Minor things that annoy you about the game

[JackFlash]

The weird thing about Greater Western Sydney is that no one in Western Sydney used that term. The only time you ever see it is in government planning documents.

I wanted them to be called the Western Sydney Serpents and to have a mostly green guernsey and I stand by that as I think it would have worked well.

Agreed! Western Sydney should be their name and Footscray should revert back to their original name.

 

[JackFlash]

The stats obsession during analysis I find incredibly tedious and shallow-minded. There are 3-400 possessions for each team in a game - of which more than half are uncontested and about 12-15 will actually go through the goals. I could play on the wing in the AFL and probabvly get 15 possessions in a game - mainly because the opposition would ignore me and tag other more important players (to be honest, me doing my usual 30-metre up-and-unders is probably a net benefit to the opposition).

The stats can then be combined and twisted in a myriad of ways so that 'Player X became the first ever to have 20+ disposals, 5 tackles and change his shorts 3 times in a game since 1956' becomes lauded as a major achievement, rather than a statistical quirk.

I get that media commentators need to sound intelligent in their analysis, and the sheer volume of such discussions must inevitably mean there are ever-more desperate attempts to create ever-more trivial talking-points (and thus get their own names mentioned), but, my god, most of it just degenerates into self-referential meaningless drivel.

Darcy Parrish had a thousand possessions last Friday and the team look good stats wise, but they lost by 7 goals!

 

[FFB1]

Using terms such as quarterback, a non existent position in AFL; and goal keeper. I'm sure I've also heard one commentator refer to 'finding touch' when kicking the ball 50m down the line and it going out of bounds without being penalised for insufficient intent.

 

[Farang83150]

Players that continually whinge...

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Those plastic clappers that every Sydney fan seems to have - that "clack, clack" noise at SCG games drives me borderline nuts.

 

[big_e]

The stats obsession during analysis I find incredibly tedious and shallow-minded. There are 3-400 possessions for each team in a game - of which more than half are uncontested and about 12-15 will actually go through the goals. I could play on the wing in the AFL and probabvly get 15 possessions in a game - mainly because the opposition would ignore me and tag other more important players (to be honest, me doing my usual 30-metre up-and-unders is probably a net benefit to the opposition).

The stats can then be combined and twisted in a myriad of ways so that 'Player X became the first ever to have 20+ disposals, 5 tackles and change his shorts 3 times in a game since 1956' becomes lauded as a major achievement, rather than a statistical quirk.

I get that media commentators need to sound intelligent in their analysis, and the sheer volume of such discussions must inevitably mean there are ever-more desperate attempts to create ever-more trivial talking-points (and thus get their own names mentioned), but, my god, most of it just degenerates into self-referential meaningless drivel.

That most "records" these days refer only to the period in which Champion Data have been doing the stats. Even worse is those stats that have only been recorded for a few years.

 

[just_kick_it]

The way the commentators name, most defining stat and mug shot pops up several times a quarter. I have most games that I watch on mute so I dont really care if the following campaigner dribbling sh!t

 

[krided]

Bring back the RED Ball! ( Is the yellow one the reason they kick so badly?)

I'm fairly new to AFL, but wasn't the reason for playing yellow ball just evening/night games?

 

[Tzatziki_Man]

When an player pins the ball onto another, hoping to get a holding the ball free kick.

Should be punished himself, for being dishonest and not letting the ball get out.

Sometimes you see a player spread their arms out and the oppo player is hugging them, with the ball in between

Ridiculous stuff AFL.

 

[HTPunter]

Player marks 15 out, slight angle. Traditionally, a simple drop punt shot. Player turns, snaps it. Goal. Commentators "oh that's dumb, I don't like that, if he missed it would look really bad!"

Drives me ****ing nuts.

Players missing simple shots with ANY style of kick looks bad. Doesn't matter if it's a snap or a drop punt. If you miss from close in it's embarrassing, but the commentators act like it'd be OK as long as they did a drop punt shank?

 

[tugga]

Music blaring (Baby Shark, Gabba? Are you serious) in between goals.

 

[H00t]

Holding the ball interpretations drive me crazy.

If you get tackled immediately you can drop/ throw the ball no worries. If you have prior you can still drop/throw the ball as long as you make an ‘attempt’, although sometimes you will be pinged.

If you get the ball and are instantly tackled and all but the arm that has the ball is pinned, including your legs, it’s holding the ball despite not having any chance to dispose of the ball.

Don’t get me even started on the lottery of taking the tackler on. The umps just flip a coin there. Sometimes blatant ones missed just because and other times red hot.

At least make it so teams have to actually dispose of the ball properly not the rubbish they get away with now. Like that “knocked out in the tackle” rubbish we see

 

[g_TRAIN]

I get annoyed at the shit commentary and really crap analysis offered by some of the so-called experts.

 

[maxiboy238]

dislike that there is no option for 9th spot to make finals like there is 18 teams
finals system needs two extra spots

 

[Avon Barksdale]

dislike that there is no option for 9th spot to make finals like there is 18 teams
finals system needs two extra spots

I dislike this idea

 

[powerrrrrrrrrrrr]

Forwards who don’t seem to have a rule book when defending the goal line and shepherding the ball over the line.

They are suddenly allowed to hold, tackle and do what ever the hell they want to stop the defender getting a touch to it.

But then you sneeze on someone in the midfield and it’s a holding free kick. The same rules apply so apply them evenly.

 

[Leeda]

Stacks on the mill..the whole team don’t have to participate

 

[Vincent Hanna]

Forwards who don’t seem to have a rule book when defending the goal line and shepherding the ball over the line.

They are suddenly allowed to hold, tackle and do what ever the hell they want to stop the defender getting a touch to it.

But then you sneeze on someone in the midfield and it’s a holding free kick. The same rules apply so apply them evenly.

This 100% - the front-on contact rule is non-existent apparently also.

 

[FFB1]

Music blaring (Baby Shark, Gabba? Are you serious) in between goals.

Blame Charlie Cameron for that, it was his choice of song for when he kicks a goal (his daughters favourite song).

The Suns trumpet-like sound when they kick a goal is a tad annoying. Fortunately, for their entire team we've only had to hear it 55 times this season - we've had to endure Baby Shark almost a quarter of that for one player.

 

[legend166]

It really irks me that despite the change in interpretation of the deliberate out of bounds rule, players are allowed to use the boundary line as a get out of jail free card in the event of a tackle. If you have prior opportunity and get tackled over the boundary line, that should be holding the ball.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Forwards who don’t seem to have a rule book when defending the goal line and shepherding the ball over the line.

Yeah, this has been a major peeve of mine forever - you'll probably even read a rant or two I've done on various BF threads about it over the years. Why can a player prevent a player attending a marking contest when the ball is going through for a goal at marking height, but cannot do the same shepherding for a teammate to mark? Yet another bizarre interpretation.

 

[Eshay187]

Chopping the arms only applies to forwards.

Every game I will see a defender take a intercept or one v one mark and have some key forward haymaker their arm (Hawkins a massive proponent) and it literally never gets paid.

RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME

 

[bertamcberta]

Forwards who don’t seem to have a rule book when defending the goal line and shepherding the ball over the line.

They are suddenly allowed to hold, tackle and do what ever the hell they want to stop the defender getting a touch to it.

But then you sneeze on someone in the midfield and it’s a holding free kick. The same rules apply so apply them evenly.

Actually one of the few things about umpiring in the game that I love. Although Armartey got a soft one paid against on the weekend. Rarely happens.

 

[Kim Hagdorn]

Too much gambling advertising.

 

[JohnZ]

It really irks me that despite the change in interpretation of the deliberate out of bounds rule, players are allowed to use the boundary line as a get out of jail free card in the event of a tackle. If you have prior opportunity and get tackled over the boundary line, that should be holding the ball.

Most annoyingly, sometimes that gets paid (like once a month), but nowhere near enough. You'll hear the ump say "the ball went out of bounds before they had a chance to genuinely attempt to get rid of the ball" like what. Did they have prior or not!