North), the Bulldogs scored 149 against the second best defence in the league, and Brisbane (who you didn't even mention) have shot up the ladder to only sit half a win behind Collingwood. This is all very out of date.

The umpiring has been atrocious, so bad that they had to make a change to how they call holding the ball mid way through only to make it even more of a cluster ****.

I've never watched a season where the umpiring hasn't been atrocious.

 

[Orange Agent]

No.

 

[Rich01]

I’m terms of even games and how many sides could win the flag, it’s a great season.

Sydney look a class above but they could get the wobbles come finals time, particularly against a Melbourne club.

But when we have teams like Essendon and Geelong well placed in 4th and 5th this far into the season, it really could be a flag that an average side could steal if they hit form at the right time.

Haven’t seen such an even group of teams racing toward the finals in a very long time.

 

[Obeanie1]

The holding the ball fiasco.

Players getting weeks for tackles that injury no-one.

Players getting off several times for behind the play striking.

Number of games affected by really poor umpiring especially in the final 2 minutes.

Players milking free kicks with the rule interpretation flip flopping all over the place.

Round zero gifting some teams two byes before some teams have had one.

Teams playing each other twice before they play other teams at all.

AFL being caught systematically hiding dozens of drug taking players on multiple strikes.

Changes to academy rort being handled pretty poorly and slowly.

AFL poster expansion club propped up for years on top of the ladder by a fair margin and looking a shoe in for another GF.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Seems even tigers supporters have wiped 2020 from their memory.

That year with shortened quarters was an abomination. Soccer matches were more exciting than games that year. And soccer matches are worse than watching paint dry.

It was what it was. Richmond had no control over circumstances. Can't argue they weren't deserving premiers (as someone who was, believe it or not, going for Geelong in the gf).

 

[PerthBoy86]

I’m terms of even games and how many sides could win the flag, it’s a great season.

Sydney look a class above but they could get the wobbles come finals time, particularly against a Melbourne club.

But when we have teams like Essendon and Geelong well placed in 4th and 5th this far into the season, it really could be a flag that an average side could steal if they hit form at the right time.

Haven’t seen such an even group of teams racing toward the finals in a very long time.

Has there been a season where ladder position and percentage has correlated so little? It just seems ladder position isn't very indicative of form.

 

[H00t]

It was what it was. Richmond had no control over circumstances. Can't argue they weren't deserving premiers (as someone who was, believe it or not, going for Geelong in the gf).

It’s nothing to do with who won the flag. Just about how bad the footy was that year. Every game was awful outside of a handful all year.

 

[PerthBoy86]

It’s nothing to do with who won the flag. Just about how bad the footy was that year. Every game was awful outside of a handful all year.

Yeah it wasn't ideal. Not a year most want to look back on.

I've heard some say it wasn't a real premiership etc which is silly. If that was the case many premierships from the past aren't real. Some didn't even involve a gf.

 

[Handsuper47]

If you're watching the game on television, then maybe so. If you're actually going to the games then footy is as great as it's always been, even radio is still great.

 

[BigVic]

If it ends up with a Geelong-Sydney grand final with the Cats winning then they sign Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

, I may retire from watching footy. That would be a fitting way to end the worst season in living memory

 

[Nicho50]

Was this comment made three weeks ago and only posted now? In that time, Essendon got spanked by Geelong, Freo beat Sydney, Collingwood lost to Gold Coast (and only scraped home by a single point against North), the Bulldogs scored 149 against the second best defence in the league, and Brisbane (who you didn't even mention) have shot up the ladder to only sit half a win behind Collingwood. This is all very out of date.


I've never watched a season where the umpiring hasn't been atrocious.

History shows you need to make top 4 to win the flag and I’m telling you Sydney Carlton Collingwood and most likely Essendon will finish top 4.
Top sides can drop games you know.

Essendon have a great draw, Brisbane I didn’t mention because they are a chance to make the top 4 but all the other sides that I did mention are absolutely making up the numbers.

Everyone has this fantasy every year saying how even the comp is because there’s 14 sides that can still make finals and year in year out the sides that finish 5-8 just make up the numbers.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

History shows you need to make top 4 to win the flag and I’m telling you Sydney Carlton Collingwood and most likely Essendon will finish top 4.

If you're so confident of that, bet on it tomorrow. I'm sure you'll get a decent payout.

Top sides can drop games you know.

They can. And if they drop enough of them, they will no longer be top sides. I think Sydney and Carlton are the real deal, but Collingwood and Essendon are both very capable of going into a form slump and missing top 4. Collingwood aren't even in the top 4 at the moment, they're 6th. They certainly don't have top 4 sewn up like you claim.

 

[The King!]

2020 was the worst ever just about, half the sides didn't give a toss

 

[caveman72]

I can’t believe tigers fans have already had enough.
Into the 3rd year outside the dynasty and rebuilding before saying the comp is terrible.

It took lions fans almost 8-9 years to accept this fact.

Haven’t heard hawks fans complain about the state of the game since they have been very average since 2016

Tigers fans always win

If they could they would have dumped a few truck loads of Chicken manure on multiple page here

 

[btdg]

Depends what you mean by worse.

Is having an open race for the flag better than the seasons where there are 2-3 very good teams and no one else has a chance?

It probably depends if you team is in the race or not.

I think we have both this year.

Sydney are 2 games clear on top. Carlton a game and a half clear in second. Two teams that look clearly ahead of the rest right now.

And yet, if you told me that any of Collingwood, Brisbane, Bulldogs, Port, the Giants or Geelong went on a run from here i would believe it. And both Freo and Essendon have sustained good performances and put themselves into the top 4... plus throw in whatever Hawthorn is doing... (feels a bit harsh on Melbourne and GC too, but without Petracca i think the Demons are off the pace, and GC haven't shown enough away from home). There's 9 teams right there that could make the prelim and challenge the top 2 - and 3 of those will miss finals at least.

I think it is a ripping year. This Sydney crew is the next dominant team and this is the first year of their era. Carlton are peaking and this might be their best shot... Below that is a crazy slugfest just to make finals, a combination of teams desperate just to be there and those who have been at the pinnacle and struggling to get back... as good as any recent season for me

 

[joe444]

2020 by far the worst; not really a season and more of an exhibition cup.

 

[imagifED]

Footy has been trash since 2017/18. Unskilled low scoring games. 2017 Crows was the last serious attacking team. Footy would be so different if we won the flag. Now we have everyone trying to replicate the Castagna, Higgins, Aarts, Lamberts of the world.

 

[_Mike_]

Footy has been trash since 2017/18. Unskilled low scoring games. 2017 Crows was the last serious attacking team. Footy would be so different if we won the flag. Now we have everyone trying to replicate the Castagna, Higgins, Aarts, Lamberts of the world.

That's the main point of footy & life, there's plenty of coulda-shoulda-what-ifs. If you were to rewind the clock just 10 years there's no way Richmond, Bulldogs, or the Dees would have come into the equation for flag winners.

Teams can have the best season and crap the bed on the most important day of the year, it will happen again & again.

 

[Upstart Swan]

AFL poster expansion club propped up for years on top of the ladder by a fair margin and looking a shoe in for another GF.

Aw, what's the matter? Footy's not as fun when you're no longer the AFL's poster expansion club?
Table: Free kick differential 2003-2018

 

[Art Vandelay_]

One of the most boring seasons in recent memory.
Seriously have to force myself to watch games.
With the umpire shenanigans,it makes it worse.
And Whateley called for a state of the game back in 2018 when the game was much better then.
Rule changes by the CFL after studying Richmond which now make the game a joke like the stand rule.
Dimma could not buy a free kick at Tigerland.
Goes to the Suns with the same gameplan and now heads the free kick table lol.
Corrupt Football League.
#stateofthegame

Another call for you to explain your conspiracy.

 

[Sewer de Lance]

It’s no secret that the games become more sanitised than a bottle of high grade detergent, so something had to give in the end.

We basically cancelled the best parts of the game in the name of progress.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Essendon are the weakest of the 4 but have a good fixture on the run home.

Essendon have a great draw,

I also don't understand why you believe this. Their remaining fixtures includes Collingwood, Melbourne, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Sydney and Brisbane. 6 of the remaining 8 are against finals contenders. I wouldn't call that a good fixture at all, as they could easily lose all of those games. It's going to be a tough ask for Essendon to make top 4, but maybe they'll surprise me.

The betting sites agree, they have Fremantle, Brisbane, Collingwood and Geelong all with better odds to make the top 4.

 

[tugga]

It's been an average year with average teams . Please tell me otherwise if you have evidence.

So you are putting your opinion out there, but want others to provide evidence to their opinion?
Yeah nah.

 

[jatz14]

I have noticed a tendency to call eras with a few dominant teams, eras of good footy .

When the ladder is close, people view the footy as poor.

Like, the assumption is, if 3 teams dominate everyone else, they must be really really good. When maybe they are just decent, and everyone else is just bog average,

All teams look good when winning.



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