Unpopular takes

[mjp]

I agree, I am finding it hard to watch.

The challenge is - as it always has been - that the best players are absolutely excellent. And what happens whenever the skills of the game are called into question someone like Kate Hore will be thrown up as in "Well, if it's so bad, look at what Kate did here..." - and you'll see her kick an awesome goal...I get it. The best players are awesome and the goal Molloy kicked in Round 1 for the Swans was brilliant and yep, I know.

But the drop off is outrageous.

In the bottom teams - and sadly, we are one of them right now - 10-12 of the players on the park (and there are only 16) actually cannot play. But there is NOWHERE for them to develop because the state leagues are poor...they can't drop back and learn their trade (aka Jordan Sweet not that I wanted to mention the war) because there is no-one to compete against. So all the development needs to come in a training situation...but at the weaker clubs there is not even enough competition at training to drive standards and foster improvement.

I know I'm not supposed to say any of this because being supportive of the game and the players is important...but the footy is bad right now.

My suggestion is that some clubs need to dare to be different - and train as cohorts to help raise the level of their own players. North Melbourne are just down the road - we should REGULARLY train with them...not full on match sim but break down the elements of the game. The mids do stoppages against each other, forwards and backs compete etc...get the better players working against one another more often because most squads are too 'skinny' in talent (come to think of it, North are a bad example for me to have used) for any real improvement to be driven.

People say the girls just need games. They actually don't. Again, I can't talk for the non-WA girls but our state leagues over here are filled with girls who SHOULD be playing Rogers Cup (Colts equivalent). But they aren't - which weakens the Rogers Cup games...and you have girls competing at 16 against mature footballers and that's fine for some, but others should still be in development mode so they get spat out and quit. We have 17 year olds playing senior footy one year (State level) and then walking away from the game 12-months later. Can you imagine a 17 year old boy getting a game of WAFL league footy? And if he managed to do that (come on down Dan Curtin, Koltyn Tholstrup) well they're high draft picks...in the girls game it is happening to girls barely graduating from junior CLUB footy...it's BAD.

Someone needs to take control. The girls want support in the CBA etc - great - they should get it. But we need to fix the game. Money doesn't fix it. More time at training wont solve this stuff...you improve through competition and right now it is not set up for success.

[Hotdog60]

Would it help if the Women trained with the men's VFL side although maybe the men wouldn't like it but it could raise the standards even if one night was mixed night. Skills based of course non contact.

[jazzadogs]

I have wondered why more young AFLW players don't back it up with playing most VFLW matches, given the seasons don't overlap at the moment?

And what do our young players like Wilcox do in the 'off season'? Do they play somewhere, or saving themselves for the 10 week AFLW season?

These are genuine questions and could be off the mark.

[mjp]

I have wondered why more young AFLW players don't back it up with playing most VFLW matches, given the seasons don't overlap at the moment?

Well - some do. Others are under contract to the AFL club and are doing pre-season training whilst the state league season is underway.

This is the sort of stuff I mean when I talk about a full review needs to be done. AFL (M) players are with the VFL side when not selected. AFL (W) players are...

So in theory the AFL (M) players come into the side in good form/full of confidence. And the AFL (W) players come into the side...

The system is broken and I totally get the players (AFLW) and AFL Players Association focussing on the CBA, renumeration, time-off, training dictates etc. I get it. But the claims that full-time players are better and more skilful players...well, I'm not so sure about that. In THEORY I guess it's true, but there are only 'so many' ground balls most people can do...and even fewer that can be done at a suitable level of pressure. I guess it should mean better CONDITIONED and STRONGER athletes, but does anyone think that is a problem right now??

Re-focus on the pathway and tier 2 footy...let's build from the bottom up. We're all in such a rush right now - the product isn't great on field, clubs playing at venues with poor facilities in front of sparse crowds...it's not great at the moment. Can we please just get some of the details right??

[Sedat]

Can we please just get some of the details right??

The AFEL don't care about the details. They care about TV/media rights and nothing else, which are then used by the senior executive core to gorge on the pig trough. No better example of this than Gil going on an 18 month farewell tour that nobody has actually asked for (who actually resigns from a job and then proceeds to hang around like the dog turd on the sole of a shoe for another 18 months) - these people are completely devoid of shame and introspection.

That is why they schedule games at stadiums that have metal bolts sticking out from the ground (or games where the turf has been destroyed by a concert from 3 days earlier, and to hell with any serious knee injuries sustained by a player), why the ARC 'technology' has worse resolution than a black & white TV with dog ears at the holiday house, why there are idiotic jumper clashes every other week, and so on. They don't sweat the finer details because they don't care about them.

Ultimately all the AFEL care about (apart from the filthy lucre of course) is the optics. That is why they have rushed to an 18 team AFLW competition, so they can boast in some flashy PPT slides at their annual conference self-congratulating about what an amazing organization they are because of all the investment in the national women's competition (in reality the players are using tin sheds to get changed in and are playing in front of 3 confused tourists and a stray dog at all sorts of funky locations and non-commercial timeslots).

The AFEL are no different to a bloated public sector, or a similarly bloated global corporation - senior executives are paid enormously but don't actually deliver anything of value to the people/shareholders they are supposed to serve, and they have no accountability to do so. That's because they ultimately exist to serve themselves.

[Sedat]

I'm going to suggest that your views on Bob have visibly changed over the years due to the type of person he has become, or tries to represent himself as, and it's influenced and emphasised a retrospective change.

Not saying that's wrong, and I'm not even saying that I don't agree with your point of view in some way. However, I know that Bob has been in your sights in a way for some time.

Bob had 'no war' written on his hand in his first club photo as an 18yo - he hasn't 'become' anything that he wasn't already. I don't really care about any player's personal perspectives on non-footballing topics - all I care about is how good a player they are and how positively they impact our club, and Bob really is like Bambi in that regard. He has always been an elite, talented and much loved player for our club, which is thoroughly deserved. And his reputation was elevated even further in 2015 when he took over the captaincy at our darkest hour and was a key catalyst (along with Bevo) for culture change and standards that resulted in the best footballing moment of our lives.

The fact that he absolutely stunk as a media performer (my personal opinion only, others are free to disagree) will never detract from his impact as a player for us and a leader of cultural change that gave us a real chance at the ultimate success. So he thoroughly deserved the recognition he got from Bevo in his speech, and the moment Bevo gave him his premiership medal and they embraced remains an incredibly powerful and emotional picture-perfect moment.

It's only in hindsight that I disliked seeing him take it a step further and raise the cup, and that is the only lasting moment that keeps getting replayed now - I wish it was Bevo holding it up alongside Easton because he really deserved that moment.

[ReLoad]

The singing of the national anthem as a chance to do some sort of nonsense artistic performance.

It has a pace to it that builds, don’t butcher it.

[jazzadogs]

The singing of the national anthem as a chance to do some sort of nonsense artistic performance.

It has a pace to it that builds, don’t butcher it.

I don't think the national anthem needs to be sung before every single final.

[FrediKanoute]

Unpopular Opinion - I would like to see Toby Greene with a Premiership medal.

[SonofScray]

Unpopular Opinion - I would like to see Toby Greene with a Premiership medal.

This stuff is why the site is getting shut down.

[bornadog]

This stuff is why the site is getting shut down.

haha, love it SOS

[SonofScray]

haha, love it SOS

He’d need to steal one from someone good enough to win one.

[Twodogs]

. No better example of this than Gil going on an 18 month farewell tour that nobody has actually asked for (who actually resigns from a job and then proceeds to hang around like the dog turd on the sole of a shoe for another 18 months)

Adrian Dodoro?

Kevin Sheedy coached another club and is now haunting Essendon like Banquo's ghost even though the club has had 4 senior coaches since his tenure with the bombers.


Rupert Murdoch seems to be moving into the "hanging around like a bad smell" stage of his life too

[Sedat]

Adrian Dodoro?

Kevin Sheedy coached another club and is now haunting Essendon like Banquo's ghost even though the club has had 4 senior coaches since his tenure with the bombers.

These 2 hanging around The Hanger like a bad smell is one farewell tour that everybody is hoping continues, because it will mean Essendon clock up another 7,000 days without winning a final.

[Mofra]

These 2 hanging around The Hanger like a bad smell is one farewell tour that everybody is hoping continues, because it will mean Essendon clock up another 7,000 days without winning a final.

4 November 2023.
Might get some bubbles to celebrate the big day