After Stacey Livingstone declared that if you stop Tayla Harris in the air, she’s “useless”, the AFL media set to work immediately on answering the pressing question: is she?
Harris’ coach Daniel Harford said Livingstone’s claim was “borderline garbage”, an intriguing assessment that had many wanting to have a look at his map.
An anonymous former AFLW coach mused, “It was probably an overreach by Livingstone”. And a forensic analysis by The Age revealed that yes, indeed, although Harris is less effective on the ground than in the air, she definitely has more than one dimension to her game and so the “useless” claim was factually incorrect.
Phew! Glad we got that cleared up! It would be scandalous, would it not, to allow an overreach to go uncorrected? And we must remember that borderline garbage is a gateway to… garbage.
On the other hand, it might be said that actually arguing about Harris’ ground-level capabilities in response to Livingstone’s sledge is, not to put too fine a point on it, stupid.
For the love of Barassi, can we just enjoy a nice nasty bit of trash talk without analysing it? Livingstone wasn’t making a measured critique of Harris’ weaknesses: she was slagging her off, and doing it with exquisite timing, right after her Pies had smacked Harris’ Blues. What can you do in the face of that kind of slam dunk? Nothing but seethe and plot your revenge the next time she plays on you.
Of course, Harris tried to make a more immediate response, tweeting an image captioned “A lion never loses sleep over the opinions of sheep”, which is a terrible comeback. Firstly because if you weren’t worried about the sheep’s opinion, you wouldn’t bother tweeting about how unworried you are, and secondly because she beat you, both on the ground and in the post-game verbal volleys.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
And frankly, it was great for the game. With the AFLW going from strength to strength and new fans jumping on board every day, what better way to show that the women’s game is the real thing than by demonstrating that female footballers can lay the verbal smackdown just as viciously as their male counterparts?
On a fundamental level, it’s good for the game purely for the publicity value. Livingstone’s sniping generated a series of articles on the rights and wrongs, including the aforementioned statistical dissection, which as stupid and pointless as it was, still gave column inches to the AFLW. But the nature of the publicity was superb, too.
It was in a similar vein to the story of Richmond’s Katie Brennan targeting the injured shoulder of Gold Coast’s Jamie Stanton: plenty of tut-tutting and lively debate about whether it was poor sportsmanship or not, but the main thing was that it sent a message that this is what happens in AFLW.
After Brennan’s brutality and Livingstone’s acid tongue, no one can say that the women aren’t playing for keeps. Nobody can say the AFLW isn’t a serious matter. Nobody can say these players are too nice to each other.
And that’s just as it should be. Not that footballers shouldn’t have a comradely attitude to each other and carry a sense of community across club lines. But you never want to think that your team, when it runs onto the field, is above getting a little down and dirty if the need arises. You don’t want your footy to be polite.
You want two teams going at each other like angry badgers, and throwing the odd sledge into the bargain.
As professionalism in the women’s game keeps ticking upward, as players get faster, stronger and more skilful, it’s fantastic to see that they’re also getting just a little bit meaner.
There’s always a limit to how attitude is too much, but right now it’s an absolute delight to see the stars of the AFLW baring their teeth, and sinking them into each other.
BrokenSocContract
Roar Rookie
No because they've turned our footballers into vanilla cookie cutter "ambassadors". Get them on their own and the insults run free.
Onside
Guest
Without last seasons vulgar trash talk by a couple of anonymous blog posters, Tayla Harris may not have had her own statue erected . The anonymous posters could as easily have been women lighting a fuse for an obvious response, who knows. Trash talk generates......well more trash talk. ...and so it goes.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
Fair enough. Any recent examples, those you cite are historical at best.
BrokenSocContract
Roar Rookie
Exactly. Hopefully next time they take divots out of each other. Personally I think a good rumble is needed just to solidify the intensity. That would be a sight to behold.
BrokenSocContract
Roar Rookie
Could not disagree more. The stakes are rising and so is the passion. Love it. The honesty is refreshing. As far as not happening in the men's game, nonsense. I can remember Peter Caven taking to a Lockett cut out with a baseball bat. What about Sheedy and Kickett. Many examples
Hoy
Roar Guru
I think because it was all going on off the ball... If it was a tackle, or competing for the ball, fair game. I think two blokes elbowing and bashing into someone off the ball is a bit different. And I know that is part of AFL, but for many, it might be beyond their expectations... I agree, if they take the field, they should be ready... It's not like they are rookies in their first crack.
Raimond
Roar Guru
One of my criticisms of AFLW was that it was a little too collegial. There definitely seems to be more aggro this season.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
Fair enough, she may have 'slipped up'. Why then celebrate an error in judgment? Very catty if you ask me. They can do and say whatever they like at training.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure, that sort of stuff gets said at training all the time, she just slipped up and said it in public.
Macca
Roar Rookie
No but at least there are such articles.
Maximus Insight
Guest
Do you really think in the men's game that articles focused on "analysis" get more activity than the articles about controversial events and enmities?
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Women are different to men so you adjust accordingly, the media cycle had sanitized what AFL players say so clubs don't cause a bad whiff for farting it's nearly a fact the media department is as important as the coaches in AFL. Say what you like ffs, I'd prefer to here stuff like the weekend than dusty playing a blinder and going yeah I was ok only.
Macca
Roar Rookie
While I found it refreshing to hear such honest and open comments calling them "trash talk" is a bit over the top and the type of thing that makes players stop being open and honest. Also why have we had more threads on this comment than we have on the AFLW games from the weekend? If this comp is to be taken seriously it s time we had serious @n@ lysis rather than fluff pieces.
Milo
Roar Rookie
The KB/JS incident was interesting tho. Since Nick Reiwoldt was hit up at the Gabba in 2005 by Chris Scott & Mal Michael after coming back on from a smashed collarbone there seems to be some on-going debate about the 'fairness' of targetting an injured player. FFS, if they'e on the ground they're fair game and that was always the case up until then. Now it seems that its outside the spirit of the game? Why?
Milo
Roar Rookie
Very true, but not so much about the comments or the quality thereof, but just that the incident a motivating factor for the losing team.
Big Daddy
Guest
Trash talk is great, but you have to back it up. She's made a target for herself now. What goes around comes around.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
I agree to a certain extent, particularly related to injuries at times. However, how much of this type of 'truth' do we need to get involved in? Cheap and nasty if you ask me.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
There's not enough truth talk in the men's game.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
Rubbish like this should be left to the wrestling fraternity. No place for it in Aussie rules. Fair enough on-field but to put it out there via the media is low. Does NOT happen in the AFL. If you're happy for this to take place in women's footy Ben, you must live in a sad state of soapy television voyeurism. Any bloke who did this would be pulled aside and 're-educated' by his club. I would expect the same for women!
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I was stoked when I read Livingstones comments, that's the green shoots of a real sporting competition. It was refreshing for someone to tell the truth, loved it.