The game in trouble
April 7th 2008 10:34
In the modern game, there is no such play as defence, there are no defenders, and in fact the position “defender” should be replaced with “follower”. This is all due to the committee that change every rule that made our game the greatest game in the world, into a non contact, basketball style game.
The AFL has changed every defensive rule. You cannot touch a player in the back, accidently fall over there back when the attacking player has the ball and drops to the ground. Not only can you not chop the forwards’ arm in a marking contest but also you can’t hold them off with your hands or pretty much touch them at all and there will be “technically” a free kick. The umpires don’t know how to umpire these rules and therefore the standard and the consistency of umpiring has become a farcical in our game.
Sure no one wanted to go and watch players king hitting players from behind when they were going for a mark, but surely the rules committee has gone too far. They have taken the great tussle out of the game that made people go to the footy. People would go to the grounds to see the big centre half forwards and centre half backs have an almighty battle all day. That’s why our game was so mighty back in the 80’s and 90’s, when fans would go to see the likes of Carey on Silvagni and Micky Martin on Gary Ablett. The rules have prevented us from seeing those duals because the defender can’t touch the forward any more. Hopefully sooner or later the rules committee will change these laws back.
The AFL is becoming more like basketball, which is a blight on the game. We have a circle for a “jump”, in older times it was known as a ruck battle, we now have more and more less contact like basketball, we now have a 30 second rule for forwards to have a shot, much like that of basketball. Where is this game going?
The AFL tells us that the game is becoming bigger; membership records are higher than ever, highest attendance at matches, the list goes on. Well this is because there are less and less playing in the country leagues, resulting in less people going to the country footy so they decide to buy a membership and attend the AFL 3 or 4 times a year. The AFL must consolidate the game and fix up the problems it has already before it decides to expand, especially to a place like West Sydney that won’t generate the amount of fans and sponsorship that the AFL hopes.
Let’s hope the AFL can fix these problems before we lose our great game and people become disinterested, and maybe move a team to Tassie, where the people of Tassie will love their club and always bring crowds to the footy, that will truly expand the game.
The AFL has changed every defensive rule. You cannot touch a player in the back, accidently fall over there back when the attacking player has the ball and drops to the ground. Not only can you not chop the forwards’ arm in a marking contest but also you can’t hold them off with your hands or pretty much touch them at all and there will be “technically” a free kick. The umpires don’t know how to umpire these rules and therefore the standard and the consistency of umpiring has become a farcical in our game.
Sure no one wanted to go and watch players king hitting players from behind when they were going for a mark, but surely the rules committee has gone too far. They have taken the great tussle out of the game that made people go to the footy. People would go to the grounds to see the big centre half forwards and centre half backs have an almighty battle all day. That’s why our game was so mighty back in the 80’s and 90’s, when fans would go to see the likes of Carey on Silvagni and Micky Martin on Gary Ablett. The rules have prevented us from seeing those duals because the defender can’t touch the forward any more. Hopefully sooner or later the rules committee will change these laws back.
The AFL is becoming more like basketball, which is a blight on the game. We have a circle for a “jump”, in older times it was known as a ruck battle, we now have more and more less contact like basketball, we now have a 30 second rule for forwards to have a shot, much like that of basketball. Where is this game going?
The AFL tells us that the game is becoming bigger; membership records are higher than ever, highest attendance at matches, the list goes on. Well this is because there are less and less playing in the country leagues, resulting in less people going to the country footy so they decide to buy a membership and attend the AFL 3 or 4 times a year. The AFL must consolidate the game and fix up the problems it has already before it decides to expand, especially to a place like West Sydney that won’t generate the amount of fans and sponsorship that the AFL hopes.
Let’s hope the AFL can fix these problems before we lose our great game and people become disinterested, and maybe move a team to Tassie, where the people of Tassie will love their club and always bring crowds to the footy, that will truly expand the game.
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