The 10 worst AFL initiatives

[Guest Gotzy15]

I have to agree with the big rhino about waverley. it was a terribly substandard facility for modern day footy. It was cold, uncomfortable, congested and hard and frustrating to access. It had to go and is serving the purpose it should atm- a training venue

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

again not in any particular order:

1. Hands in the back, chopping of the arms and the death of the bump (game has become so soft)

2. Bringing in GWS and GCS, 2 uncompetitive sides that are nowhere near ready for AFL football at the time of their inception.

3. The MRP points system- what a joke, takes common sense and individuality of a case out of the equation.

4. Appointing Andrew Demetriou as the CEO and Adrian Anderson as the operations manager. Both absolute wankers who are only concerned with filling their pockets to the detriment of the game (i would love to see an entrepeneur style leader like a Richard Branson or Kerry packer type person.

5. The death Of Fitzroy. It still hurts me to this day even though im a passionate Melbourne fan. They should have intervened for the good of the game and provided financial support to help a great football club with a rich and proud history to survive.

6. Constructing Etihad stadium with a capacity of only 50 odd thousand. The population is continuing to grow rapidly and in a few years time it wont be able to field any matches between 2 Victorian clubs (watch this space)

7. The death of state of origin. The players want it, the fans want it.... why not the AFL??

8. Constant rule changes that are increasingly ambiguous

9. Clash jumpers

10. Anzac Day- Share it between all clubs not just collingwood and the dons

1. Any rule that protects the player actually going for the ball should be applauded. Although some new rules have been better than others. I dont mind the hands in the back rule.

2. I thought the same about WCE, Crows and Lions then.....

3. I think issue is not the MRP as much as the rules they are required to adjudicate on.

4. You dont like Vlad but you want Richard Branson..you will definitely get more of issues 6,8,9 and 10 with Branson and more scantily girls on display on draft day, B'low night and the Grand Final parade.

5. They did. They sent it to Brisbane. North looks like a powerhouse compared to the last 15 yrs of Fitzroy.

6. Etihad is the right size, crowd wise but its a lifeless venue with poor ground surface and shadows.

7. Every week is State of Origin given that AFL is national.

8. This inevitable as the game has got quicker, players bigger, faster and coaches far more scientific in the way they seek to manipulate the game to win.

9. Meh. More [censored] off about the royal blue in the guernsey in the 80s.

10. Nope.

[Guest Gotzy15]

rhino rhino rhino....Youve got to be kidding me about Fitzroy. The afl didnt save the club at all.Ill put it tho you this way. If we were struggling finanacially which we have been at times and death was imminent youd be happy for us to become the Tasmania Demons and youd get to see us only a few times a year??

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

rhino rhino rhino....Youve got to be kidding me about Fitzroy. The afl didnt save the club at all.Ill put it tho you this way. If we were struggling finanacially which we have been at times and death was imminent youd be happy for us to become the Tasmania Demons and youd get to see us only a few times a year??

I dont think Fitzroy was saveable. It was on life support system and had no plausible way of surviving unless the AFL stumped it up big time. It had a great history, crippled present and no future. It was a good decision from the perspective of the national competition. If you were a Fitzroy supporter...it depends. I knew a few guys who worked for the FFC at the time and one has never been to the football again, two others have realised that Fitzroy could not go on and thought the Brisbane solution was the better than disappearing. If we were struggling financially, then our future would be in doubt. While I would prefer we didn't become a basketcase, I could understand that what has happened to Fitzroy and will happen to North could happen to any team.

[daisycutter 29,988]

I have to agree with the big rhino about waverley. it was a terribly substandard facility for modern day footy. It was cold, uncomfortable, congested and hard and frustrating to access. It had to go and is serving the purpose it should atm- a training venue

Cold - it is a winter sport, Geelong would be colder (and despite no rain I typically find ShytyHead freezing)

Uncomfortable - at the time spectator seating was no more uncomfortable than most parts of the G and everyone could get a seat

Congested - not the ground, spectator area or parking, The surrounding roads, exits yes

Hard to access - yes

To me there were only two major problems

1/ Access by public transport - and this was purely political esp when the premier was on the board of trustees for MCG

2/ Arrangement of spectator area - too far from the boundary and too gentle a slope on tierring

Point 1 could have been solved but point 2 would have required a massive rebuild

A pity really because the sport really requires another large capacity stadium and they did stuff this one up.

Others would argue that the location disadvantaged the growth areas North and West. True, but at that time, and before ShytyHead, there was room to also build a similar complex in the NorthWest.

Anyway, its all water under the bridge now and the big end of town won out

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

To me there were only two major problems

1/ Access by public transport - and this was purely political esp when the premier was on the board of trustees for MCG

2/ Arrangement of spectator area - too far from the boundary and too gentle a slope on tierring

Point 1 could have been solved but point 2 would have required a massive rebuild

This is the crux of the problem. The layout of the ground was wrong and killed the atmosphere at the ground particularly in finals. This coupled with the oversized ground space made viewing sub optimal. And yes it was freezing there!

The public transport issue was never going to be properly addressed by either major party. VFL Park was doomed on that issue alone.

[Roost It 1,434]

1. MRP Point system

2. 4 interchange

3. The runner

4. Poor design of Etihad

5. Lack of a fair fixture

6. Final 8 (should be 6)

7. Clash jumpers

8. Lack of Spending Cap on FD

9. Syphoning of free to air coverage.

10.Monday night Football

11.Building Waverley

12.Loss of Reserves Foorball, although it appears on the way back

[Grapeviney 9,918]

I hate the constant meddling with the rules

The chopping of the arms rule is a perfect example. They've diminished the art of marking, one element of which was having the strength to hold on to the footy despite the interference of a defender's arms.

The mess they've made of the advantage rule this year is another example.

[Roost It 1,434]

I hate the constant meddling with the rules

The chopping of the arms rule is a perfect example. They've diminished the art of marking, one element of which was having the strength to hold on to the footy despite the interference of a defender's arms.

The mess they've made of the advantage rule this year is another example.

How is it a good rule to allow the defender to chop the forwards arms?

I just don't understand some supporters.

[Grapeviney 9,918]

How is it a good rule to allow the defender to chop the forwards arms?

Because good players used to be able to (and still can) mark the ball despite a defender's best efforts.

Too often these days you see a player awarded a mark when there's been nothing more than a legitimate spoil

[Nasher 33,642]

7. Every week is State of Origin given that AFL is national.

Easy for you to say; I lose my lunch every time I hear mention of the "Tassie Hawks". That said, I agree that the concept of State of Origin is sadly a dead duck.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Easy for you to say; I lose my lunch every time I hear mention of the "Tassie Hawks". That said, I agree that the concept of State of Origin is sadly a dead duck.

Oops. I should have said mainland national! Apologies.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Too often these days you see a player awarded a mark when there's been nothing more than a legitimate spoil

A legitimate spoil is the defender getting his hand/fist to the ball without impeding the forward's attempt to mark.

Grabbing/holding the player, impeding his run at the ball, chopping the arms or attacking the contest where your eyes clearly are not on the ball are not legitimate.

[DemonDave 1,099]

1) The hiring of the Rules Committee

2) The hiring of Andrew D

3) The hiring of Ross the Boss

4) The hiring of Action Wayne Jackson

5) the hiring of etc etc..

On a serious note the Rules Committee meddling, then daylight for mine.

[Little Goffy 14,878]

Failure to lay the groundwork in Sydney.

What's it been? Approaching 30 years, and they never lowered their eyes and really got into the meat and potatoes of building the game in the community.

From Eddelstone to GWS, the AFL has had a major lack of strategy in NSW. They believed that good results (salary cap bonuses) would automatially lead to good support. How'd that work out for North Melbourne even after the 90s? Why is the AFL still running with that plan for Gold Coast and GWS?

[praha 11,267]

Reading each week about jumper clashes, it makes me wonder why the necessity to junk tradition and watch a home club team run around against 'unknowns'? Often there is no jumper clash at all, it is some cheap AFL initiative to water down club loyalty for the sake of television ratings or whatever reason. the next time i watch the 'afl-approved demons' play away i lose a bit. when i see them in some photoshopped jumper... it's just not the same.

Anyway, rate your ten worst afl initiatives from 10 to 1.

This can be over the last 25 years. By the way, my all-time worst is the shift from VFL Park to Etihad Car Park. My second worst is the botched finals system which allowed adelaide to trump us in 1998 and progress to a premiership - despite being flogged by the dees during the finals series.

Oops, i forgot dumping state of origin football, and creating the AFL in the first place, so:

10. the clash jumpers. problem is the clash jumper usually clashes with itself.

9.No reserves or u19 game before the main game.

8.agree with another poster: disgraceful ticketing arrangements for the grand final.

7. Fixturing, which gives the pole position profit-wise to a select few clubs.

6. Allowing two teams to have the 'match of the year' gifted to them in perpetuity, regardless of their position on the ladder ('Anzac Day' clash)

5. The loss of Saturday afternoon football

4. Junking state of origin football

3. The finals series which requires an undefeated team to win three consecutive matches to win the premiership

2.Creating the AFL in the first place.

1. Creation of Etihad Car Park, demolition of VFL Park, Waverley.

Apologies to omitting from my top ten the afl-designated 'legend' status. supporters and lovers of australian rules are the ultimate arbiters of legends, and aren't interested in another such afl tick of approval: john coleman was a legend long before the afl and long before it created this monty pythonesque concept. ron barassi was a rusted-on legend without some wacky belated announcement.

Baby boomer much?

10. Seriously, who cares? As long as the main colours are used? I mean, really? Does it REALLY urk you if your team isn't wearing its traditional jumper? Boo hoo. Manchester United says hello (just to give you a little perspective and compare this league to other pro sports leagues).

9. The league did this to preserve the ground and ensure it is 100% for the main contest. I'm sorry you miss out on watching an extra 2 hours of football, albeit from a VFL side.

8. The Grand Final is the way it is. There are 100,000 seats, potentially 1,000,000 people after tickets. The people that get tickets -- corporates -- contribute more to the league financially than what supporters do. They (AFL) have an obligation to maintain that relationship so the league can grow. Move on. Just line up a few extra hours earlier. Or pay extra at the start of the year to guarantee you a seat.

7. As with any professional league in the world, scheduling is based on performance. For example, the NBA schedules most marquee teams to play every Friday and Saturday night. Occasionally, the Warriors or Clippers get a marquee game. But once or twice a season. Same as in the AFL.

6. I sense a bit of jealousy? If teams go out of their way and create their own brand and their own rivalry, they should be able to maintain it without compromise. People complain about it. It's Collingwood vs. Essendon. Who cares? ANZAC Day is their day. They made that clash what it is.

5. lol. You sound like my dad. There are 17 teams, 18 next year. That would mean 9 games on one day. Get a clue. I'm sorry -- do you need to go to church on Sunday? Or maybe you don't want to miss Better Homes and Gardens on Friday night? Seriously, it's the weekend. Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon. It's the same [censored]. Seriously.

4. I agree. We need SOO back.

3. Wait...you're complaining because a team plays TOO many finals? Or that top teams aren't rewarded for season performance? They are, via home ground advantage and a second chance. How many games would you have them play? One?

2. The AFL was created to preserve the VFL and its original teams, as well as allow the game to grow. Being against that would be against the growth, and survival, of the game you supposedly love.

1. Yes. Etihad car park is a disgrace. $25? LMAO.