Let’s be honest, 2017 has not got off to a great start.
The Bourke Street tragedy. The MP travel expenses furore. Donald Trump being Donald Trump. The news is filled with negative stories about people being ripped off, discriminated against or killed.
It is not hard to lose faith in humanity, such is the level of vitriol present in the world of current affairs.
I urge you, dear reader, not to lose faith in humanity, however, because a little competition called the AFL Women’s kicked off on Friday night.
For two hours or so under the lights of Princes Park, old foes Carlton and Collingwood battled in a very new environment: the first of 29 matches in the inaugural series featuring eight female franchises of various AFL clubs.
Such is the way of the AFL, this match had an enormous build-up thanks to the savvy PR teams at AFL House and the respective clubs lucky enough to be granted licences. It would be fair to say the match did not disappoint.
More than 24,000 fans turned up for the historic occasion. Unfortunately, Carlton’s old home ground only holds 22,000, forcing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan to offer a heartfelt apology to those kept out by safety requirements.
Those fans had every reason to be disappointed because the match was a great physical battle from the opening ball-up. Guernseys both navy blue and black and white soon crashed to the ground from the contest for the ball.
Despite Collingwood’s historic opening goal, the first in the history of the AFLW, Carlton went on to win comfortably. What I really took away from the game and the three that followed it was the overwhelming positivity from pretty much everyone involved in the experience.
The media coverage spoke volumes about the new commercial asset the AFL had gained.
The supporters at the ground relished the return of old-fashioned, tough suburban footy.
There were even Collingwood fans on social media saying that they didn’t mind losing to Carlton, such was their happiness at seeing this dream reach full bloom!
Of course, competitiveness is important in sport. It’s what makes winning so satisfying and losing so gut-wrenching.
But this weekend, the wins to Carlton, Adelaide, Footscray and Brisbane were really the post-script to the outstanding launch of a fabulous new league which attracted more than 50,000 fans across the four games.
I have never seen a single sporting movement receive so much positivity and enthusiasm – no one anticipated this kind of fervent passion for something so untested on a national scale.
This success is truly a team effort thanks to all corners of the AFL landscape.
The players play with unquestionable passion and determination, as you also would if you had spent years in your local league not daring to dream of such a spectacle.
The excellent coverage provided by Seven and Fox Footy – especially their brilliant female broadcasters like Kelli Underwood, Neroli Meadows and Sam Lane – ensures that the league’s coverage has a solid and professional touch which is necessary for any popular sporting competition.
The promotion from the AFL and the affiliate clubs has also ensured that fans are more than aware of the stories behind the new clubs and the inspirational players who wear their colours.
Without getting ahead of oneself, the AFLW gives us every reason to smile about something.
I really don’t see the downside of 29 extra matches played for competition points. I can guarantee the AFLW players are trying a lot harder than the men will in the upcoming JLT Community Series, a pre-season snoozefest which loses relevance with every passing year.
Naturally, not everyone is on the bandwagon, as this Herald Sun online comments sample demonstrates:
Shout out to the white privileged blokes who felt compelled to tell @theheraldsun why they won't watch women's AFL ? pic.twitter.com/wrAAPnMsOF
— Sam Drummond (@samdrummond) May 1, 2016
Without analysing precisely how letting women play footy is ‘pandering to the PC brigade and feminists’, I feel very sorry for ‘Bill’.
Contrary to his very heartfelt opinion that the AFLW would be a ‘complete failure’ and a ‘debacle’, I believe, based on this weekend’s evidence, that this new league is, in fact, a fantastic addition to the summer sporting line-up.
Naturally, there will be cynics who say that the free tickets or lack of ‘real’ men’s footy to compete with the AFLW help to cover up its shortcomings. I don’t really have the time to find fault in something where everyone involved is trying their guts out.
If you watched the AFLW and spent the time lamenting any perceived shortcomings compared to the men’s game or decided to go online and express your displeasure with 32 women kicking a Sherrin around, I won’t have a go at you. All I can say is that you’re missing out on something pretty special.
The AFLW is special because the positivity generated by it is needed now more than ever. While the free world is ripped apart by a misogynist orangutan with access to nuclear codes and Australian politicians continue to disappoint us with mind-boggling incompetence, the AFLW guarantees us with eight weeks of good news.
To me, that means more than any petty physical shortcomings.
Also, there is one more reason to love the AFLW from my Brisbane perspective.
I usually dread Lions games because they turn into total thrashings before half time and are in no way competitive.
Yesterday I watched their AFLW team play with grit, passion and determination. And they won.
I rest my case.
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