Someone seriously needs to change the direction of the game before it's too late.

[zero]

i generally agree, though i totally disagree about the prior oppurtunity rule.

if you reward the tackler all the time, then people will stay off it and wait for an opponent to pick it up first.

you have to protect the guy who puts his body on the line for the ball.

 

[Chewy]

THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT ALL IS OK. The hands in the back rule is just about the last straw as far as I'm concerned. The game is turing into a hybrid of basketball and netball. Contested possession is treated with suspicion and is discouraged. Coaches arent allowed to voice opinions. Rules are made without any regard for there conseqences. The game is becoming a joke!

Last year when the Dees marched on towards the Semi Finals, you probably thought it was the greatest game in the world.
Funny what 8 straight losses does to your vision.

The game isn't "turning into" a hybrid of netball and basketball.
It's already like that.

You blame KB, umpires and soft interpretations for the decline of the contest.
You also moan about the gag on coaches.

Laughable.

The entertaining brand of contested footy we knew and loved has disappeared because of one thing only:
The coaches started using their brains. They looked around at other sports and realised that to win, you needed to hold onto the ball and keep possession. You then had to play zone defence when the opposition gained possession.

That's it. Nothing more. Tactically, Aussie Rule has finally caught up with the "territorial" ball sports from around the globe. That's all.

It's not the same spectacle and it can be boring to watch. But that's life.
Some sides will play entertaining, attacking football. They might even win a few games. But more often than not, it'll be the side that wins the tactical battle.

Melbourne have been pretty good to watch under Daniher, but they've also struggled when it's mattered the most.
Face it, buddy, the game has changed. You have to move with the times.

 

[CyberKev]

Last year when the Dees marched on towards the Semi Finals, you probably thought it was the greatest game in the world.
Funny what 8 straight losses does to your vision.

The game isn't "turning into" a hybrid of netball and basketball.
It's already like that.

You blame KB, umpires and soft interpretations for the decline of the contest.
You also moan about the gag on coaches.

Laughable.

The entertaining brand of contested footy we knew and loved has disappeared because of one thing only:
The coaches started using their brains. They looked around at other sports and realised that to win, you needed to hold onto the ball and keep possession. You then had to play zone defence when the opposition gained possession.

That's it. Nothing more. Tactically, Aussie Rule has finally caught up with the "territorial" ball sports from around the globe. That's all.

It's not the same spectacle and it can be boring to watch. But that's life.
Some sides will play entertaining, attacking football. They might even win a few games. But more often than not, it'll be the side that wins the tactical battle.

Melbourne have been pretty good to watch under Daniher, but they've also struggled when it's mattered the most.
Face it, buddy, the game has changed. You have to move with the times.

Excellent post, Chewy.

 

[Corpuscles]

Spot on Chewy!

Forgive my ignorance (haven't seen VFL/VFA game for years)... but I heard that VFL had trialled or use 16 players on field??

Can anyone confirm that? If so comment on whether it frees up the game?

If so I think that might be a positive step... having 36 players in the defensive 60 mtre arc is too crowded!

 

[giantsully]

I watched a few minutes of the Roos-Blues game on the weekend & in that time saw North get two very soft frees that led to goals (not bagging North, I"m sure the Blues also got some soft ones - I just didn't happen to see them).

I don't honestly think anyone goes to the footy hoping to see their team win coz they got the most soft frees in front of goals - it reminded me of the old-style England rugby union games decided on who gets the most penalties and with no one seriously interested in scoring a try.

Bring back the contest!!

 

[PowerForGood]

This game is becoming extremely agitating to watch.

Daniel Chick summed it up on the field today..."It's not netball" (or something to that effect). How is it possible that AFL players are having to resort to saying such things?!

I fully understand the AFL wanting to appeal to future generations. I know they want more and more kids to play the game. BUT, you have to allow contact!!

Couldn't agree with you more - I started a thread along the same lines as this a couple of weeks back. I started getting disillusioned with the type of football being played about 5 years ago, and it was only that my beloved Port Adelaide won the flag in 2004 that I stayed interested in the game.

This hand in the back rule is beyond ridiculous. It's frustrating supporters and football experts alike. There is no consistency because there cannot be consistency. The umpires know if they pay it all the time they'll be involved in the game way too much. It occurs nearly every play. So, they pay it every so often, thus making it look beyond ridiculous. You can't blame them though...it's an extremely difficult rule to moderate. How can you moderate one of a footballer’s most basic and natural reactions, to protect their space?

I argued a couple of weeks back that if out of position, the player in front now just pushes back as hard as possible looking for the free kick with no intent to go for the ball, just trying to draw the automatic response of hands in the back. Check out Houlihan on the weekend for two examples of this.

Head touching! Ok, of course you can't hit a player in the head. But when players duck and someone happens to touch a hair on their left eyebrow....how is that a free kick!? Surely we can't be that precious!? I go for Melbourne but I completely agree with Chick's comments today after his BARBARIC sheppard. Players are slowly learning how to milk the rule as well, thus creating something no one wants to see...diving. Peter Bell is a good example of this (sorry freo fans...but it's the truth).

Diving, and leading with the head are two examples. Players like Nathan Bassett have expressed the concern that players will start leading into tackles and contested ball with the head, knowing that a free kick might be milked. I was taught as a junior that if I went into a contest with my head down, expect to get it knocked off - I am not condoning head-high tackles, but making the point that we talk about the duty-of-care the tackler owes the player he is tackling, but never talk about the duty-of-care a player has to himself.

And holding the ball?!?! It's getting to the stage where MOST of these decisions are ridiculous. We allowed a few silly decisions in it’s first year and then slowly let it trickle into a few more soft decisions…but now…they’re just everywhere. Players who go and get the ball are being punished. It's becoming easier and easier for soft fringe players to shine simply because they no longer need to get the ball first, just hold the ball into their tougher and more desperate opponent. However, once again, the umpires cannot be blamed.

Again, did you notice the appalling decision in the Swans - Power match on the weekend? (Note to Swans - you beat us fair and square - I am just highlighting a relevant incident). The Swans player on his knees dragged the ball in with one hand, the Port player slid in underneath attacking the ball, and was then penalised for holding-the-ball. What the umpires and the rules are saying is that you do not attack the ball, but sweat off the player so you can hold one hand in the air like a sheep shearer.

It seems as if these rules are slipping underneath our guard. They are being created and enforced at a slow but steady pace, and will, without recognition, forever be apart of, and ruin our game.

This sport will lose its popularity if these rules stay/ are added on to (and there will be more rules).

Do what you can. Write letters, call up radio stations.

GO AWAY DEMETRIOU!

Agreed.

 

[Roddy]

Do Football fans live to whinge?

Do they not feel right unless whinging?

 

[Toshowyouwhy]

Do Football fans live to whinge?

Do they not feel right unless whinging?

True, just let it go. Its not that bad. We have the most entertaining and freeflowing code of footy IN THE WORLD.

 

[Roddy]

True, just let it go. Its not that bad. We have the most entertaining and freeflowing code of footy IN THE WORLD.

Spot on mate. I think we are just spoiled. We have the best in the world, by the length of several MCGs, but I don't think we appreciate it. We take it for granted, and when you get a slightly lower quality spectacle than usual, all hell breaks loose.
All the whingers need to do is look at the alternatives, the utter crap that other codes cough up, and the world will seem wonderful again....

 

[WHOME]

I too have been getting seriously frustrated with the way modern football is played. I sat through the St Kilda/Hawthorn game on Saturday night and thought the game had reached an all time low. Then I watched the FA Cup Final (yawn) which reminded me why Aussie Rules is still the best game in the world despite the AFL's attempts to turn it into a non contact sport. In my opinion the only reason they have sanitised the game so much is because of their fear of the soccer invasion. They had to clean up the game so mummy and daddy would allow their kids to play - but boy they have gone way overboard to the point that the game no longer resembles the game I grew up loving. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that most people now follow the game out of loyalty to their club rather than their love of 'the game'.

 

[Dagless]

Spot on mate. I think we are just spoiled. We have the best in the world, by the length of several MCGs, but I don't think we appreciate it. We take it for granted, and when you get a slightly lower quality spectacle than usual, all hell breaks loose.
All the whingers need to do is look at the alternatives, the utter crap that other codes cough up, and the world will seem wonderful again....

I think ppl whinge not because the compare it to other codes (lets face it we already have the best footy code in the world) but they compare it to other great footy decades....

 

[Chewy]

Spot on Chewy!

Forgive my ignorance (haven't seen VFL/VFA game for years)... but I heard that VFL had trialled or use 16 players on field??

Can anyone confirm that? If so comment on whether it frees up the game?

If so I think that might be a positive step... having 36 players in the defensive 60 mtre arc is too crowded!

For a while there, the VFA used to have 16 a side.

They reverted back to 18 when they merged with AFL reserves, I think, though I'm not 100% sure.
They may have done this earlier.

Some of the grounds they played on were smaller, so yes, there was a bit more room to move, but this isn't the same as freeing up the game in the modern sense.

I don't reckon that subtracting 2 players from each team would create more attacking play and more contested footy.
There would simply be more space available on the "fat" side of the ground for players to move into and receive an easy sideways pass.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I sat through the St Kilda/Hawthorn game on Saturday night and thought the game had reached an all time low. Then I watched the FA Cup Final (yawn) which reminded me why Aussie Rules is still the best game in the world despite the AFL's attempts to turn it into a non contact sport.

So someone was holding a gun to your head making you watch, or was your remote control broken?

 

[dont bowl there]

Play dreamteam then the Hawks v Saints game seems like a great game!

 

[Footylover1]

Get rid of the hands in the back rule and please leave the game as it is, no more rule changes please!

 

[Smell The Glove]

The way it works is this:

1: AFL boss Andrew Demetriou announces at press conference that the rule committee is going to investigate rule changes X and Y

2: Andrew Demetriou spends rest of press conference highlight how good shape the game is in, with record crowds and ratings aplenty.

3: Andrew Demetriou gets his photo taken with that smug, self contented grin of his, knowing he is going to be a popular boy in the papers tomorrow.

Repeat process for every press conference thereafter.

 

[Dagless]

Get rid of the hands in the back rule and please leave the game as it is, no more rule changes please!

Is that itself not a rule change though?

 

[From The Fence]

Plenty of people rightfully complain about where footy is headed, but realistically, what can we do about it?

The AFL makes decisions based on $’s and not much else.

They knows mugs like us are going to keep supporting our clubs even we find the modern game drifting further and further towards keepings off.

Where I think I’ve changed, is that I tend to watch far less games (not involving the pies) on the box than I used to

Apart from that, I'm no less a supporter than i used to be.