State of the game? It's the state of the football media that's the problem

@ Shane 28.7 8.43am Before I can consider the validity of your comments, can you respond in detail to my questions in my post of 25.7, at 9.24 am?

Agree, Ryan. Here is a thought, rather than make new rules, why not officiate the ones we already have. Incorrect disposal should always be pinged, and prior opportunity completely eradicated. If you are caught with the ball, you are done. That will free up congestion, because the ball won't be constantly bobbled around and players will spread more often for the kicker.

My view is that you confuse correlation with causation, and would like to run roughshod through the China shop in the vain and unsubstantiated hope that you can permanently change the game to fit your own personalised fantasy ideal. So basically, I think you are very nearly wrong on every point you have made. Leave the game alone. We don't need more stupid rule changes and over officiating in the game.

Excellent article Ryan. The collective media have huge influence over how we perceive the game. The constant negative media is a blight on the game and saps so much enjoyment out of football for so many people. I understand why those in the media talk so often about rule changes: It is easy for anyone to have an opinion on and it gets an emotional response from fans so it must be great for ratings. There is a terrible radio show here in SA "Sportsday SA" that seems to dedicate a show just about every week to what rules should be changed. Credit to you Ryan, and to Josh for his recent articles for taking the unpopular action of not attacking the game. The AFL admin have left the game open to this sort of discussion because they change the rules so frequently that it has become normal - I bet the same conversation doesn't go on about soccer. Unfortunately the media talk has gotten to the point where it is now out of the AFL admins control. It will only stop now if us, the football public stop giving the negative media perspectives air time and force more members of the media follow your lead Ryan, and comment on the many, many positives in football instead damaging the game because it is the easier option.

It wasn't too many years ago that a player would almost take it as an assault on their personal character, I they were called to the interchange bench. Now, they kick a worthy nomination for goal of the year, and run straight to the bench. Stunting the natural injection of adrenaline in the process.

@ Cat 23.7 11.09 am The AFL fan surveys have been done over several years -not just in the last few weeks. Your implication of AFL "push-polling" behaviour is incorrect. And these fan surveys have consistently shown that fans want more goals being kicked, less congestion, and more contested marks. Andrew Maher has said today that it is almost certain that interchange reductions will be introduced.

@ DK 25.7 7am AND @ OP Writer Ryan Buckland I'm glad you enjoy the game -so do I,but far less than previously. There are still good games but, in the view of many, bad games are becoming far more common than previous eras. Ratings' falls and vastly declining per capita AFL crowd numbers (In Vic., WA, SA, and Tasmania) indicate there are many people who share this adverse view of the game. It is a pity that the OP writer, Ryan Buckland (who was very critical of other media commentators) did not provide greater analysis of the Ratings and per capita crowd falls -AND the very perilous strategic consequences these will have for the game, if they continue. A fundamental change was made about 1969 to the VFL, concerning the centre of the ground. What was this change, and what was the horrific problem (which was almost universally recognised as a problem) it was trying to overcome? This change has been universally considered to have been successful -why? What are your views on my comments to Alex above about the record number of stoppages, the big decline in contested marks, and lowest goal scoring since 1968 ; and interchange? What are your views on my comments to Mal above about the AFL's generally acclaimed Charter Of The Game (pertaining to the style of football that the AFL and fans -determined by surveys- desire to see)? Professor K. Norton, the AFL's own appointed injury trend expert, has said there are a record number of injuries caused by tackles, bumps, collisions and pushes. We also know that the average total number of tackles is now about 140 per game -in the 1980's, the total average was about 40 per game. Do you think these 2 issues are linked? Do you think that congestion is playing a major role in these issues?

As a lover of our great game I have enjoyed it no more or less from the 70’s until now. I am sadly of the opinion that if some of the rumoured changes will change the fundamental structure of the game and I am worried about the finished product. I do agree with the author that the media do have too much noise. However, so does the statistical analysis of the game we have a stat for everything. The game is now analysed within an inch of its life. With every rule change each year which tends to bring in immediate umpire confusion and/or spectator frustration. Added to this commentator miss interpretation of the rules is more of Rutherford problem than the game itself. I travel to Melbourne a number of times a year to watch different teams play plus my own. I get a contrast of styles and stages of development of squads. I enjoy each game as much as the next. Please just leave our game alone and breathe and enjoy what we have.

I agree. The other codes will be hoping nothing is done to improve the game. Doing nothing is not the answer.

goal line technology, VAR?

@Mal 24.7 2.17pm You and Aligee are utilising RELEVANT facts, and drawing reasonable conclusions based on those facts. The OP writer and some other commentators here are not acknowledging these facts, and many make dubious assessments. I note the OP writer has not even considered The Charter Of The Game, written by the AFL c.4 years ago. This included that Australian Football should, generally, be free flowing, attacking in mindset, with good scoring, with one on one contests. The Charter was partially based on fan surveys. The current style of game, since about 2005, has generally been played in a contrary style ie congested, gang tackling, low scoring, and record numbers of stoppages. The game is in trouble -yes, there have always been good games, and bad games. There are still many good things about the current game -but bad games are more common now.

Perhaps the World Cup in Russia might be partly the reason. Here in Perth I know there is a large component of the population born overseas and many of those think it's a game without rules. The AFL needs to do more to introduce this indigenous game to new citizens. I think there already is one round dedicated to multiculturalism; this is fine, but is not necessarily targeting new migrants. I would like the AFL to give all new citizens a free ticket to any match of their choice.

This article completely misses the elephant in the room - TV ratings. They are down around 10-15% including being down 20% on FTA in Melbourne. This equates to millions of lost viewers so far this year or hundreds of thousands each round. Friday night games in particular have been very poor. If this continues the next broadcast deal will be a shocker and the game will be in financial trouble. The Gold Coast and GWS millstone around the games neck will be particularly tightened. There must be a reason for this dramatic and sudden drop and for mine it's because the game has become a mess to watch. This is why AFL house is trying to fix the 'state of the game' and the media are going off. You can put your rose coloured glasses on and say everything is great and the media are just trolls but the tv ratings evidence shows it is not. Something has to be done or the games rivers of gold will dry up. Ignoring the problem will see the game wither on the vine.

Why be on a waiting list if the football is as poor as so many keep telling us it is? Because WA is a football mad state. People don't want to pass over a membership because they might not be eligible to join for another 40 years. Footy in the southern states is very much tribal still. People will stick with a team when they are cellar dwellers, stick with their team when the footy is unwatchable. Look to the Suns and Giants crowds if you want to see how the average person with no tribal loyalties responds to the game. Ratings way down. Attendances up on account of West Coast getting 55k instead of 35k to games, bandwagon effect of Richmond winning their first premiership in 37 years

@ My comment to Alex above should be (edit didn't work) ...crowds, on a per capita basis, are now far lower in Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide than in the pre-AFL area.

@Alex 23.7 8.12 am and your comment to "leave (the) code alone". We have a major problem - AFL games have record numbers of ugly stoppages, are scrappy, and the lowest scoring since 1968. Contested marking has declined considerably, with more chip kicking to a non-contest. Polls have also shown that, in addition to high scoring, fans want to see more contested marking. Ratings are falling, and crowds, on a per capita basis, are far lower in Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide in the pre-AFL era. The other major problem is that we introduced the REVOLUTIONARY non-Australian Football concepts of interchange and very high rotations to the game. Soccer and Union dont have these interchanges- why not? League has reduced its number in 2016 from a total of 10-8 per team to open up the game, and make League more attractive. There are even public and Official discussions to reduce it to 6 per game (Up until the late 90's, League had unlimited interchange. The NRL, unlike the AFL, realised this was hurting the open, free flowing skilful play, so reduced it considerably).

I am guessing when Democrats who want open borders and mass immigration state that ICE which patrol the southern border are actually akin to ISIS people can see who is sane and whom is not. Immigration is the NUMBER 1 concern in America amongst voters, they want to see genuine immigration reform, only one man has the balls to attempt it, everyone else sticks their collective heads in the sand, meanwhile huge corporations ( Soros, Koch Brothers) fund open borders activists which gives them cheap labour which bring down middle Americas wages and standard of living. Can you follow yet ......

@Cat 23.7 1.24 pm Professor K.Norton has said there is a record number of injuries caused by tackles, bumps, collisions and pushes. Having such huge numbers around the ball OBVIOUSLY is contributing to this. Do you agree? In the 1980's, the average number of total tackles per game was 40 -now, it's a total of 140 per game. Do you think that constant record tackling, stoppages, and low scoring is good for the aesthetic of Australian Football? It has been known for many years that more goals are kicked disproportionately in the last quarter. The reason generally accepted for this is that players a OBVIOUSLY slightly more tired at the start of the final quarter, than at the start of the first. Do you agree?

The VFL game of the 70s and 80s was largely played on open, muddy suburban fields with glue pot wickets in the middle of every ground. It's a miracle they were able to play at all. We should rightly demand a better brand of football in the modern stadia of today, with 25 years of full preofessionalism behind us, but the improved fitness and strength has been used to clog the game up, and that's not going to change any time soon. The game is clogged up and most games are unwatchable.

Don't watch either, but i can follow what people are saying ..... https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/feb/22/twitter-purge-conservative-accounts-prompts-backla/ Hundreds probably thousands of similar views - are they all just making it up ?