Woosha – final moments or finals moment?

The coach thred just grew some substance

2 Likes

What you say certainly is true: no matter how we twist it there certainly is a lack of excitement compared to the 90’s. It all seems so contrived now. Same thing over and over. Backmen get the ball and switch sides to get the ball down the other end then rinse and repeat.
I never looked at it as being boring as batshit or at least I didn’t want to admit it to myself but I think you are spot on. The AFL are slowly ruining this game. Imagine what this game will be like in 3 or 4 hundred years time. It will be unrecognizable. If its boring as batshit now, if you had a glimpse of the game in the year 2420 you would rather sit back and watch a sloth climb a tree.

2 Likes

If only Zaharakis and Stanton would attack the ball the same way they attacked the training track.

2 Likes

Nope, you can thank the coaches for that.

Zones and 20 players around the ball all game.

The game has been turned into a game of congested keepings off and the coaches are the ones who have done it.

5 Likes

our captain last year kicked a ball to the opposite wing with 2 loose players. he missed both by 20 meters and the opposition ended up getting the ball and kicking a goal.

this era in football is the worst skilled ever, There are probably about 20 players at best who have any sort of football smarts or skill.

anyone who’d want stanton and zaka ahead of rioli just wow.

4 Likes

:joy::joy::joy:

IMO Mercuri was probably the best at full flight most skillful, hard at contest, and smart forward, probably deserved a Brownlow in 99, alsways remember him being described as a Rolls Royce. But so hard to compare.
JJ had a couple of elite seasons as a midfielder but didnt have the same versatility, but could kick a good goal from a centre clearance which i loved. But not as skillful as Rioli or Mercuri.
Lloyd very skillful too in the forward craft.

A fit Dean Rioli could have been Goodes level good IMO as a midfielder/half forward.
But he will be remembered as talented but injury prone player, who missed the 00 flag and was overweight and loved turtle, the soft tissue injuries his lack of preparation in the off season meant he didnt get enough out of himself. plus also the knee injury which meant he couldnt train heaps to get fitness up, so his body let him down.

Bit like Alwyn Davey, super talented but a midget. He was tough at the contest, but his size was always a factor against him, initially being drafted, and then once broke arm, ended up getting a little injury prone too. But could say Davey and Lovett-Murray got their full potential extracted.

Its a tough ask getting bodies able to sustain full afl seasons, thats why the Heppells, stantons and zaharakis players are highly valued imo. workhorses, who play high time on ground minutes.

2 Likes

There are a lot of things that contribute to this. The standards of footy in the wimmera for example has dropped off incrementally over the last 25years. Not near as many junours play footy anymore. Hell some schools don’t even allow footys at lunch break anymore.

We also have more teams. So less talent spread over more teams.

Couple all this with ridgid game plans, and the quality of the game as a spectical has dropped off dramatically.

3 Likes

I don’t think the “too many teams” argument washes. The population has grown much faster than the number of teams. More a combination of your first point, less kids playing footy, and recruiting athletes over talents.
Which comes back to the main problem, the game is less attractive as an athletic scrum in place of one-on-ones and pack marks. The VFA lost the wings- would less players on the ground work for the AFL?

1 Like

Hiya and thanks for the message.
I think Burns is a Candidate and always thought Ricky O a long, long shot. Just passing on what was told me. :wink:

1 Like

From what? In the 80’s the game was: get ball kick it long, contest, turnover, get ball kick it long, back and forwards until someone managed to kick a goal. Hitting targets was a bonus not the norm and it meant players like Baker seemed like incredible superstars because they could actually pick out a target and hit them. The skills improved into the 90’s but even the great side of 2000 had players who couldn’t hit the side of a barn.

People romanticise footy from the past but it isn’t particularly correct.

4 Likes

If your team is winning (well) they look good, well organised and highly skilled.
If your team is losing (badly) they look awful, dis-organised and poorly skilled.

4 Likes

Also,

If your team is good, well organised and highly skilled, they will probably win.
If your team awful, dis-organised and poorly skilled, they will probably lose.

5 Likes

Well we’re ■■■■■■ then

1 Like

I get the argument that our fwd line has been decimated, but we don’t fare too badly when it comes to injuries this season, based on this table from the HS

1 Like

Geez Brisbane have had a good run.

1 Like

using injuries is a weak excuse imo. If your system and style of play is strong enough you should be able to cope with injuries.

7 Likes

Agree. Collingwood had a horror 2017 with injuries, much worse than us this yr, still made progress and beat good teams

3 Likes

Lol what a load of crap. Players could hit targets and kicked long if nothing was on. Kicked to advantage side. They held positions a lot more, but still had clear instructions and game plans.

2 Likes

Collingwood also persisted with their coach after many years of crapness.

Just saying. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: