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Roar Rookie
Joined February 2019
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Hi all, I am new to the roar and this is my first post. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s opinions and find them interesting.
I grew up in Tassie where AFL has a strong history and I loved the game, playing until my early 30’s. I even got good enough to get drafted and played a couple of seasons with St Kilda in the early 90’s. During that period my whole life revolved around the game. I moved away from family, gave up jobs and relationships all for my next footy adventure. The point I’m making is that the game meant everything to me.
Sadly this is no longer the case. The way the powers to be have have tinkered with the rules and the evolution of the modern game over the past 10-15 years has diminished it’s appeal for me. In my day you got told if you can’t kick with both feet you will never make it. Now there are only a hand full of players in the entire league that kick with both feet well enough that you can’t tell which is there preferred side.
Comentator’s often use the term “the skill of the modern day player” when someone uses a dribble kick or kicks a checkside/banana pass but the reason they do that is because they can’t kick both feet! When the game went fully professional I expected these basic skills to improve. Goal kicking is the prime example. Full time players should have all the time in the world to practice goal kicking yet conversion rates from set shots are terrible.
AFLX is the next level of deterioration of our once great game.
The AFL has poored in buckets of money to create a game far inferior to the original product. I can only assume they are aiming it at parents who wrap their kids in cotton wool and don’t want them to play a contact sport. The smaller grounds, low intensity, low impact, 20 point goals are not doing the game any favours.
I could go on but I think I have had enough of a rant.
I know this post has been mostly negative so I hope you don’t think I’m completely off the game. I could never abandon something that I once loved so much. But i do find myself getting more and more frustrated whilst watching ” the modern game”.
Thankfully there are still great games to enjoy and last year’s grand final was brilliant.
Hope we see plenty of games like that this year.
Cheers Axe.
The AFLX sure has some work to do
G’day Nick, I’m new to the roar and this is the first time I’ve seen your posts. You have obviously put a lot of time and thought into crunching the numbers and whilst I find it interesting I can’t help but think the game is so much more than just statistics. For example when a player makes a key play in a big moment in any game but especially a grand final the importance of that action is not reflected in the stats. The stats will show 1 intercept mark or 1 spoil or whatever but the impact that it can have on the result or even the team moral is not quantifiable. That’s one of the things I love about the game, one individual effort can have huge ramifications.
Last year’s grand final was a classic example of this. For me, the one factor that made it such a great game was that there were so many big moments and in most cases the players rose to the occasion. The last passage of play that put West Coast in front illustrates that perfectly. A great defensive intercept mark, then a fantastic grab on the wing followed by awesome composure to execute the shot on goal. Three huge moments from three individuals that will live long in the memories of West Coast supporters.
The stats will say 2 marks and 1 goal.
The AFL defensive factors that decide matches