Positions from other sports that would dominate AFL

[OldStyle2007]

Rugby League Centres. Look at Gasnier, Cooper and Inglis. Perfect combination of strength agility and speed

I wish they could get Inglis to play AFL!!!

 

[MrChristo]

There's only room for one boxer in the AFL and his name is Barry "Festival" Hall.



I'd like to see ice hockey players take on ultimate martial "artists" at Scrabble. In a cage in the middle of the Sahara.



Thanks, in part, to an unmentionable process of unnatural natural selection; the USA has a container ship-load of body types that would excell at AFL. If, along with the Rest Of Us, those African-American guys, through some quirk in history - had been sent here in penal servitude or had come here seeking A Better Life? LeBron would be a high-marking, long goal-kicking GIANT of a CHF. Godzilla Wayne Carey.

Theres a massive surplus of very athletic AFL sized bodies over there, especially in the Goodes-Judd range. POWER forwards, way too many utilities, elusive and extremely quick smaller types - all not quite good enough at basketball to make it as a pro ballers.

Neal "The Mad Professor" Craig would have to find a way to transplant Ricciuto's brain, if the Roo and his family were willing to do that for the Crowbots.

EDIT: The Mad Professor would build endurance at his top secret facility underneath the Swiss Alps.

Way to confuse ethnicity with population...

Given 304 million compared to our 20...you'd reasonably suggest there's 1/15 LeBrons over here...playing their god-damn choice of sports...and there more than likely is.


(PS. I had to laugh at OJ as a WR! )

 

[deflated]

Ok, if we take the padding and helmets away from NHL and NFL players they wouldn't have the balls to play at AFL level.

Most ignorant Bigfooty comment this year, NHL craps all over modern footy for toughness. Try 30 seconds in front of the net screening the goalie while some 100kg defenceman crosschecks you in the kidneys and get back to me.

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Way to confuse ethnicity with population...

Given 304 million compared to our 20...you'd reasonably suggest there's 1/15 LeBrons over here...playing their god-damn choice of sports...and there more than likely is.


(PS. I had to laugh at OJ as a WR! )

Its been 30 years since he has played. I forgot exactly where lol

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Ok, if we take the padding and helmets away from NHL and NFL players they wouldn't have the balls to play at AFL level. I'm not saying they're not tough but they would always be taking a peek when it came time to pick up the ball or back into a pack. They'd be the sort of players who would love to start fights but go missing when the hard ball is to be won. Nor would they have the endurance to last more than a half in a sport that is essentially continuous suicides with physical pressure coming from any direction and having to take continual impact blows throughout (again no padding).
NBA players would be even more useless having not played such a physical game. You would only have to drive a hip and shoulder into Yao Ming once and that would be it. He would forever have his eyes off the ball. Imagine if LeBron copped a front on Baue Waters shoulder at full pace. I'm sorry but I don't see him coming back for more.
All the athletic ability in the world cannot prepare you for the physical pressure or give you the awareness required to be composed when this pressure is coming from random angles at any time.
The only sports where players could adapt would Gaelic Football, Lacrosse, Hurling or Rugby Union which have a random physical nature to the play requiring a special type of courage and only a select few would be able to make the transition on a skills level.

Another post that shows how ignorant some people are. Yes mate, AFL football is the toughest sport in the world and no other athlete could possibly deal with the punishment our "brutal" sport dishes out.

 

[Last Line Hero]

Any NBA Centre in the ruck or at full- forward would be unstoppable.

Someone like Ron Artest or Bruce Bowen in particular would be an awesome full- back IMHO. The strength, endurance, height, speed, reflexes, natural defensive nous, you wouldn't get too much past them.

 

[NMFC ALWAYS]

Let the Yanks play their sports and we will play ours Thank you . Chest pumps , big high fives and the overboard gloating can stay out .

 

[11sjw]

Ok, if we take the padding and helmets away from NHL and NFL players they wouldn't have the balls to play at AFL level. I'm not saying they're not tough but they would always be taking a peek when it came time to pick up the ball or back into a pack. They'd be the sort of players who would love to start fights but go missing when the hard ball is to be won. Nor would they have the endurance to last more than a half in a sport that is essentially continuous suicides with physical pressure coming from any direction and having to take continual impact blows throughout (again no padding).
NBA players would be even more useless having not played such a physical game. You would only have to drive a hip and shoulder into Yao Ming once and that would be it. He would forever have his eyes off the ball. Imagine if LeBron copped a front on Baue Waters shoulder at full pace. I'm sorry but I don't see him coming back for more.
All the athletic ability in the world cannot prepare you for the physical pressure or give you the awareness required to be composed when this pressure is coming from random angles at any time.
The only sports where players could adapt would Gaelic Football, Lacrosse, Hurling or Rugby Union which have a random physical nature to the play requiring a special type of courage and only a select few would be able to make the transition on a skills level.

Like Peter Matera used to?

Beau Waters would probably bounce off him. Have you seen the size of that guy?

 

[Masten2McKinley]

Interested to get peoples thoughts on this but heres a list of sports positions that I believe are the perfect prototype for modern day AFL football (and I am surprised the recruiting gurus havent looked in to this further).

NFL Wide Receiver - Leg and upper body strength. Speed, evasiveness and ability to keep their feet. Example - OJ Simpson

NBA Shooting Guard - Usually 6 foot 6 or taller, great vertical leapers and would have solid endurance. Example - LeBron James

NHL Shooter - Powerful legs. Brilliant lateral vision and eye to hand coordination. Example - Wayne Gretzky

Boxing - Endurance freaks. Mentally and physically tough. Dedicated. Ability to keep feet. Ability to withstand injuries. Example - Ali

Any others?

ould be way to slow 2 play AFL

 

[Upgrayedd]

Kimbo Slice

 

[krisholio14]

Watching Brian O'Driscoll in action for the Paddies the other night, I couldn't help but think I wouldn't mind him in our midfield. What a combination of strength, pace and skill!

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Let the Yanks play their sports and we will play ours Thank you . Chest pumps , big high fives and the overboard gloating can stay out .

Ofcourse we dont have overboard gloating and big high fives in our game do we? You realise half the wanky after goal celebrations we have come from American sports?

 

[dread and might]

Man Ice Hockey players would have no troubles with the toughness of the AFL, they'd put us to shame these days.

Not just these days. Dudes only started wearing helmets in the 80's

 

[Mr Belial]

Ah, Phil, I never once said Australian Football is the toughest sport in the world nor did I say that no other athlete could possibly deal with the punishment it dishes out. Read the post properly before you go calling people ignorant. I explained my reasons for my opinion which you seem to have ignored. This makes you the ignorant one pal.
MC_9, I've watched plenty of NFL. I've even played a little some years back. Does that make me educated on the topic? - no more than you I guess. Sure they hit hard - just as surely as they wear padding and helmets. I've played Australian Football against plenty of people who predominantly specialise in other codes - including American Football and they all cannot grasp the random nature of the physical pressure. They always take a look. As for LeBron James, you're right, he's big. What's your point. Plenty of AFL players are big. Doesn't matter how big you are when you cop a shoulder in the sternum at full pace causing your diaphragm to squeeze the air from your lungs. LeBron doesn't have a steel ribcage I assume. The test comes at the next contest and how you approach it. I don't care how big you are - if Waters or Riccuto or Pickett etc.., time you right - you're down!! And if you play a game where this 'type' of constant physical pressure does not exist ie. basketball then, I'm afraid your size simply will not save you.

 

[Mr Belial]

11sjw, I wouldn't try to argue that Peter Matera was one of the tougher players going around. He wasn't. But by the same token he wasn't someone who always took a peek when going for the ball as you seem to be trying to suggest. If that were true he would have been found out quite early on in his career and not ended up being a dual premiership player and Norm Smith Medalist and generally accepted champion of the game. It amazes me how little respect some armchair critics show for our top AFL footballers. Any AFL footballers for that matter.
Your dig at Matera is like me suggesting Leigh Matthews is a coward. I mean he did after all king hit an opponent on the field. But you won't hear that from me for the sake of petty gamesmanship.

 

[BIGBEZ]

Melissa Wu, full forward at Essendon!

 

[Smyth94]

Kimbo Slice

lol, he would just eat every one

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Ah, Phil, I never once said Australian Football is the toughest sport in the world nor did I say that no other athlete could possibly deal with the punishment it dishes out. Read the post properly before you go calling people ignorant. I explained my reasons for my opinion which you seem to have ignored. This makes you the ignorant one pal.
MC_9, I've watched plenty of NFL. I've even played a little some years back. Does that make me educated on the topic? - no more than you I guess. Sure they hit hard - just as surely as they wear padding and helmets. I've played Australian Football against plenty of people who predominantly specialise in other codes - including American Football and they all cannot grasp the random nature of the physical pressure. They always take a look. As for LeBron James, you're right, he's big. What's your point. Plenty of AFL players are big. Doesn't matter how big you are when you cop a shoulder in the sternum at full pace causing your diaphragm to squeeze the air from your lungs. LeBron doesn't have a steel ribcage I assume. The test comes at the next contest and how you approach it. I don't care how big you are - if Waters or Riccuto or Pickett etc.., time you right - you're down!! And if you play a game where this 'type' of constant physical pressure does not exist ie. basketball then, I'm afraid your size simply will not save you.

What makes you ignorant is thinking that somebody who is 6'8 and 110 kgs wouldnt be able to get back up after Pickett bumps them? Are you kidding? Plenty of smaller players have got up from heavy bumps and lived to tell the tale. And your saying an athlete like James couldnt survive.

And another thing, Lebron has 2 inches and 10 kgs on Franklin and would make him look slow in an open race. Make no mistake, a barge ass like Pickett couldnt catch him to bump him in the first place.

 

[wce4premiership]

There's more money in other sports.

They couldnt come dominate afl over people that have been playing since they were kids anyway, certain things can't be taught too late.

 

[Freo Dr]

There is another place with heaps of athletic AFL size bodies, fast runners, some background in rugby and soccer skills and a rapidly growing interest in AFL. They also do not have such high expectations of pay packets - South African black communities.

They like it because of its physical stuff but doesn't have the apartheid overtones of rugby.

Likely end of this year will be rookie listed players from SAF and some seriously talented players will be coming through in years to come now the junior comps are getting going.

 

[TassieSaint]

What makes you ignorant is thinking that somebody who is 6'8 and 110 kgs wouldnt be able to get back up after Pickett bumps them? Are you kidding? Plenty of smaller players have got up from heavy bumps and lived to tell the tale. And your saying an athlete like James couldnt survive.

And another thing, Lebron has 2 inches and 10 kgs on Franklin and would make him look slow in an open race. Make no mistake, a barge ass like Pickett couldnt catch him to bump him in the first place.

Do you remember the time Pickett knocked Crows ruckman Rhett Biglands out cold? LeBron James is just 3 cm taller and 5 kg heavier than Biglands. If you honestly don't think Pickett or any other AFL player could take him out with a hip and shoulder you are kidding yourself.

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Do you remember the time Pickett knocked Crows ruckman Rhett Biglands out cold? LeBron James is just 3 cm taller and 5 kg heavier than Biglands. If you honestly don't think Pickett or any other AFL player could take him out with a hip and shoulder you are kidding yourself.

Lol @ Rhett Biglands. Now thats what I call an athlete. Great awareness, lateral vision and hand eye coordination. A semi trailer travelling at 5km could hit him.

 

[Mr Belial]

What makes you ignorant is thinking that somebody who is 6'8 and 110 kgs wouldnt be able to get back up after Pickett bumps them? Are you kidding? Plenty of smaller players have got up from heavy bumps and lived to tell the tale. And your saying an athlete like James couldnt survive.

And another thing, Lebron has 2 inches and 10 kgs on Franklin and would make him look slow in an open race. Make no mistake, a barge ass like Pickett couldnt catch him to bump him in the first place.

Once again Phil - proving yourself to be the ignorant one. I never said he wouldn't be able to get up.
If LaBron was born into our game and played it his whole life he might well be close to unstoppable much like he is on the basketball floor. But he wasn't. And if he tried to crack it in the AFL today having played basketball his whole life instead of Australian Football he simply wouldn't be up to the physical pressure. The reason plenty of smaller players have gotton up and soldiered on after taking big hits in AFL is because they're conditioned to do so through years of playing the game. You've simply confirmed my point that LeBron's size is practically irrelevant in this argument.
Oh, and as far as pace goes - superstars like Greg Williams or Scott West have been half as fast as most of their opponents yet it doesn't stop them being twice the player as most of those opponents. Let's see Buddy Franklin and LeBron James both get tackled to the ground a few times per quarter while running the length of the field and back, sprinting away from chasing tacklers and kicking goals on the run, laying tackles themselves, being sheparded off the ball, getting into a wrestle here and there, contesting some ruck contests, maybe getting a cork in the thigh from a the odd errant knee and a few whacks behind the ears in marking contests and then see how each is holding up with 15 minutes to go in the match. The only question would be if LeBron would even make it that far.