Just remembered another one & that is designated ruckmen at ball ups around the ground.
-
IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
The game today !!
- Thread starter Tigaman
- Start date
Remember the high scoring VFA games?
I think the whole game is totally overcrowded with players and officials.
16 might also stop the ugly flooding.
I’m totally in favour of two umpires and 16 a side.
Remember the barge arse forwards who could kick bags?
And the Eddie Betts like magicians who had space to play?
Forwards are what make the game great.
Running quarterbacks … meh
There are already too many talentless no names on AFL lists. It’s time to streamline the game and go back to most of the old rules that were changed in order to counter the ugly crowding of the game.
Less injuries, higher scores and better players having more space to ply their craft.
I think the whole game is totally overcrowded with players and officials.
16 might also stop the ugly flooding.
I’m totally in favour of two umpires and 16 a side.
Remember the barge arse forwards who could kick bags?
And the Eddie Betts like magicians who had space to play?
Forwards are what make the game great.
Running quarterbacks … meh
There are already too many talentless no names on AFL lists. It’s time to streamline the game and go back to most of the old rules that were changed in order to counter the ugly crowding of the game.
Less injuries, higher scores and better players having more space to ply their craft.
Gotta remember that the umpies are trying to work from in traffic at ground level, gets mighty hard to compare with what the fans or cameras up in the stands can see. Also how often does a player cheat where the boundary umpires can see but with the back turned away from the midfield umpies?
Triple 6 is only for centre bounces so fairly pointless for 95% of game time. VFA 16 a side was very much in an era of part time moderately fit footballers, many of who sucked on a dart or two and played on old style grounds with bugger all drainage. Yet the games were generally high scoring, had plenty of the skills and contests that made the game Aussie rules instead of the modern Scrumby that we get now.
It is an interesting one. Umpires sometimes look like they are ready to blow the whistle at the slightest infraction, and at other times can't seem to find the whistle and let all sorts of rule violations go. Then they will have 2 or 3 rule violations occur and pull out one of them to pay a free. There is no way this doesn't lead to inconsistency.
I recall going to a game in the late 1970s, we were playing North at Arden St, both teams got (from memory) 44 free kicks each. This was normal and the umpiring was even handed as far as I observed. No-one back then was complaining that the game didn't flow, it flowed better than it does now in some ways.
The issue I have is that the AFL, in a vain attempt to keep the game "flowing", set a goal to reduce the number of free kicks given. What this has led to, quite predictably, is that the umpires don't pay every free they see. This has, again quite predictably, led to massive inconsistencies. It also leads to players, who are now full time professionals and have the assistance of club staff employed to analyse games in slow motion, seeing how far they can go before being penalised. The other aspect of trying to keep the game "flowing" is that they basically allow throws. The rules on handpasses have not changed, but the way the rules have been interpreted is massively different, and it takes away one of the unique aspects of our game.
Some suggestions above on reducing the interchange bench have merit, the only reason the game can be a rolling maul is if players can run for the whole game. On that score, reducing the time of each quarter would make things worse. But one thing I would insist on not changing, is the way players can, with very few restrictions, roam to any point on the ground. Without an offside rule, one of the unique and defining features of Australian Football has always been that it is a 360 degree game. It has to remain a 360 degree game and restricting player movement would change the game such that it is no longer the same game.
DS
This, in a nutshell, is what is wrong with the game. How can reducing the free kicks be good for the game. It hasn’t worked. The game is in more strife now than it has ever been. Pay EVERY free kick and the players will adjust… less frustration with decisions made or not made, less dissent. I know the game has got quicker and the players are fitter and stronger than in the 70’s but 4 umpires is not the answer.
The AFL make rule changes and never admit they were wrong, they just make other rules to cover their mistakes and so it goes on.
from the late 60's would follow the Tigers in the VFL on Saturday and Preston in the VFA on Sunday
the VFA 16 a man sides , I recall having it explained , that the VFA grounds , as a rule were smaller and it was the driving force for that
also noting the old fashioned grounds had poor drainage and once wet would be a bog for weeks , looking back , the reduced numbers were good for the VFA
with the rule changes , players and coaches lay awake at night trying to dream up ways to beat the opposition
Kevin Bartlett throwing the ball out in front to get holding the man frees , might have been the start of the rule changes to get the right look for the game
when the interchange first came in , Geelong West in the VFA came up wit the idea . have a ruckman contest a centre bounce
have a one interchange player in the forward pocket and other in the back pocket , the ruck would run off the ground ,a trainer would wave a towel to signify he was off the ground , and depending which way the ball went they push an interchange player on and get the out number
yeah that wasn't a good look , after a few games a quick rule change happened
John Kennedy coach of the Hawks , Glenferrie era , he had Peter Hudson , a champion full forward , idea , everyone bar full forward and full back into the centre bounce , it turned the game into a rugby match
the resposne was a centre diamond , the points of the diamond almost touched the boundary at Glenferrie , so year two it became a centre square
those things were a good look for the game and rules changes were good for preserving the integrity of the contest
the stand rule however was an exercise in dishonesty
the VFA 16 a man sides , I recall having it explained , that the VFA grounds , as a rule were smaller and it was the driving force for that
also noting the old fashioned grounds had poor drainage and once wet would be a bog for weeks , looking back , the reduced numbers were good for the VFA
with the rule changes , players and coaches lay awake at night trying to dream up ways to beat the opposition
Kevin Bartlett throwing the ball out in front to get holding the man frees , might have been the start of the rule changes to get the right look for the game
when the interchange first came in , Geelong West in the VFA came up wit the idea . have a ruckman contest a centre bounce
have a one interchange player in the forward pocket and other in the back pocket , the ruck would run off the ground ,a trainer would wave a towel to signify he was off the ground , and depending which way the ball went they push an interchange player on and get the out number
yeah that wasn't a good look , after a few games a quick rule change happened
John Kennedy coach of the Hawks , Glenferrie era , he had Peter Hudson , a champion full forward , idea , everyone bar full forward and full back into the centre bounce , it turned the game into a rugby match
the resposne was a centre diamond , the points of the diamond almost touched the boundary at Glenferrie , so year two it became a centre square
those things were a good look for the game and rules changes were good for preserving the integrity of the contest
the stand rule however was an exercise in dishonesty
Completely agree with this and I also chuckle at the same time. Chuckle in the sense that the most logical solution is to slow the game down through natural fatigue (I.e Reduce rotations etc.).
KB has been banging on about this for over 10 years, but the know it alls at AFL house and the gimp media painted KB as ‘the old guy screaming at the cloud’. Sort of symptomatic of broader society that simply dismisses any comments from past generations cause, you know, boomers blah, blah
Thanks for this post. It has been good for my footy education (I started late). I have read all these posts from you and others with a great deal of interest and has helped me understand how the game has evolved over the years and how law changes have affected the game to a greater or lesser extent. Never too old to learn!
You should watch some old games, they are fun. I can recommend the 1967 and 1973 Grand Finals. Although it is not nice to watch as we lost, the 1972 Grand Final is insane, 50 goals! Maybe also try the 1971 Grand Final, that shows how rough the game used to be.
DS
I have the 1973 and 1980 GF's and Fighting Fury on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed them so I will try to find the others you recommend. Mind you I still enjoy re-watching the '17, '19 and '20 GFs as well!
71 was the first game I ever saw, televised here in Canberra. Converted me from rugby league.
They should be on YouTube, there is also the 1973 GF in colour which appeared last year, channel 9's coverage so different commentary, camera angles etc.
DS
72 GF for me and convert from league as well. Ever thankful my brother chose to support the team with the squiggles on the front. Left me with the team with the sash (black and white TV)
After the Anzac blockbuster draw today guess what ?. Guess what Pies/Dons want rule change for extra time after a draw. I do suppose Game review committee will be jotting that down in their note book. Extra time Oh please what next.
Ps Just read where Pies coach quite satisfied with the draw & no change to it.
Ps Just read where Pies coach quite satisfied with the draw & no change to it.
Last edited:
