Of course, I understand that, but in all games timing of situations is totally unpredictable , which for me is the whole point that grey rules need to be wiped from the game, and there are many , a block or a shepherd? ( in all this list there will be the fact of umpire perception in the split second point being there shouldn't be room for drastic repeated mistakes, because ??? THEY MAY WIN OR LOSE A GAME.
In the back, over the shoulder , around the neck hands in the back bent arm in the back, diving on a player from behind sometimes called in the back sometimes called caught with the ball, now with caught with the ball that also has many different avenues for an umpire to make a mistake, caught with, is it holding or is it holding the man in that split second where the umpire does not see properly the action of the tackled player what if he does legally get rid of it.
How many times in games do you see illegal disposal, when you know it is not, and you see it if you are an opposition spectator for or against your own
mob, how often at a game or on TV when you comment with an oppo supporter and you or they will say, gee our bloke was lucky there, how is it when that may create a score , you see to me I have been noticing this sort of thing for so many years now, that I thought last year when the AFL WANTED TO REVIEW THE WAY THE GAME LOOKED THAT THEY MAY ACTUALLY ALSO LOOK AT THE RULES???
Many of which are simply not needed, like the twisting of the out on the full rule. The Magpie Eagles last free, what if that was a player losing balance or spinning to pick the ball up , his opponent clashes physically with him and his leg or boot taps the ball when he isn't even aware, and it pops out on the full from about 30 cm out. What happened in the grand final was no better and no worse than that stupidity of the twisted Out On The Full. ( I've seen it happen,) many times over the last few years. Strangely and I saw it when Hawthorn played Fitzroy I think Fitzroy maybe Footscray many years ago in a final, where someone gave my mob Hawthorn a free very close to goal it won us the game, because of a fitzroy or footscray player deliberately moved out of bounds, it was pretty blatant action but even the Hawks couldn't believe the call maybe Brad Hardie would remember that?
NOW THAT CALL I NEVER SAW AGAIN UNTIL THE LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS, WHEN THEY ABUSED THE REASON FOR OUT ON THE FULL or defending by taking the ball out, DELIBERATELY OK IF THEY HAVE TO, but the stuff they call with guess work is an abomination of fairness, once you could pick a free , now when that goddamned whistle blows you are waiting to see what the umpire will call or how he saw it. THE WHISTLE!!! , its like Brando screaming STELLA!!!!
Look I won't go on, I could pick instances out that I've witnessed over the last few years and the amount of stupid unnecessary unfair free kicks also I know umpires were rubbished for ever , its just the fun is gone from the game because the umpiring has been turned into bulldust calls by administration rule changes to the game, for the game to get less physical and less like football.
That's what and why I get really angry and never shut up about it. Because what I've said years ago happened, ours is a simple tough game thats what fans want, and, its why sometimes I say where is another Kerry Packer to buy up 12 or 14 AFL clubs and make a real national comp again instead of this diluted rubbish they are selling to our kids as well as that stinking AFLX CRAP TOO.
My adult sons range from 26 to 41 three of them one of them the oldest barely watches any more and they are all members, now I don't like knoewing that 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 years olds will grow up with NO IDEA OF REAL TOP LEVEL AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL. Because this stuff now is keepings off bruise free, and the AFL had a chance to fix it, they haven't all they've done is open the ground up with zones, stupisd not needed frees are still there in horrid numbers , the whistle kills the game, because these bastards have let our game be stopped every few seconds and the flow is dead.
Now wouldn't it be nice to go back to hard quick tough football, forget the excuse that they clash into each other like motor vehicle collisions , they always have , that means nothing. Our game is hard, play it amateur or pro and its hard, I 've played in lower league footy where they ( and this is a joke) don't bring the ball out til three quarter time ( ha ha ha)
We used to go to Brunswick and Thornbury and you fought most of the bloody day, we don't need that , but these guys know the risks!Take it easy mate no harm meant but the game is so changed now.
OK a couple of points, I think you'll find that most will agree with you in how the decisions are "guessing the grey areas" and is a result of bringing rules to counteract other stupid rules brought in previously. It's no secret and the majority of fans are pissed - there's no light bulb moment for anyone.
Even so, we can only speculate on what would happen if decisions were different. What is likely is NOT fait accompli.
As far as your Kerry Packer theory I'd only think that'd work if the market wants it. The reason we have 10 teams in Melb is because the market dictates it not because it's ideal and hazard a guess the game would lose members and supporters if we had a break away league.
AFLX and the general "softening" of the game: To be fair there are societal pressures that have some blame for "softening of the game". I've been watching league footy for more than 40 years and played into my 20's and yeah it's less combative but hey I'm still watching and more are watching than ever before. As far as AFLX goes it's not directed at us it's directed at young kids and teens (and their worried mums) HQ already has a huge fan base and want to garner the next generation.
How do the reckon the mums of today would consider their young kids playing footy like it was played in the 70's and 80's? Not a hope in hell, they'd send em to a soccer club............. hence "bruise free" AFLX. Sell that to the mums and the kids might be allowed to play footy.
Lastly Footy is not and never has been simple, probably now more complicated than it has been but since day dot it has never been "simple"