From an Australian perspective, the upcoming International Rules series against Ireland needs some serious star power to ensure it does not lose further traction amongst AFL fans.
At its peak in the early 2000s, the International Rules series was able to offer almost full strength Australian teams with stars such James Hird, Nathan Buckley, Andrew McLeod lining up.
The most recent series in 2008 held in Australia lacked the better players in the AFL.
There was no Ablett, Reiwoldt, Judd or Buddy Franklin. Brent Harvey led the charge in a series that saw Ireland win both games played under watered down rules on tackling for the first time.
Harvey had too few star players to help him.
For Australia to be competitive at International Rules, we need the better ball handlers of the likes of midfielders Ablett, Bartel, Hayes, Judd, Cooney and Swan, through to the clever small forwards of the ilk of Rioli, Le Cras, Didak, S Johnson and Varcoe.
Throw in a few talls for a spine, perhaps Franklin, Reiwoldt, Sandilands, Tippett or Hille, and you have the makings of a top team with star power to attract interest.
For extra zip and young talent I’d add Jurrah, S Hill, Morabito, Scully, L Jetta, and Swallow. Malthouse is set to coach again.
The first test will be at Limerick on 23 October, 2010, followed by the second test at Croke Park a week later.
Redb
Roar Guru
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/next-stop-for-gary-ablett-ireland/story-e6frf9jf-1225924290274 Ablett wants to play International Rules, Bartel as well, now we are talking!
Redb
Roar Guru
There is not one positon, but a host of midfielders who can take be the play maker. Take Geelong, you have Ablett, Bartel and Selwood as key play makers. Usually the Centre Half Back of Full Back is seen as the quarterback role in charge of his back 6 who set up out of defence. Again with Geelong that would be Scarlett or Hawthorn's Hodge.
Johnny Nevin is a legend
Guest
I was refering to field sports when I made that comment,of course pro sportsmen should have high fitness levels and the AFL to their credit probably have the fittest of any of the worlds field sports but my point is there doesnt seem to be any room for a playmaker like the five-eight in rugby or the quarter back in NFL,was there ever a Zinidine Zidane in the AFL? As for Redb I admit my some of my comments were provocative and inaccurate but some people genuinely dont have an agenda when they make comments about a sport they dont enjoy as a spectacle, having not growing up in the sport I'm not invested in it so I made my observations as an outsider like the journalist in question.
Mister Football
Guest
reference to a dumbed down sport has merit in a game where athleticism supersedes footballing ability so games played by fat blokes demand a higher IQ of players? and athletes involved in Athletics are dumber than weightlifters and shooters?
Redb
Roar Guru
You had me when bagging Collingwood :-) I'd almost agree to anything that puts the Pies in dark low lit corner, fed BS and kept under the thumb as dumb, but the rest of your comments reek of trolling. Outside of Melbourne, AFL drew just over 40,000 people to a game in Sydney and Perth on the most recent weekend. 40,000 crowds are not dime a dozen in the Australian sporting landscape. As for my comments on the irish journo, well even Pothale (resident Irish rugby poster) agrees its more about keeping the evil AFL recruiters from the door.
Johnny Nevin is a legend
Guest
I think the articles reference to a dumbed down sport has merit in a game where athleticism supersedes footballing ability,just look at Collingwood and the amount of behinds they accumulate every game, basically if you get enough possesion in this game you'll win, theres something very unsubtle about that. And to suggest that the journalists opinions are motivated by fear are condescending and conceited, a lot of people outside Melbourne just dont enjoy a game they find scrappy,tedious and long.
Redb
Roar Guru
I think the curve of a ball is fascinating in any sport, be it soccer, golf or tennis, but to suggest there are only flat trajectory kicks in AFL footy is totally inaccurate. Players have been kicking bananas for years. Most check side shots at goal involve considerable curve in the air. Not to mention goals kicked from obtuse angles along the ground that are common place in almost every game.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Good try Fussball - but my fellow countryman would have been the first to tell you that he was no physicist. He was, however, a great philosopher and the founder of the Socratic method. A form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. Without us humans developing the Socratic method then forums like the Roar would not exist. We'd still be using clubs to settle our sporting differences :) Sócrates, what a player and a political hero. He was blessed with Socratic ideals. His father named him well. As is well known he used football to protest against the military junta and also improved the lot of his fellow players.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Art Perhaps, those physicists have the mind of Socrates and the football technique of Sócrates (who is no dummy either!) ;-)
Art Sapphire
Guest
problem is fussball, the people who wrote that would have trouble making the Nerds FC XI :)
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
The beauty & complexity of the trajectory of spherical objects fascinates the world on the sports fields and has fascinated and continues to fascinate the minds of the world's greatest scholars ...! The latest edition of The New Journal of Physics has an article that studies the highly curved trajectories of a fast revolving solid ball and how such trajectories are relevant to sport. http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/12/9/093004/pdf/1367-2630_12_9_093004.pdf
Redb
Roar Guru
Yes but what I'm saying for accuracy the ball will hit the ground at roughly the same time as you kick it. You can even half volley a drop kick and still get a reasonably straight kick. At least that was my experience. The drop kick is a much more stunted kick, whereas with a drop punt there is a huge follow through. It's a bit like chipping instead of driving in golf. (although my chipping is ordinary :-) )
Mister Football
Guest
The last time I saw a drop kick executed in a match was by Bernie Quinlan, when he was dropped to the reserves in 1974, and he was racking up so many easy kicks, he decided to have a bit of fun (didn't matter, he was a superb kick regardless of what he tried). Things get superceded for a reason: first the place kick, and then the drop and stab kicks (slightly different kicks), and the torp almost followed suit. Ultimately, the drop punt proved to be a reliable and effecitve kick over a variety of scenarios, for example, the trajectory and speed of a stab pass can be replicated with a drop punt (just need to lower the head, drop it closer to the ground and make contact further back rather than on the up), in fact, that technique can give a greater punch to the ball than can be achieved by the stab pass, plus it can be executed at great speed and under pressure, so quite naturally, the stab pass gets superceded. The torp almost got superceded because there are blokes like Gilbee who can drop punt a footy 65 metres, quite accurately, while running full pelt - what's more, he can achieve that distance yet punch the ball low and hard, an extraordinary feat that very few mortals are capable of achieving - means it hits the spot at a quicker speed, and that's become a great weapon in these days of cramped defensive structures (unfortunately, Gilbee has been out of form the past month or more, and this is part of the current bullies malaise). The talk of hitting space is interesting. If you're spotting up a bloke on a 30 metre lead, with a 50 metres pass, you effectively are kicking to space, in a calculated way - and that space doesn't just come out of the blue - invariably, a few team mates have crisss-crossed leads and taken their oppponents with them so that the ball arrives at the precise moment the space has been created, like the parting of the seas - but you aren't going to get a sense of that on TV.
Art Sapphire
Guest
redb - some passage of basketball also look like netball, when they ball isn't dribbled :) The ball drop variable is higher with a drop kick. From your hand you are letting the ball drop to make make contact with the ground. The ball drop has to be accurate, you have to be balanced and your timing has to be perfect when you foot makes contact with the ball and ball makes contact with the ground. This is why it has gone out of the game. You need time and space to execute it. Still I'd like to see a drop kick in an AFL game. When you're 10 goals up with 5 minutes left. I would like to see someone just try it.
Redb
Roar Guru
Art, I thought I made it pretty clear, basketball not netball. Drop kicks were Ok, but to pull off a torp that is gold. The whole thing about drop kicks and place kicks for that matter is to reduce ball drop variables, it is a greater skill to drop punt or torpedo the ball.
Art Sapphire
Guest
I said "some" passages redb, how is that a troll comment. There are AFL people who want all kicks backwards in the defensive half of the ground to be play on. So are you saying its ok for people who only like AFL to make a comment like this but not people who watch other sports as well :) P.S I remember learning how to drop-kick the ball back in primary school. I wonder how many current day AFL plays can execute a 60 metre drop kick. These days they have not got time to balance up to execute it. Now that's a thing of beauty.
Redb
Roar Guru
Ahh yes Art, the netball jibe or troll comment. It is quite inaccurate given in terms of game play if you're going to make a true comparison it would be basketball - bouncing the ball, running with the ball,etc. If you watch the game, contested football is back big time. The irony of zones and flooding means players are in close proximity and have to man up on each other, meaning very few easy possessions, except in the back half when players kick it around to milk the clock, but even then that is under threat as forward pressure is pushing defences even further back towards the goals. it's fascinating watching this game evolve to beat the flood or zone or counter it. We are even seeing the return of the torpedo - a thing of pure beauty in the air when kicked right. Love the way the sherrin spins through the air. Can't do that with a bloated dog (round ball). :-)
Art Sapphire
Guest
redb - the reason why I posted the link was to highlight how other people overseas see the local game. I actually think the skill levels of top class Aussie Rules players are as good as any other professional sport on the planet. But the increase in kicking skills has lead to a decline in actual contested footy. Some passages of modern football resembles netball as the ball is transfered from one end to the other with out the ball touching the ground or kicked around to wind the clock down. This takes a lot of skill in terms of kicking accurately and a lot of running to find the space. Which is probably what Conlon was getting at, without realising there are other elements to the game as well.
Redb
Roar Guru
Fussball, Do not derail this thread. People are voting with their feet, nuff said.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Redb - You may be right when you say: Some of the irish have to bag the game, they fear it, they fear its potential impact on their own. I understand the motivation. Now you know exactly why we think some fans, commentators and analysts from Aussie Rules feel so compelled to make disparaging comments about football! :-)