- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Every now and then, a frustrated old-school AFL supporter will ring up a talkback radio station and whinge about how modern-day players are weak. “There are so many uncontested possessions and uncontested marks,” one might say.
“When are these players going to start making some body contact? Don’t these guys know how to take a contested mark anymore? When are they going to start putting their heads over the ball and earn their money? Bring back the good old days!”
Sound familiar?
Well, ignore these people.
When you sit down and watch a game of AFL today, those ignorant statements deserve to be scoffed at. Professional Aussie Rules is as tough and as fatal as it has ever been, something that was exemplified during last weekend’s round of action.
From a football fan’s aesthetic viewpoint, Alan Toovey is far from the most attractive player to watch in the AFL. He’s an underrated defender who is more than likely to shut down the opposition’s best small forward.
However, he doesn’t have the explosiveness of a Chris Judd, the class of a Scott Pendlebury, or the ball-winning capabilities of a Matthew Boyd.
But if you go to the footy to see pure courage and selflessness, Toovey is the quintessential AFL player.
During the third quarter of last Friday night’s blockbuster between Geelong and Collingwood, the small defender executed one of the bravest acts you’ll ever see on a football field.
Geelong’s Joel Corey speared a kick inside his team’s forward 50, hoping to hit a rampaging Tom Hawkins on the lead. Toovey – with his eyes completely fixated on the footy and with no care for his personal wellbeing – ran back fearlessly with the flight of the ball, hoping to force a spillage.
Bang.
Toovey took his eyes off the ball for a split second to check what was coming and his face felt the full brunt of Hawkins’ left knee. He hit the MCG turf with an almighty thud and was carried off on a stretcher. Miraculously, he escaped with no facial injuries and “only” a bruised lung, due to his chest-first landing.
Does that act make AFL soft? Don’t think so.
Gun mature age recruit Ed Curnow is another player who has showed tremendous courage this season. In the Blues’ close win against St Kilda in Round 7, the midfielder severely injured his shoulder during the first quarter and was forced to the bench.
Amazingly, Curnow returned to the field minutes later and tried to play on. He didn’t last long though and had to be substituted out of the game due to the discomfort he was in. The midfielder was assessed after the match and diagnosed with a grade two sprain of his right AC joint, which would see him miss up to a month of action.
While Curnow’s injury was unfortunate, the fact he selflessly risked further damage to himself was inspiring. Remember, this was a young player in his first AFL season trying to play through a serious shoulder injury for the good of his team.
Does that act make AFL soft? Don’t think so.
Besides goals and behinds, coaches believe the most important stat in modern-day footy is tackles. Coupled with contested possessions, most coaches will blame their team’s loss on a low tackle count and the inability to apply unrelenting defensive pressure. It is considered the biggest Key Performance Indicator to a team’s success.
In 1987, when only 14 teams participated in the VFL, there was an average of 55 tackles per game. In 2011, two teams average 134 tackles per game, almost two and a half times that of 14 years ago.
Is that soft? Is that avoiding body contact? Don’t think so.
St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt played with a torn groin during the 2009 Grand Final. His opponent that day – Geelong’s Harry Taylor – broke his hand early in the match but played on to produce a performance to savour.
Are those acts soft? Don’t think so.
Brisbane skipper Jonathon Brown will return to the Lions’ line-up this weekend after that sickening collision with Luke McPharlin’s knee in Round 1, which saw him suffer multiple facial fractures.
Is that soft? Don’t think so.
Any player who runs out onto an AFL field is courageous. The game resembles a military field, with brutal battles constantly occurring all over the ground. How players get through all 22 games in a season is hard to comprehend.
So if you think our game lacks toughness, sit down and watch teams like Geelong, Collingwood, Sydney, Carlton or West Coast. Have a look at how ferociously each player from those teams tackles and how unrelenting they are on the ball carrier. Even better, watch the game from the front row of the stands, so you can hear the thud as players collide.
If you think AFL players are soft, focus on players like Toovey, Brown, Joel Selwood, Luke Hodge and Patrick Dangerfield during a game. Admire how hard they attack the ball, both in the air and on the ground. Then reassess your opinion.
Never put ‘soft’ and ‘AFL’ in the same sentence if it’s in a negative context.
Please.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.