Footy fans need to stop whinging and enjoy the game

When I was at the AFL Game between West Coast Eagles and Port Adelaide Power in Paterson's Stadium on Easter Saturday, I heard that the Eagles fanatics were booing and whinging at the Port Adelaide players. Some children will be disturbed and upset about people roaring at the game. For me, I didn't have to yell so loud at the AFL Game. I remembered back in 2012 at that same stadium when a Magpies fan was sent off the stadium for verbal abuse towards the Eagles Fans. This is where I was at the stadium with my father. I didn't like it when this happens.

The skill level is way down. There are number one draft picks who cant kick on their left foot. Have a look at the WAFL, East Perth is full of Eagles, and they got flogged by West Perth who just had older, harder more rounded players. Seriously, I think each club has 3-4 players who wouldnt have gotten a game 20 years ago... Guys handballing out of a pack in the square to the wide open spaces straight into the arms of an opponent who just kicks it back over his head for a goal, jesus, you would get dragged in under 12's for doing that in years gone past.. Ive seen players do that in finals last year. Mindless, aimless chip kicks, sideways.. all that does is give the defence time to man up... kicking backwards, (a cardinal sin).. the next guy chips it across.. some guy chips it back.. then back to the original bloke, maybe a handball in there somewhere... .. 7 possesions and the ball is in exactly the same place is started.. how is that an improvement? Players who havent won a one on one duel in 8 years at a club, dont know how to execute a hip and shoulder, nobody executes a blind turn or dummy anymore... when under pressure now all they do is fall on the ball and flap around like fish.. half the time I cannot believe I am watching professional players. Sure, they can all do better 3km time trials than they did 20 years ago.. but you take any premiership side from the 1980's or 1990s and they will thrash todays top side by 15 goals.. I dont believe the fitness gap is as big as some commentators make out. Michael Tuck or Dipperdiominico would run a game out today same as they would back then IMO. No salary cap, no draft, Hawthorn of 1988 would murder todays Hawks.

Im with ya Ryan! Enjoy the game or get knicked I say!

I agree that it is annoying listening to crowd shout 'ball' every ten seconds. But the amount of times I've seen players blatantly throw the ball and not get penalised this year has been ridiculous. I'm glad they've relaxed the rules re: head high contact when players duck, but they need to enforce basic rules such as incorrect disposal. They certainly shouldn't let those things go for the sake of keeping the game flowing.

Agree with you there, Gene. One of my least favourite things about going to the footy is every. single. tackle. is greeted with a "ball!" by the crowd. Less frees means the game can just go on and you get to see players actually earn the ball more.

I miss the goal fests of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Plenty of closeys back then also.

that would be tops. Make it 25m even. I don't mind that the umps appear to be paying attention to professional duckers and calling playing on or indeed telling the player he ducked.

Yeah maybe, but you know what they say about age and wisdom....

I wrote a brief piece looking at the number of free kicks paid so far this year, and compared it to previous years. The results are very, very interesting in the context of the discussion going on here: http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/04/24/are-fewer-free-kicks-2014/

"For several years now, my old man has bemoaned the quality of the game, his main complaint is that it has become “scrappy”. I have largely ignored his grumblings, but this year watching the games I find myself saying the same things." Probably a sign that you are getting old and grumpy as well

"Surely we would all prefer a dour close match to a high tempo blow-out?" Depends if your team playing or not :). I watched the Suns and the Hawks play a couple of weeks ago I reckon that was one of the most enjoyable matches I have watched this year. The Hawks were clean, skillful and fast. I didn't think Gold Coast were playing that badly they were just being outplayed. I don't think there is anything wrong with watching a master class, even if it is one-sided.

For several years now, my old man has bemoaned the quality of the game, his main complaint is that it has become "scrappy". I have largely ignored his grumblings, but this year watching the games I find myself saying the same things. There seem to be far more matches that are frankly unbearable to watch. Watching my beloved Swannies take on the Dockers last week, the first half of that match was excoriating . Mercifully, the game opened in the third with a 12 goal QTR (6 goals to both sides). There are still some matches (and sides) that produce attractive footy, but they are becoming the exception not the form. Who wants to spend $30-50 a ticket to the footy when they can watch pub fights that are cleaner, more structured and free of charge

Some of the ill-will directed at the AFL is probably about the way it handles issues (ASADA investigation, Tanking Investigations, Ticket pricing, etc) as much as it is about the current congestion and kick-to-kick trend. What a lot of people are missing, is the addition of the interchange cap. While it hasn't yet stopped congestion, it has made teams more worried about being able to firstly play out a match, and secondly, play out an entire season. A few weeks ago, Bomber Thompson was talking about how he'd changed Essendon's strategy this year to focus more on kicking, saying don't waste your legs carrying the ball when you can get it forward quicker and further via a kick. More teams are adopting a kick-to-kick approach (especially younger teams) because they're worried about fitness issues, more than likely due to the installment of the interchange cap.

You will never see that type of play again johnno. Political correctness has put that to bed forever.

I think Fox Footy is creating this illusion that the game is in worst shape. When I was growing up, you would only get a handful of games on T.V. Much of your footy viewing would come from the highlights on a Saturday afternoon – obviously this meant you only got to see the best bits Now every single game is beamed live, and Australia, being increasingly becoming a glass half-empty nation is focusing on the worst games. Not only that, but Fox sometimes show old matches from the 90s but of course the matches they show are the best of the best, again giving the illusion that the game has gone downhill. It’s also a mindset thing. If you go into the game telling yourself that it has to be free flowing and high scoring to be enjoyable then that’s all you will enjoy. Sometimes a really strategic game or a defensive high pressure game can be just as enjoyable if you are open minded about it. Of the three games I saw on the weekend I enjoyed them all. Syd v Fre was real intense game, with finals like pressure, Haw v Gee was a classic and St.K v Ess was a far from a classic but l really enjoyed seeing the underdogs win, Lenny and Nick star and the kids play with such enthusiasm. In a high scoring free flowing match it is usually the more experienced and more skilful team that wins so St Kilda needed to keep it low scoring and low tempo – surely we would all prefer a dour close match to a high tempo blow-out?

Now thats a rule change I've wanted for a while ... but the problem will still be the umpires from time to time have no idea how far a kick has gone, I saw so many hawthorn kicks in the geelong v. hawthorn game that looked like they barely went 10 meters. The other problem is when a bloke runs back 10 meters from a mark and barely makes it back to his mark with the kick, it should be 15 meters from the mark if that the shortest distance (obviously you'd use the point of the kick if the ball went backwards or sideways). That all gets a bit too complicated in a fast moving game though, increasing it to 20m may be the easier solution as then umpires will probably judge 15 to be okay, which brings us back to where we should be now.

Gene the thing is they are missing the basics. Ticky tacky stuff is not being called but basic rules seem to be ignored. I am enjoying the game still though and love it. I am worried however the the laws of the game committee is constantly trying to change the rules... The new thing today: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-04-24/plus-five-for-a-mark

The worst game at the wknd was Essendon and St Kilda, it was scrappy paddock football, the skills were woeful, i turned it off. Thats what i do if i dont like the standard of the game.

Hi AR its all good mate, im sorry for getting a bit sh@tty the other day