Josh Fraser: No more rule changes

[mcgarnacle]

Moving on, what is so out of line with this rule change when it is viewed along side most other rule changes this decade? Have the AFL not contunually promoted a mantra of keeping the ball alive and keeping the game flowing? How is this any different?

This rule change is only keeping with all the other recent changes in AFL football and as coaches find ways slow down play, the AFL will institute ways to overcome that.

the sport was once a contest game.........this is when the game was exciting. now the sport at the top level has evovled into a possession game........kick, mark, whistle, repeat. sure, some of this is trend, but rules to quicken the game and disadvantage defenders in the quest for more goals have contributed to this.

 

[Go Cats!!]

Then how else do you fix the problem aside from what the AFL are currently doing?

If I had to watch every team play a la Sydney and Adelaide 2004 - present I'd be watching the netball with you.

Im not going to claim that i have all the answers on how to fix our game and make it a better spectacle.

To me it would just feel like its not even football anymore with zone restrictions. That sort of thing could eliminate some of the things we love in our game, things like courge with running back into a pack, runing 50 meters just to get to the next contest to help out your mate, some of the fantastic chase down tackles that the likes of the Davey brothers and co are renowned for.

 

[Mario the Lothario]

Hey fellas, I'm with you, I don't like the way the game has evolved over the last decade either. But let's face facts, the game was going south before the AFL intervened anyway and the coaches were to blame for that.

I'd love nothing more than to send all the coaches back in to 1990 in a time machine and completely wipe out their modern data base.

 

[Go Cats!!]

Hey fellas, I'm with you, I don't like the way the game has evolved over the last decade either. But let's face facts, the game was going south before the AFL intervened anyway and the coaches were to blame for that.

I'd love nothing more than to send all the coaches back in to 1990 in a time machine and completely wipe out their modern data base.

Yeh i agree there mate.

Over the past few seasons we have seen a shift from some teams to play more agressive attacking football, lets hope that continues and more teams adopt an attacking game plan. It might stop or help curb flooding or zoning. Hopefully well see more one on one contestes.

 

[BarneyBent]

Thing is, they constantly cite the grand final as the issue with 11 rushed but the real problem was the situation with Bowden where he just rushed multiple behinds in a row to milk the clock instead of risking a kick in... And the fix for that is simple. If the ball is rushed a second time before the defending team loses posession then there should be a bounce instead of a kick in (top of the square, 25m out whatever).

Hey, that's actually a really good idea. If a player is taking a kick in, another player must touch the ball before it can be rushed. No room for varying interpretations either. I like it!

 

[Ant85]

Guys, I really don't see the need to "fix" the game.

The game will evolve naturally, as SBI stated, through changing tactics.

I find the brand of football Hawthorn and Geelong play to be very exciting. I love watching these teams play. They're fast, they're tough, they go for the contest.

Although it kills me to say, I was even impressed with Carlton's free-running game that beat us twice.

The only thing about our game that has frustrated me over the last few years is the excessive use of the whistle. Umpiring decisions are becoming too frequent, and the umpires are becoming too involved in the outcome of matches. How many umpiring errors were made last year?

And no, it is not the umpire's fault, it is their job. The AFL have imposed so many new rules and interpretations that the umpires have literally gone mad. Umpires are humans, they make mistakes, they're not always going to be accurate.

By forcing the umpires to police the game, as the AFL is doing with its new rules, they are also increasing the amount of mistakes umpires make, and frustrating fans and clubs alike.

And with umpire mistakes on the rise, we have now seen calls for a 4th umpire and video umpires. Give me a break! This will never end. As soon as you attempt to "fix" one problem, another one arises.

The only solution to this is to STOP thinking there is a problem, because there isn't! Ok Joel Bowden ran over the line a few times, but did it win them a premiership? How far did Richmond get? If clubs thought they could win a premiership by sitting on the goal line, then every team would be using this tactic.

Geelong lost the GF because it wasted its own opportunities.

Eventually, tactics out-do themselves and evolve on their own. The game evolves on its own.

Yes, 10 years ago we had the flood problem, but teams learnt how to overcome that without rule intervention. Yes, we no longer have the Dunstalls and Locketts, but we have a whole team of agile athletes that has made the game much faster and enjoyable to watch.

Teams, like Collingwood, chipped around because we had severe injuries and lacked personnel. We didn't have massive forwards that crashed packs, and therefore had to chip around to find a loose opponent. Not every side was in the same situation! It happens. Injuries occur, and teams adapt to it, but they're temporary.

The AFL is sucking the life out of the game. Sure it's in a bit of panic mode because it knows the next TV rights deal will be less than today, and its cash reserves will be depleted if the economy doesn't turn around.

I fear its panic state is forcing it to try and think of quick fixes, but the "quick fix" to the looming financial crisis is not to be made on the field!

That point needs to be made clear.

 

[SM]

Its still in the umpires hand to determine what is deliberate and what isnt. I dont want games decided by a 50/50 umpiring interpretation on whether a rushed behind is deliberate or not.

And how do you define consecutive rushed behinds? What if the game is scoreless for 5 or 6 minutes?

Well considering I specifically mentioned the Bowden situation... Consecutive rushed behinds where the ball doesn't leave the goal square.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Well considering I specifically mentioned the Bowden situation... Consecutive rushed behinds where the ball doesn't leave the goal square.

So its ok if the player steps out of the goalsquare and rushes the ball through the behind post side of the goals?

I just think adding more rules leaves more possibility for players to find a way around the rules.

 

[Hodgepodge]

Another quick fix to a problem that doesn't exist. As if we needed more umpire interpretation in our game. I hate AFL.

 

[hawkhanlumist]

three cheers for Josh Fraser.

willing to say what a lot of other people are no doubt thinking.

 

[ShinSplints]

I AGREE!!!

YOU TELL EM JOSH!!!

Everyone agrees with JOSH NO ONE WANTS THE GAME CHANGED except crying cat supporters and money hungry ****s in charge of this game.

Boycott the game if they do!! can we set this up somehow??

get the tickets to 10,000 average and we might see our great game back to its tradition!!