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Fumbleball again showing it's fear of Rugby League


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3 hours ago, DC77 said:

Impossible. Football is skill based. Rugby (both codes) are collision based. When you play football you spend 99.9% of your time with the ball, honing skills.

Did you even read what I wrote, I`m talking about League up to about the age of 14, after that full contact but without any of the head stuff.

If  League and union for that matter, can get participation numbers any where near soccer or kids fumble ball, then when children start drifting away from sports, like they do around 15, we won`t be starting off such a low base and even given natural attrition the games numbers will be in far better shape.

The rest of what you write shows you really have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. If you want to look at great finishers fish out a highlights reel of your own Jason Robinson.

As I have stated before, League and union actually have greater potential to be of entertainment value because the game is not limited to, but does include the use of the feet i.e. the kicking game and even more importantly, League allows that most human of attributes, the use of the hands, i.e. the passing game, and the limitless permutations  we see from the clever use of the hands. And of course we can`t forget the instinctive human desire for seeing physical contact, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far with the contact aspect of the two codes, but I suspect that in the coming decades we will see a shift away from the gladiatorial aspect of League, due to the combined concerns of kids participation and future litigation with regard to head knocks, and League and even union may evolve into a game that showcases running, passing, evasiveness with out such emphasis on the oomph. Think more Reece Walsh`s, Sam Walker`s, Matt Dufty`s and Ryan Papenhuyzen`s and less Jason Taumololos.

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8 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

A mistype, the point should note that even one eyed AFL supporters would agree that the SL War was perfect timing and had a great effect on the growth of the Swans.

Which would mean that in the mid 90s a sizeable number of general event-goers in Sydney started attending Swans games in preference to RL.

What`s significant is that they`ve kept going and probably passed on their penchant to the next generation. They obviously discovered something they liked at the SCG, whether the game or the event.

Big crowds draw even bigger crowds. When the numbers at Swans games grew so much so quickly it enabled them to generate the kind of atmosphere and prestige that not only persuaded new fans to keep coming back, but also extra people to check them out. And they were thus able to emulate the Melbourne AFL attendance culture they saw on TV.

By contrast, the 5k at Kogarah last Thursday was especially low probably because the "fans" who stayed away expected it to be low. Anticipating a damp squib of an event, they preferred to watch the game sat on their couch.

In RL we`re all too often reduced to diehards at games. Our crowds don`t consistently reach the threshold required to create the sort of occasions that attract the more casually interested.

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15 hours ago, The Rocket said:

I think that any child sports is going to have a modicum of physical contact to still engage interest. With League, unfortunately I think that there is just too much, soccer and fumbleball probably are closer to the mark, just enough so that kids can walk off the field and feel like they`ve participated in something physically vigorous 

I played in the school Soccer team at primary and secondary school. At primary school, I don`t recall any physical contact at all. I suppose there must have been some, but only occasional and accidental, the sort that happens in League Tag.

Only in the later years at secondary school, with sliding tackles and aerial challenges, did robust physical contact become a feature. I`m not sure why you would think being kicked on the ankle or elbowed in the head makes a game more satisfying to play.

Primary school Soccer was either most of us standing around freezing to death waiting for the ball to come our way, or all 20 outfield players clustered around the ball, going nowhere fast, like an AFL fumblefest.

Mini and Mod RL are perfectly safe games for younger children with the right balance to maximise everyone`s involvement. We just need to address the problem that one 8 year old can be twice the size of another.

And I stand by the belief that League Tag has a significant role to play in junior RL. If children need contact to "feel like they`ve participated in something physically vigorous", why are there such large numbers playing Touch and OzTag?

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14 hours ago, The Rocket said:

Did you even read what I wrote, I`m talking about League up to about the age of 14, after that full contact but without any of the head stuff.

If  League and union for that matter, can get participation numbers any where near soccer or kids fumble ball, then when children start drifting away from sports, like they do around 15, we won`t be starting off such a low base and even given natural attrition the games numbers will be in far better shape.

The rest of what you write shows you really have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. If you want to look at great finishers fish out a highlights reel of your own Jason Robinson.

As I have stated before, League and union actually have greater potential to be of entertainment value because the game is not limited to, but does include the use of the feet i.e. the kicking game and even more importantly, League allows that most human of attributes, the use of the hands, i.e. the passing game, and the limitless permutations  we see from the clever use of the hands. And of course we can`t forget the instinctive human desire for seeing physical contact, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far with the contact aspect of the two codes, but I suspect that in the coming decades we will see a shift away from the gladiatorial aspect of League, due to the combined concerns of kids participation and future litigation with regard to head knocks, and League and even union may evolve into a game that showcases running, passing, evasiveness with out such emphasis on the oomph. Think more Reece Walsh`s, Sam Walker`s, Matt Dufty`s and Ryan Papenhuyzen`s and less Jason Taumololos.

I know you were talking about youth level. What I stated applies to all levels. The very thing that inspires youths to play the game is the stuff they see on tv. It’s by far the biggest driver. So when you see what is a collision based game, where one bloke runs into another bloke, that’s an acquired taste. It will inspire some kids who’d like to emulate what these blokes do (obviously as there wouldn’t by anyone playing it), but kids predominately favour skill based games, games where the focus is on them expressing themselves, and not getting battered in the process. For an aspiring kid to play rugby they know they will have to bulk up, spending hours in the gym on a regular basis to partake in it. 

The tag rugby stuff ain’t rugby. That’s running around with a ball and touching an opponent. It’s much closer to tag than rugby. When the collisions start, and the wrestling/grappling, that’s when the rugby starts. Watch the enormous drop off when that kicks in, as well as with the gym/bulking up process. 

Concur with your point about evasiveness. That’s a huge draw that rugby (both codes) should be emphasising more. I loved watching Brian O’Driscoll (he was at his peak vs Australia in the 2001 Lions series...perfect physical shape, wirey/elusive frame before he was forced to bulk up which saw him lose half a yard). Ireland RU (like almost all the other teams) are virtually unwatchable now. Think it was you that mentioned RU could do with having less players on the field, resulting in more space. Both rugby codes have the capacity to be more eye catching, but they’ve both gone the other way in being more physical/attritional, RL not as far as RU of course. This has made it harder for stars to be created. There are stars in Aus but RL there is big time, so they will be stars regardless. You need to do much more in the UK, and what made Offiah a star couldn’t be done today as the game is infinitely harder to make those eye catching runs. The top try scoring figures have nosedived. The talent is roughly the same so that’s not the issue, the problem is the platform to shine on the field isn’t there. I’d hazard a guess that Offiah would score 50% of what he scored then. The last RU superstar Lomu is in the same boat. No way does he make the same impact now as he did then. The space ain’t there anymore, the bigger bodies would shut him out.

Football and basketball aren’t the two biggest sports on the planet by chance. The gameplay allows individuals to shine, stand out and become mega stars, and they do so while not getting pummelled in the process. While both rugby codes have made it harder to stand out, it’s now easier to stand out in football as the players get enormous protection from officials (far less dangerous tackling for one). Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both scored over 700 goals breaking records galore. 

Millions of kids see what they do and want to emulate them, buy jerseys, equipment, attend games etc...result, the sport grows like wildfire. Basketball ain’t my thing, but it’s impossible not to be in awe of the moves of Michael Jordan. The same would apply to Ronaldo (Brazilian, not the Portuguese tart), Messi, or in tennis Federer. Rugby could produce a similar level star, which in turn gets more kids playing and would ultimately grow the sport. But it’s gone the other way in terms of allowing stars to be created.

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Noticed this tweet on the sportsindustry page -

"Stunning footy discovery this afternoon. 28 minutes of alternative colour footage of the 1974 VFL GF. Here is a never-before-seen angle of the 3rd quarter brawl. You can now see Doug Wade running in from distance, before McGhie`s brilliant last second evasion".

Apparently the standard footage doesn`t quite capture the majesty.

A cameo at the end of the posted clip brought a nostalgic tear to my eye. Entering stage left, on a mission of peace, one of the men in white coats and hats runs on. Those fine figures remain my favourite aspect of bygone Aussie Rules.

Never mind the biff, bring back the men in white coats! Making sense of AFL is no easy task. They at least were dressed for the occasion.

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5 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

, bring back the men in white coats! Making sense of AFL is no easy task. They at least were dressed for the occasion.

There is an element of Inspector Gadget about their appearance.

Definitely something Freudian though, with the umpires being so over-dressed, while the players prance about barely dressed at all.

In my first year at University there was this boy from Victoria who seem to wear his collingwood players outfit 365 days of the year, squeezing himself into these tight little shorts and sleeveless shirt in all weather, being a boy from country NSW I`d never seen anything like it in my life, I remember at the time I just considered him a complete ****. Funny now looking back on it though, the fervour they have in letting everyone know about their game.

In all the years I was at uni, about 10 years on and off, I only ever saw one bloke wearing a League jumper, he was this little bloke from the western suburbs with a Bowie hairstyle and he used to wear this faded old Bulldogs jumper. I got to know him and he was one of the two funniest people I had ever met, I use to think he was as witty as Oscar Wilde, turned out he was studying Law and as I was to find out later, he had a heroin habit. He disappeared and I didn`t see him for years and one night I was watching TV, the year the Bulldogs salary cap scandal broke, and the ABC had a reporter down at Belmore and there was this depressed group of fans gathered, the reporter went over to the group and spoke to one bloke and it was him, John Lindsay, I`ll never forget the words he said to the reporter, " I know it`s only a game man, but I can`t help it`. He was a lovely bloke and it was great to see he was still with us. Two different games, two different types of fanatics.

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On 09/04/2021 at 00:31, The Rocket said:

Anyway mate each to their own, one thing before I go I read in the papers that there is a raging debate over whether to expand into Tasmania, onwards and upwards.

There`s been some coverage in the media over the past couple of weeks about prospective AFL franchises in both Tas and NT. All the feasibility studies conclude that each would be loss-making and require substantial subsidies indefinitely. Much the same as GWS and Gold Coast Suns.

How tenable would a 20 team AFL be with a guaranteed minimum of 4 drains on their resources for the foreseeable future?

New teams in Tas and NT would indubitably have more immediate local resonance than GWS and GCS. In terms of cold hard logic, it would be sensible for new franchises in Tas and NT to take over the licences of GWS and GCS. But that would entail an embarrassing retreat. Could be that in their impatience to make further encroachments into RL territory, AFL strategists have grievously miscalculated.

AFL has probably reached, maybe gone beyond, its limit for viable expansion. NRL, for various geographical and historical reasons, has greater potential for a 20 team competition with all franchises profitable over the long term.

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1 hour ago, unapologetic pedant said:

There`s been some coverage in the media over the past couple of weeks about prospective AFL franchises in both Tas and NT. All the feasibility studies conclude that each would be loss-making and require substantial subsidies indefinitely. Much the same as GWS and Gold Coast Suns.

One of signs of a thriving sport, rightly or wrongly, is expansion. Fumbleball with its self-proclaimed image of being all- conquering feels it necessary to be looking for new territories to annex, problem is they are really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel now. I do feel there is a little bit of ` hey look, we`re expanding too` going on.

I saw an article the other day stating that a team in the Northern Territory, population 150 000, would lose conservatively $15m per year. Good one. Go for it.

Calls for a team in Tasmania, population 550 000, Capital city Hobart, population 252 000, are largely in response to the dramatic decline of the code in that state rather than being based on any overwhelming business case being presented  for it.

I suppose the afl`s ability to continue to fund loss making expansion ventures will depend on their ability to attract ever more dollars from broadcasters. According to most experts monies received from traditional broadcasters has now maxed out. I read somewhere that the afl were aligning their broadcast deals to expire at the end of 2024, with the hope that they may be able to sign some monster deal with one of the big streaming outfits like Amazon.

 

 

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I can’t imagine there will be any team in NT soon, however, the AFL are not viewing GWS or GCS as an expensive experiment. It is a long term investment, not just for fans, but most importantly for players.

Apart from recruiting a few Irishman or Americans, the AFL will for another 1000 years still be played by Australians. So for that reason in itself, it is more important for AFL to expand its reach across Australia.

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15 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Apart from recruiting a few Irishman or Americans, the AFL will for another 1000 years still be played by Australians. So for that reason in itself, it is more important for AFL to expand its reach across Australia.

So 3021 will be the year the rest of the world will succumb to the allure of playing Aussie Rules?

Could be a little premature.

Might be more realistic to think in terms of the Zager and Evans crystal ball gazing hit "In the year 2525". They offer a mix of gloomy prognoses for selected years from the range 2525 to 9595, including this -

"In the year 4545

Ain`t gonna need your teeth, won`t need your eyes"

That could be the moment. Mark it down in the diary.

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@unapologetic pedant I`ve never been able to work out exactly what the figure highlighted means, any ideas?

Do you know what that 327 000 figure has to do with individual tallies for each game. There is another NRL Super Saturday for 167 000 lower down and a 105 000 `Post Game` figure at the bottom.

1 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY FOX LEAGUE 327,000
2 LIVE: NRL: STORM V WESTS TIGERS FOX LEAGUE 273,000
3 LIVE: NRL: DRAGONS V RAIDERS FOX LEAGUE 259,000
4 LIVE: AFL NORTH MELBOURNE V BRISBANE FOX FOOTY 175,000
5 LIVE: NRL: KNIGHTS V WARRIORS FOX LEAGUE 172,000
6 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY FOX LEAGUE 167,000
7 LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY FOX FOOTY 157,000
8 LIVE: AFL GWS V CARLTON FOX FOOTY 153,000
9 LIVE: SUPERCARS DARWIN RACE 12 FOX SPORTS 506 115,000
10 LIVE: AFL GOLD COAST V PORT ADELAIDE FOX FOOTY 111,000
11 LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY FOX FOOTY 108,000
12 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY POST GAME FOX LEAGUE 105,000

 

 

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On 08/06/2021 at 04:46, The Rocket said:

Did you even read what I wrote, I`m talking about League up to about the age of 14, after that full contact but without any of the head stuff.

If  League and union for that matter, can get participation numbers any where near soccer or kids fumble ball, then when children start drifting away from sports, like they do around 15, we won`t be starting off such a low base and even given natural attrition the games numbers will be in far better shape.

The rest of what you write shows you really have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. If you want to look at great finishers fish out a highlights reel of your own Jason Robinson.

As I have stated before, League and union actually have greater potential to be of entertainment value because the game is not limited to, but does include the use of the feet i.e. the kicking game and even more importantly, League allows that most human of attributes, the use of the hands, i.e. the passing game, and the limitless permutations  we see from the clever use of the hands. And of course we can`t forget the instinctive human desire for seeing physical contact, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far with the contact aspect of the two codes, but I suspect that in the coming decades we will see a shift away from the gladiatorial aspect of League, due to the combined concerns of kids participation and future litigation with regard to head knocks, and League and even union may evolve into a game that showcases running, passing, evasiveness with out such emphasis on the oomph. Think more Reece Walsh`s, Sam Walker`s, Matt Dufty`s and Ryan Papenhuyzen`s and less Jason Taumololos.

Having watched two exhibitions over the past 48 hours (Penrith (especially #7) and Manley (second half)) i want to re-evaluate and quote this again. Those two teams lit up the game with so much beautiful attacking play, so I concur completely with your last paragraph. Been a joy to watch.

 

 

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42 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

@unapologetic pedant I`ve never been able to work out exactly what the figure highlighted means, any ideas?

Do you know what that 327 000 figure has to do with individual tallies for each game. There is another NRL Super Saturday for 167 000 lower down and a 105 000 `Post Game` figure at the bottom.

1 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY FOX LEAGUE 327,000
2 LIVE: NRL: STORM V WESTS TIGERS FOX LEAGUE 273,000
3 LIVE: NRL: DRAGONS V RAIDERS FOX LEAGUE 259,000
4 LIVE: AFL NORTH MELBOURNE V BRISBANE FOX FOOTY 175,000
5 LIVE: NRL: KNIGHTS V WARRIORS FOX LEAGUE 172,000
6 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY FOX LEAGUE 167,000
7 LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY FOX FOOTY 157,000
8 LIVE: AFL GWS V CARLTON FOX FOOTY 153,000
9 LIVE: SUPERCARS DARWIN RACE 12 FOX SPORTS 506 115,000
10 LIVE: AFL GOLD COAST V PORT ADELAIDE FOX FOOTY 111,000
11 LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY FOX FOOTY 108,000
12 LIVE: NRL SUPER SATURDAY POST GAME FOX LEAGUE 105,000

 

 

The tables I see never have anything highlighted. I don`t pay attention to the non-game figures. At a wild guess, maybe these are cumulative figures rather than each being a distinct continuous show. But then why is Fox Fumble Super Saturday not highlighted?

During this Origin period some AFL figures have improved, but they seem to have fallen back this weekend. The 3 above, given I don`t think there were any overlaps, are poor. These follow the disappointing 194k for their big Friday night game.

Whereas the 3 NRL Saturday games are higher than expected, particularly the blowout Storm/Tigers. Then again, we don`t really know how all these are calculated. i.e. how long someone has to watch to be counted.

A lot of the Fumblers seem to be in Tas at the moment. Latter-day transportation. Long may it continue. Could get very crowded.

On the minor cross-code battle, the Super Rugger (theoretically trans-Tasman, but in reality NZ) final got 74k on 9 Gem. Which must be lower than the SR final got in 2019 and previously on Fox. 

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43 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

The tables I see never have anything highlighted. I don`t pay attention to the non-game figures. At a wild guess, maybe these are cumulative figures rather than each being a distinct continuous show. But then why is Fox Fumble Super Saturday not highlighted?

Sorry mate, it was me who highlighted them just so they would stand-out when I was asking you for a possible explanation. Your right the fumbleball do have a similar entry `LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY` ON FOX FOOTY, considerably less and only two, mayhap pre and post show programmes.

Without wanting to get too bogged down in this, but getting bogged down anyway, it would be odd if the two ` LIVE: SUPER SATURDAY` ON FOX FOOTY` were pre and post match shows, given they are so much less than the League equivalents, because certainly on FTA fumblball pre and post match shows rate the pants off League.

There is a comments section at the end of that site, where it seems a bloke called David Knox is happy to answer questions so I might have a go at asking him. Thanks for your suggestion anyway.

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1 hour ago, DC77 said:

Having watched two exhibitions over the past 48 hours (Penrith (especially #7) and Manley (second half)) i want to re-evaluate and quote this again. Those two teams lit up the game with so much beautiful attacking play, so I concur completely with your last paragraph. Been a joy to watch.

 

 

Just a pity we couldn`t have given you a bit closer scorelines to make it a bit more interesting at the finish.

It`s interesting we`ve seen a plethora of smaller blokes coming into the game lately, I reckon that fullback for the Titans today would have to be the smallest of the lot, he looked about 15, I can`t get my head around how they do it when you see the size of some of the blokes they`re up against, and some of those big blokes are not only huge but fast as well. But they are certainly lighting the game up.

I know you have a thing about the impact nature of our sport, and as the Pedant and I have discussed many times, I agree it is an existential threat to the game. Just watching that Broncos/Rabbitohs game last Thursday night, two nasty head clashes in the first 10 minutes and just when you`ve put them behind you there was another at the end just to remind everyone. I agree it can`t go on, it`s not sustainable in this day and age, whether the game can eliminate them to a sufficient degree so that it has a future, I`m really not sure. 

BTW. I don`t have Pay, but have been looking to catch some of the highlights of the Euros, soccer played at the top level can be a sight to behold.

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25 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

It`s interesting we`ve seen a plethora of smaller blokes coming into the game lately, I reckon that fullback for the Titans today would have to be the smallest of the lot, he looked about 15

That`s Preston Campbell`s son, Jayden.

If you didn`t see it last week, check out the Titans/Roosters highlights on YouTube. As Angus Crichton went through for the Roosters` second try, he stuck his tongue out at the young bloke in a catch-me-if-you-can gesture. Then was cut down short with a brilliant low tackle. They still gave the try on momentum. I thought it was a double movement.

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4 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

That`s Preston Campbell`s son, Jayden.

If you didn`t see it last week, check out the Titans/Roosters highlights on YouTube. As Angus Crichton went through for the Roosters` second try, he stuck his tongue out at the young bloke in a catch-me-if-you-can gesture. Then was cut down short with a brilliant low tackle. They still gave the try on momentum. I thought it was a double movement.

Yeah I knew who he was. The smallish full-back for the Broncos pulled off a couple of copy-book low tackles the other night as well.

Still the damage that you see that a big body like Trbojevic can do at full-back it`s hard to imagine them disappearing from the game.

The Saints had that young Tyrell Sloane debut last night with Cody Ramsey on the wing, both about 75-80 kg wringing wet. I believe Sam Walker weighs 74kg and Reece Walsh similar, that`s seriously small up against 110-120 kg blokes that can run. 

It`s interesting that we are seeing these much smaller young players popping up everywhere lately, more than I can remember any other year. I was reading a past post of DC77 after he complimented our game tonight and he said that goal scoring and the number of prolific goal scorers soared once they started protecting those type players in that game, do you think that`s where we are headed.

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11 hours ago, The Rocket said:

It`s interesting that we are seeing these much smaller young players popping up everywhere lately, more than I can remember any other year.

do you think that`s where we are headed.

It`s hard to say whether we`re in the midst of flux. It`s still relatively early days for 6-again and we don`t know how sustainable the high shot crackdown is. RL coaches and players are not traditionally quick to adapt. Our mate Sports Prophet is not alone in denigrating high-scoring blowouts. If these are attributed to the PVL changes and affect ratings, there could be a rethink.

On the adaptability of coaches, and related to smaller players, my frequent go-to is Ryan Papenhuyzen. He was tearing up the competition before 6-again or the crackdown after no other club wanted him. Had he not gone to Melbourne, very likely he would never have played regular NRL.

Most coaches are conformists because they fear losing games and fear losing their job. Orthodoxy thinking decreed Pap was too small. Only under a coach whose record of success empowers him to be imaginative was the player able to thrive.

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11 hours ago, The Rocket said:

 I was reading a past post of DC77 after he complimented our game tonight and he said that goal scoring and the number of prolific goal scorers soared once they started protecting those type players in that game, 

Off topic, but I`ll give you my take on modern Soccer.

In the 90s when Serie A was shown FTA over here, you`d see games where if anyone looked like beating an opponent he`d be instantly chopped down. Through increased use of yellow and red cards, skilful players are now better protected.

But there`s another aspect. Back then a lot of games were falling over contests. Every time two players made contact, one or both would hit the deck, and the ref would blow the whistle. Continental refs in particular regarded almost any contact as a reason to stop the game and make a call.

Since then the officials must have been told to allow more contact short of a clear foul. Hence, they`re more likely to play on and the result is that skilful players stay on their feet and use their ability rather than go down looking for free-kicks and penalties. There are also yellow cards given for simulation.

However, if there`s one factor more than any other that has changed Soccer from when I first went to games in the 70s, it`s the standard of pitches. Today`s passing football was not possible on the undulating quagmires, full of holes and sand, that used to prevail through parts of the season.

The ball could barely travel a few metres without hitting a divot or bobbling up. So inevitably midfield was bypassed and the long-ball game dominated. Bit like AFL - just lump the ball forward, aerial contest, then play off the glances and rebounds.

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On 08/06/2021 at 11:19, Sports Prophet said:

That sounds a very likely conclusion @unapologetic pedant on all fronts.

Just to show I`m not too biased, I`m using this post to acknowledge that the AFL game on Sunday rated a creditable 242k on Fox.

Any idea why so good, SP? - I think you let slip that you`re an Essendon fan and they`re going okay. But Hawthorn are having a bad year. And they look dreadful. Their colours always bring to mind an overripe banana.

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5 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

Just to show I`m not too biased, I`m using this post to acknowledge that the AFL game on Sunday rated a creditable 242k on Fox.

Any idea why so good, SP? - I think you let slip that you`re an Essendon fan and they`re going okay. But Hawthorn are having a bad year. And they look dreadful. Their colours always bring to mind an overripe banana.

Two big clubs, strong rivals, playing interstate so no fans at the game. All of the above...

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On 10/06/2021 at 08:38, unapologetic pedant said:

New teams in Tas and NT would indubitably have more immediate local resonance than GWS and GCS. In terms of cold hard logic, it would be sensible for new franchises in Tas and NT to take over the licences of GWS and GCS. 

 

On 10/06/2021 at 11:45, Sports Prophet said:

I can’t imagine there will be any team in NT soon, however, the AFL are not viewing GWS or GCS as an expensive experiment. It is a long term investment, not just for fans, but most importantly for players.

Headline on Foxtel today - "This is not working" : Calls for AFL to consider Suns` status as Tassie team momentum grows.

The quote is from David King who is apparently a "North Melbourne great". Who knew?

He questions the Suns` viability and goes on to say "But if the only benefit is doubling your Auskick numbers and that sort of stuff and we don`t see anything tangible on the field there comes a point where you`ve got to say - is this really worth it ?"

And the best quote - "It`s gone from a headache to a migraine for the AFL and something has to give" - I know the feeling. That`s when I switch from paracetamol to ibuprofen.

If I were an Aussie Rules fan I wouldn`t like this attitude. I much prefer Sports prophet`s outlook. But it is satisfying to see some short-termist, narrow-minded, dismal negativity in AFL circles.

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