We know AFL is the best code – but is it the fairest? There’s often talk after a game about who ‘deserved’ to win, with supporters griping about umpiring decisions, wasted chances, injuries, inaccuracy and ‘fluke’ occurrences.
The gripes are particularly loud after a shock loss, and deafening after a grand final upset.
West Coast were clearly the best side of the 1991 season, St Kilda in 1997 and 2009, Geelong in 2008. In the first two cases they just didn’t quite show up on the big day. In the third, a ‘goal’ that hit the post proved critical, in the fourth case, eleven rushed behinds forced a rule-change.
It can be a cruel game, but spare a thought for the billions of soccer fans around the world. Their game can be beautiful, but also downright sadistic.
Portugal faced Iceland in the first week of Euro 2016, currently underway. The Iberian side dominated with 66 per cent of possession and passing accuracy of an impressive 92 per cent, producing 27 shots on goal – 10 of which were on target.
The Icelanders passed at 73 per cent and managed a paltry 4 shots on goal, but all 4 were on target and one of them got past the keeper. The result? A 1-1 draw. This is just a slightly more extreme example of a fairly common phenomenon.
The Italian style is a sort of hyper-defensive rope-a-dope, allowing the opposition to keep the ball as long as they don’t get close enough to score, then waiting for the opportunity to break, surge forward and score. Once they get 1-0 up, the Azzuri are almost nauseating to watch as they coolly put up a brick wall and run down the clock.
Cricket holds the distinction of being a team sport poured through the funnel of an individual player more often than most codes. Often it is two individuals – batsmen that dig in and perform a miracle against an otherwise rampant opponent, a la Laxman and Dravid in 2001 against Australia (or Laxman and Tendulkar or Laxman and Ganguly or Laxman and the 12th man a half-dozen other times), or a bowler who produces a remarkable burst and turns the game on its head.
But this is fair, and the dramatic nature of Tests in particular is what makes cricket great theatre. It is, however, the magnified importance of individual contributions that can make cricket ‘unfair’. One poor umpiring decision can mean an extra 100 or 200 runs. When Graham Gooch made 333 against India, he commented later that the keeper had dropped “a sitter” off him on 29.
The two rugbies come closest to our code in terms of results consistency reflecting performances. Soccer – especially European soccer – is often trench warfare, Aussie Rules like TE Lawrence’s Bedouin army waging guerrilla war, and rugby something more like the complex strategic manoeuvres of the Romans facing the Parthians.
On balance, the dominant side usually wins. However, it is possible to weather storms with strong defence and a little bit of luck, as restricted space, restricted means and methods of getting the ball forward, the offside rule and a couple of technical aspects of the game combined to limit the scope of scoring.
Fans of Aussie Rules have little to complain about. We are blessed. In our game, the better side (on the day or night) wins way more often than not, despite what we may have hoped for.
Bruce
Guest
The NRL has the most unfair competition and miles worse than the AFL. 5 day turnarounds, the draw stacked so Brisbane has many Friday night games yet the Broncos who made up most of the Qld team in SOO had to fly back from a Wednesday night game in Sydney and then fly to Auckland for a game on a Saturday. There are many other instances of this. the top 2/4 teams have to fly to England 2 weeks before the season launch to play meaningless games against Yorkshire/Lancashire teams in the World Club Challenge so that brings them back to the field.
AussieIrish
Guest
Harry, My code is Rugby but I go to an occasional Swans game. My cousin’s husband, a Victorian, is heavily involved in junior AFL in the Nepean region, part of the GWS, so I have some knowledge of AFL in Sydney. There has been a slight increase in the participation rates in the GWS area but is minute compared to the increase in League participation in the same region and as my cousin’s husband says for the amount of money spent there should have been a much bigger return. I cannot see how the AFL can continue to bleed money with GWS without other clubs mounting strenuous objections. So I am not sure about a third AFL team in Sydney. I do not know where it will be situation in a saturated sporting market. The south of Sydney is heavily indoctrinated into League with Soccer and pockets of Rugby. The west is a war between Soccer and League. The north is Soccer, Rugby and League, with a few pockets of AFL. The east is different with Rugby fighting it out with AFL, with League and Soccer watching disinterestingly. Unless League, Soccer and Rugby have a sudden disintegration in support, then a third AFL team is several generations away. The AFL knows it must have an international presence, that is why it is funding development in NZ and South Africa but the domination of Rugby and Soccer (in South Africa) will only allow AFL to become a boutique sport. This may annoy you but unless AFL does not become an international code, with at least two equal competitions in different countries then pressure from international codes, such as Rugby and Soccer, will slowly overwhelm AFL.
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
Agent11 - you make a great point about double edged sword . I would rather watch traditional men play sport physically as opposed to Ballerina ball which AFL is evolving to . Ted Whitten would be turning in his grave at the state of the game -
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
They canned me last time when I suggested the great Hawthorn teams of the 80's would hammer the current bunch of whippets running around in brown and gold .
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
AFL is not a code
Paul D
Roar Guru
Actually, you could also make an argument that we should play you at Launceston every year on Anzac Day. What better way to pay tribute to the original Anzacs then by sending a large group of young men off to foreign shores to get the hell kicked out of them by a well-prepared opposition.
andyl12
Guest
Haha, I don't necessarily disagree with that idea Paul D. But: *Have Brisbane ever put such an idea to the AFL? *Would Eddie veto it?
Agent11
Guest
this comment is dropping the nuke lol some interesting points though. You could argue League has suffered at grass roots level due to its highly physical nature and some here will gladly point that out... Its a double edge sword though as Origin is so popular because of the increased physicality.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Is that what all your sulking is about? You want a fixture on ANZAC Day? You can have one, just not at the G at 2pm. Come play Brisbane at the Gabba for the next few years on ANZAC Day, we need all the help we can get to try and overcome you guys plus you owe us for 7 years of making the trip to Launceston.
concerned supporter
Guest
# Mike Huber, It is a wonder that the AFL boys have not crucified you.
andyl12
Guest
No I'm not. I'm saying the Perth teams' travel is counter-balanced by them having the most fortressed home ground in the competition, which for the most part has always been the hardest ground for an away team to win at. The Perth teams never mention this when they whinge about travel.
Perry Bridge
Guest
Does the whole world play anything? What definition would satisfy you?
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Mike Huber Funny you talk skills and then refer to the Rugby codes.
Agent11
Guest
lets be real, Melbourne has 1 better venue. The codes played on rectangle fields (which their are 3) will all prefer Sydney and Brisbane though. But those cities also get international cricket. Melbourne does its Australian open, F1 and horse racing very well and i don't think any city can take that away from them even if they did build the venues for it.
Giovanni Torre
Guest
By the way - I'm certainly not complaining about Iceland knocking out England. That's the fairest result imaginable. Talk about Brexit eh.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
Agent- Melbourne has always been Australia's major events capital and that is a direct result of its willingness to build better venues and create a better entertainment atmosphere within the city itself. You don't get something just by asking for it.
Agent
Guest
"A better solution would be for other cities to overcome their laziness and build stadia as big as the MCG (or possibly even bigger)- the money spent would pay for itself in due time as the relevant cities could then put in genuine cases for hosting more major events- not just the AFL Grand Final. " Pretty sure Sydney and Brisbane already host many other major events and don't require a stadium as big as the MCG to do it. And unless it's an AFL or Cricket game most people would rather watch those events at one of the rectangle stadiums anyway.
Giovanni Torre
Guest
Watching the first 9 minutes of Italy v Spain and the Italians are playing like Brazilians. Extraordinary stuff. Four shots, including two absolute cracking efforts. Happy to be showed up!
Loup
Guest
From a refereeing perspective AFL is the fairest code; it is high scoring and there is limited referee interference compared with say rugby union, which is plagued by referee interference, technical penalties, and no clear way to referee some scrum penalties.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Oh no, its Bob Brown (Guru) again!