Would you still love footy if you were born in 2004

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
42

Ive said this before but I moved to Melbourne in August 2001, just in time to see us lose our last GF (I remember telling people "yeah, Ive been told to go for EFC, but I don't really care about footy, it's for bogans" during the GF. I started barracking for the bombers because I was told to (cousins already in Vic), and by 2004 I was hooked, and still am.

 

I dunno, despite our lack of success we've had some pretty awesome wins, and champions of the game, and it helps that I can forget about the losses pretty quickly.

 

This whole sorry saga has made me cynical of the league but more passionate about the club, and just re-enforced why I love it so much.

 

As for the rule changes, and interpretations, it's frustrating and makes me think the league is corrupt, but if you are good enough you should be able to take the umpires out of it.

 

One thing that helped get me into AFL was the Melbourne media. I was actually more interested in watching a game because I knew more about the players through the media (compared to NRL at the time, which I'd grown up with). Everygame had a back story, either someone coming back from injury, someone playing for their career, some milestone being reached, or something ore sinister (drug cloud, coach to be sacked etc).

 

Now the media just never shuts up and I can see they just work to a formula, and it disgusts me, especially considering our treatment over the last 18 months.

 

So yeah, I love our club, and I love watching our games, but you can consider me an automatic devil's advocate for any footy drama.

43

While I supported Essendon, The game that won me over to football as a child was the Salmon vs Ablett game.

I was going to use that game as an example.

 

Open, free flowing, genuine contests, tough, and there weren't 30 players at every stoppage or flooding just to stop God or Salmon getting a run at the ball.

 

A free kick I often think about is the Ess v WCE game in 1993, the jacket waving game.

 

Salmon had 0.7 for the day and as he leads to mark in the last 90 seconds, Jakovich CLEARLY holds his jumper. The umpire rightly pays the free and commentator Ross Glendening I think it was says "the free was there". Salmon kicks the goal, we go four points up and win, Sheeds waves his jacket. We finish on top of the ladder and win the prem.

 

If that game was played today, do you think the free would be paid? Or would the umpire swallow the whistle, scared commentators would complain the game had been decided by a free if the umpire had done his job and paid it?

 

Would Salmon have even been able to make a lead with Ess 2 points down with 90 seconds to go, or would 18 Eagles players have flooded the backline to make sure the spectacle was reduced to a farce?

44

The game is fine. The league can get farked

45

I started watching and following football in the early 70's. By the time I was old enough me and my mates would go to the VFL games and take in turn to watch Essendon, Richmond and Collingwood games. I use to love watching the reserves run around and would often get there in time for the full game (depending upon what time my junior sport finished in the morning and how effecient public transport was). We quickly built up a feel for the young players coming through across the whole competition.

 

Even though we were 14 and 15 years of age, we always felt safe and often the crowd would look after us with better viewing positions, pieces of cake and cover from the rain. It was a real community feel. I don't get that feeling now when I go to the AFL but certainly do at the local level.

 

The game itself needs to open up and the umpires need to umpire to the rules and nothing more, nothing less. The rolling stoppages all happen in the first half and the crowds just sit back and watch with no real involvement.

 

I see the 10 year old boys at my kid's primary school and they all play and love basketball, cricket, soccer and aussie rules let alone baseball, hockey, lacrosse. They love to watch the AFL but have so many options they are not dedicated to it like we were.

 

The AFL is at a critical point and they need to get much better scheduling and keep costs down. If the kids don't go to the game and have the total adventure they will find other ways to spend there time and I don't blame them. Bring back the occassional "curtain raiser" especially when the VFL teams line up with the AFL teams.

46

 

I had a VFL game on while I was home on the weekend (I think it was Williamstown versus someone) and even though it was a cold wet day, it was really good to watch.

 

More open, more long kicking to a contest, and tougher than AFL. Less staging. Also at that level, the umps seem more willing to say "you ducked into the tackle, play on". In the AFL, any player who falls or dives into high contact gets paid the free even though they instigated the contact, and in lots of cases the contact was minimal or non existent...

 

You stated in your OP that umpires don't pay enough free kicks - Now at this VFL game the umpires let the game go. Which one is it ?

 

I grew up in the 70's where umpires routinely paid 80+ free kicks and sometimes a hundred - It was hard to watch because the game was stop/start - less free kicks the better.   

 

No I didn't. You distorted what I said.

It's not a matter of numbers. The frees that are there should be paid.

 

I did not say the umpires at the VFL let the game go. I said they were rightly telling players who had ducked into tackles that they wouldn't receive a free for that.

 

I think it's silly to generalise. If you say "Less free kicks the better", then you're effectively saying don't enforce the rules of the game.

Conversely if you said "the more free kicks the better" that would also be silly, to illustrate your argument in the reverse.

 

What umpires should do is pay the free kicks that are there, across all areas of the ground and at all times in the game. No more and no less. It's that simple.

 

Once the players get the message, they'll infringe less. It's the inconsistency which results in the rules being broken more, because players know some days they get away with it. Consistent application will mean the players will naturally begin infringing less, because they know what the consequence will be.

47

I started watching and following football in the early 70's. By the time I was old enough me and my mates would go to the VFL games and take in turn to watch Essendon, Richmond and Collingwood games. I use to love watching the reserves run around and would often get there in time for the full game (depending upon what time my junior sport finished in the morning and how effecient public transport was). We quickly built up a feel for the young players coming through across the whole competition.

 

Even though we were 14 and 15 years of age, we always felt safe and often the crowd would look after us with better viewing positions, pieces of cake and cover from the rain. It was a real community feel. I don't get that feeling now when I go to the AFL but certainly do at the local level.

 

The game itself needs to open up and the umpires need to umpire to the rules and nothing more, nothing less. The rolling stoppages all happen in the first half and the crowds just sit back and watch with no real involvement.

 

I see the 10 year old boys at my kid's primary school and they all play and love basketball, cricket, soccer and aussie rules let alone baseball, hockey, lacrosse. They love to watch the AFL but have so many options they are not dedicated to it like we were.

 

The AFL is at a critical point and they need to get much better scheduling and keep costs down. If the kids don't go to the game and have the total adventure they will find other ways to spend there time and I don't blame them. Bring back the occassional "curtain raiser" especially when the VFL teams line up with the AFL teams.

I think the point about the reserves and the affordability are key. If parents can't afford to take their kids to the footy, the next generation are not being bred.

 

I remember paying $7 on concession to go to the games at the G in the 90s. I was thinking, couldn't prices and division of gate takings vs TV rights be restructured so that prices went down, bringing more people to games (which looks better on telly anyway). I suppose this would probably mean a reduction in the AFL's monster profits though (and increasing % on profits probably mean personal bonuses for the Demetriou and Gill types) so will never happen.

 

I used to love watching a ressies game beforehand. You could spend the whole day at the footy, pack sandwiches etc. I know it's not always practical but I think Vic clubs, when playing each other, could host a ressies game.

48

No real issue with the game - There have been plenty of 8 goals vs 7 goal games in the history of the VFL/AFL - There have always been attacking teams and defensive teams, though we think footy has only got defensive in the last 10 years - There has always been versions of zones/floods/loose man in defence etc ( though not done as professionally as now ) People rave about defensive pressure But I remember the Carlton mosquitp fleet of the 70's and 80's placed lots of pressure on defenders, though not necessarily for a full game like today - All the defensive tactics of 2014 are themes from the past.    

In the past though, any 8 vs 7 goal games were the result of muddy conditions and pouring rain, not having rolling rubgy scrums on near perfect surface (often indoors) with taggers scragging the hell out of the ball winners.

I'd argue there weren't anywhere near as many low scoring games back then. There were far more high scoring games.

49

Heaps of good points, but the one always brought up is about the lack of fighting. If you want to see fighting, there are sports out there for that.

 

The sport itself just isn't entertaining the watch anymore. The rules are confusing because of the way it is officiated contest to contest.

 

The AFL has tried to control the game too much. First they wanted to speed the game up, so teams changed there tactics and used the interchange more. Then they try and slow the game down again.

 

The only thing keeping me around the sport is my passion for the club.

The league itself is a controlling, bullying, vindictive child of an organisation, no doubt.

 

I'm the same, I hate the AFL but I love Essendon and I'll do whatever I can to support the club AND spite the AFL.

 

Re the fighting, I'm not saying I want to see punches thrown or people hurt.

 

What I do find disappointing is punishing players for pushing and shoving or bumping each other. Case in point: B Goddard. I don't even think it should be a free to push someone who falls over off the ball. 

50

The game changed to become the game you grew up with and loved.  It will change again.

51

It's evolution baby

52

Having grown up in the 70's and 80's the game has changed a lot and a lot of it for the better.  Those mud packed games were impossible to really enjoy, despite the nostalgic concept around that), the players routinely sniped off the ball, the play was to just "get ball and bomb long" without much skill involved.   Of course the upside was we had far more obvious superstars because those with true skills stood out against the bash and crash crowd, while today everyone is made from a cookie-cutter formula.
It really wasn't any better than today and we used to whinge about the umpire back in that day too, it was always their fault we lost, we just didn't have the internet to talk about, just the water cooler conversation on Monday.  The tribunal system was equally as bad and there was no video ref, decisions were just as inconsistent as they are today.
The game changed a lot in the 90's and a lot of it was for the better imo.  What is happening now is no so much the on-field stuff but all the off-field stuff that is driving people nuts with the constant rule changes, strange interpretations of the rules, the rise of the "self" importance and bias of the media, etc

53

David R - what would we do without you.

 

I was reading these posts and thought, "It has to be, of course, yes, its all Hird's fault".  Thanks David.

 

There you go Caro, write one about that:  the one who disappoints - the failing game.

54

The way it’s played is ok by me. Some games suck but some games have always sucked.

My problem with the game is over saturation. The footy shows pin point every little thing wrong with every little contest just to justify their existence. They have to make ■■■■ up to broadcast, so we end up with everything being over analysed by the likes of David King who can’t even tie his own shoes.

There is also too much footy IMO. Play each other once, the following year flip who plays home and who plays away. That’s still 18 weeks, put in two total byes and bring back state of origin in a couple of weekends.

55

The worst part about all the footy shows is the same damn talking points on every show.

56

Stopped watching them and I’m much happier. I used to LOVE the couple of footy shows in the 90’s and early 00’s, and bought Inside Football religiously as a kid, but I can’t be ■■■■■■ now. Journalists think they are ‘celebrities’ and try to boost their profile rather than write something interesting.

To me that’s hurting the game more than anything. Most people wouldn’t even know about crowds being down or average scores down if ■■■■■■■ journos didn’t bang it down our throats each night.

57

I really started following football around '99/2000 when I was a young tacker.

 

I didn't grow up with my father (who goes for North Melbourne) and was raised by mother who didn't really follow football and my grandfather is/was a Melbourne supporter.

 

Thankfully for me I was allowed to pick my team as no one really cared per se and no one tried to corrupt/convert me. (I was VERY lucky)

 

I started paying attention when the likes of Hird, Lloyd, Lucas, Caracella, Wanganeen, Wellman, Bewick, Johnson x2, Misiti, Mercuri, Soloman and Ramanauskas played.

 

My favourite player was Cupido though from the few memories I have of watching him play and him snapping goals from everywhere and showing the type of "x-factor" we would only dream of having in our side now.

 

It was just so exciting watching us play and the hard and physical nature of the game and the competitiveness was just unrivalled compared to other sports.

 

I have been a die hard fan ever since.

 

Unfortunately I have been one of the many who have seen our great game diminish over the years. All the shirt fronts and biifs that you used to see (none of this jumper punching shite and eye gouging).

 

Letting people like that fat greasy haired pr#%k Dimetriou run the league for so many years was a catastrophic mistake along with letting borderline senile seniors of the likes of Kevin Bartlett on the rules committee. 

 

Unfortunately the game will never go back to the great spectacle to which it was but I am sure when I have children that they will still grow up to love it all the same just as I did all those years ago. But I will often remind them of just how much greater it used to be and will show them as many of the footy flashback games as possible. 

58

It’s 2004. Are you still watching football or have the changes put you off a little or a lot? Kids now have a choice to watch AFL as it is because they weren’t around in the glory days. My first Grand Final was in 1962, so I’ve seen a lot of changes. I don’t like football these days. I’ve never known myself to swear so much. I follow football for one reason only; and that is, my love for the Essendon Football Club.

59

My son is about to turn 10, so a very apt OP. He likes footy, but prefers playing soccer. And he gets routinely bullied about ASADA. So while he likes the Bombers, he doesn't have that passion (though I think part of it is that he gets scared well I go off my nut when watching a game and doesn't like me angry).

 

I went to my first game for the year n the weekend. What a great win, and I really loved remembering how enjoyable footy can be. But fark me if I thought the spectacle was good. A rolling maul. Never been one for the half way crap, but something has to change. It is no longer footy, it is simply a hybrid of rugby, soccer and gaelic thrown into one. I am completely with OP on this one. It is not about reminiscing, but simply not enjoying the lack of free flowing contested (man on man, not men on men) football that the game was built on.

 

And I do blame the AFL as there thirst for a faster game is killing off the traditional footballers, the Greg Williams, Simon Blacks, Joe Misitis. Heck I remember the term wet weather specialist. You used to have a rover and a centreman and a ruck rover, now they are all the same. 6ft 2 or 3 who can run all day.

 

It is just a pity Geelong's gameplan didn't destroy the flood permanently.

60

While I supported Essendon, The game that won me over to football as a child was the Salmon vs Ablett game.

I was going to use that game as an example.
Open, free flowing, genuine contests, tough, and there weren't 30 players at every stoppage or flooding just to stop God or Salmon getting a run at the ball.
A free kick I often think about is the Ess v WCE game in 1993, the jacket waving game.
Salmon had 0.7 for the day and as he leads to mark in the last 90 seconds, Jakovich CLEARLY holds his jumper. The umpire rightly pays the free and commentator Ross Glendening I think it was says "the free was there". Salmon kicks the goal, we go four points up and win, Sheeds waves his jacket. We finish on top of the ladder and win the prem.
If that game was played today, do you think the free would be paid? Or would the umpire swallow the whistle, scared commentators would complain the game had been decided by a free if the umpire had done his job and paid it?
Would Salmon have even been able to make a lead with Ess 2 points down with 90 seconds to go, or would 18 Eagles players have flooded the backline to make sure the spectacle was reduced to a farce?
IIRC, Salmon was on 4 points. Certainly not 0.7
61

 

 

While I supported Essendon, The game that won me over to football as a child was the Salmon vs Ablett game.

I was going to use that game as an example.
Open, free flowing, genuine contests, tough, and there weren't 30 players at every stoppage or flooding just to stop God or Salmon getting a run at the ball.
A free kick I often think about is the Ess v WCE game in 1993, the jacket waving game.
Salmon had 0.7 for the day and as he leads to mark in the last 90 seconds, Jakovich CLEARLY holds his jumper. The umpire rightly pays the free and commentator Ross Glendening I think it was says "the free was there". Salmon kicks the goal, we go four points up and win, Sheeds waves his jacket. We finish on top of the ladder and win the prem.
If that game was played today, do you think the free would be paid? Or would the umpire swallow the whistle, scared commentators would complain the game had been decided by a free if the umpire had done his job and paid it?
Would Salmon have even been able to make a lead with Ess 2 points down with 90 seconds to go, or would 18 Eagles players have flooded the backline to make sure the spectacle was reduced to a farce?
IIRC, Salmon was on 4 points. Certainly not 0.7

 

I think he had 3 points and a few out on the full and/or didn't make the distance.

 

I would know, I was there.

 

The fact that I was 10 at the time isn't relevant.

 

EDIT - footage from 6:40. Still my all time favorite game that I've attended.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO4ivcNtNIE