Time to let the old ways die

The good old days. This saying might work for a lot of things, but it just doesn’t when it comes to AFL.

I think its fair to say that we’re in a new era of footy. We now have unlimited access to footy players thanks to Twitter and Instagram. There are no secrets. We have more footy shows analysing the game than ever before. We even have the umpires wearing body cameras.

The coverage is better than it ever has been, but with all the improvements there’s one thing that hasn’t changed enough, and that’s the personalities on commentary.

(Morne de Klerk/Getty Images)

With the slew of rules changes over the past few years, we’re living in a completely different age to that the current commentators used to play in during their active years. Past players didn’t deal with all the scrutiny current players deal with today, in particular the discourse around mental health, which is certainly prevalent today compared to back then.

Over the past few weeks commentary about the game has been getting only worse, and it’s starting to ruin AFL. It’s got to a point where I will watch the game on mute or check who is commentating before deciding whether to switch on the TV at all.

It started a few weeks ago with little calls that commentators would make. I used to laugh it off, but now it’s starting to get to me, and once I noticed these comments it started to ruin the game I love so much.

When Jaidyn Stephenson was dubbed a ‘spaceman’ it was at first funny, but since it’s gotten more coverarge – and it’s now almost talked about more than the game itself – then it starts to become too much.

It then all came to a head when Eddie Betts did what he did best and kicked a goal from his pocket. Sydney Stack went over and shook his hand. Now this is footy! This is something we should be getting behind. Stack said what an honour it was to play on Eddie Betts and to witness another amazing goal. He felt the goal was something that he should be congratulated for.

Unfortunately there were the outspoken former players who said this sort of thing shouldn’t happen, that this wouldn’t have happened in their day – in the ‘good old days’, when they used to beat each other up and not talk about their feelings.
How can we expect kids to hear commentators say this isn’t right and then grow up and not respect or even be friendly to rival competitors?

(AAP Image/POOL/Alex Coppel)

Those weren’t the good old days. Shaking an opponent’s hand is something we should encourage, and it didn’t change the way Sydney played for the rest of the game, nor did it change the outcome of the game. The positives that came from it, though, outweigh the old thought that once you step on the field you are enemies.

Then came Matt Guelfi taking a taxi to the Perth hospital after an incident in the first half instead of an ambulance, followed of course by ‘AFL greats question decision’ in headlines. These so-called greats said an ambulance should be waiting for him to take him to a hospital. It wasn’t just that these commentators were again out of touch with today’s game and today’s times, but also that they keep talking about it for the next week. Ambulances are for emergencies, not to take a player who can clearly walk to a hospital for a scan.

Yes, he could have been injured, but the only thing an ambulance can do differently to a taxi in this situation is get him there faster – but, again, this isn’t an emergency situation.

With changes to so many rules this year, especially to the way players can now mark a ball, older players are saying our game’s being ruined. But in fact it’s about making sure our players are safe and live well after the game without repercussions. Things like the concussion tests and making sure studs aren’t hurting players when they go up for a mark.

I then watched someone on The Front Bar showing clips from the late 1990s and early 2000s, and what was being shown was simply not okay. The fights and the heavy hits, which probably resulted in serious injuries – those weren’t the good old days; those were the stupid and dangerous days.

This all changed once ‘Player Takeover Round’ started on Fox Footy last week. I watched Eddie Betts, Nick Riewoldt and Shaun Higgins commentate and give a play-by-play of the coverage. This was the best commentary I have heard in years. They spoke about things that were actually relevant and gave insightful analyses about what they go through and how they play because they actually do it or did it recently. They were able to talk about what it’s like out there in the game.

I understand we can’t have players commentating all the time, but Neil Davis commentates a lot and, again, he gives great insight and opinion of the sort no-one else can, especially not former players who haven’t players in over 20 years.

We need commentators like Jimmy Bartel, Nick Riewoldt, Wayne Carey and Matthew Richardson – players who are much more relevant than starts from the 1980s and 1990s. These players played recently and know the current players and what they’re going through.

The game is changing fast, and while this isn’t the biggest issue AFL faces at the moment, it is a small change that will make such a big difference to how people view the game.

Viewers at home would hear positive coverage and facts, not silly nicknames or debate about irrelevant things, like whether players use too much mayonnaise on their food. Save that stuff for a talk show.

Its time to let the old ways die and make way for a new and better AFL experience.