I will qualify now that I have played over 300games of this game called football....One season at the 2nd highest level (VFA)....I have captain/coached my own side at seconds level when I was 37......I loved football....You could play...have a drink after with the family and opposition and even the umpires after the game. I still have friends that I played against and with all that time ago. I even trained at under 19 level at the dees

But the game has changed(Not for the better) these days the players are like robots.....every minute of every day is micro managed....

From the day you are drafted...what you do and what you eat...how you spend every minute is scrutinzed and managed...If you have a drink it is reported in the front pages of the papers....I know that players get a pretty good wage(the ones who make it) but it seems to me that the fun has gone out of it...I have just retired from a fairly public career but have never been under the scruiny that these young lads have to put up with..

I used to love going to the footy,even non Melbourne games....seeing champs do their stuff ...seeing the bumps and hits and the high scoring....Now I have trouble even watching nthe Dees..let alone other matches.....It's like watching robots...they are all the same...saying the same things...living the same lives...If you are different you soon get told to shape up or ship out

You cant bump now....you cant tackle if the other bloke is hurt.(Jack Trengove) there are 36 bloke in packs that just follow the ball around like an under 10 match.....and I blame the so called great coachs like Roos, Lyon and Wallace who stuffed up this once great game.

I see in the far future that this game will be played by robots (Real Steel) where players will be behind a control panel wired up to a robot and the robots will be out on the field where no player can be hurt...As this game will be too dangerous for humans to play....

The only thing that will not change is the jurnos who will still report on games from the bar and give votes to who ever gets the most kicks.....

Sorry to be so negative but after this year footy sucks.....

I loved watching the game last night.

Tough, creative and team oriented footy.

Agree watching Melb has sucked this year, but to paraphrase the great and wise RR, "We'll be back".

Edited September 8, 201213 yr by PaulRB

I loved watching the game last night.

Tough, creative and team oriented footy.

Agree watching Melb has sucked this year, but to paraphrase the great and wise RR, "We'll be back".

Yes I agree....Last night was the exception...

Geelong Vs Hawks prelim would be one to savour as well.

I loved watching the game last night.

Tough, creative and team oriented footy.

Agree watching Melb has sucked this year, but to paraphrase the great and wise RR, "We'll be back".

Pathetic Coverage by Channel 7 again, though?

18 clubs is too many teams.

Last nights game was a cracker.

My brother and I watched highlights of the 88 grand final the other day (a game I went to with my dad). We were laughing at how poor the quality of play was; those teams would be slaughtered today.

Last night, I enjoyed watching a supreme performance from the Hawks (my gf is a Hawks fan). I love watching Franklin, Rioli, Hodge, Sewell, Birhcall, Whitecross etc. You could hardly say that those players are identical. Each has his own style.

I'd have to say that I enjoy footy more now than ever before. Now, if only the Dees could play a part in it all...

Would Franklin-bot still have that idiotic tatoo sleeve?

Would Franklin-bot still have that idiotic tatoo sleeve?

All robots would be clones of the current players....The only good thing is if they break a leg you would be able to replace said leg within minutes...Replace a tattooed arm with in minutes....

I only remember the 1st qtr and 10 mins of the 2nd. of the 88 GF.. Got maggoted after that. It eased the pain . Still to this day not sure how I got home though I have interrupted recollections of helping the light-pole stay upright on Richmond Station .

Never had the inkling to watch it since.

There is always good footy around. Just weve not been part of it for so long we forget !!

The '88 GF was like a nuclear attack.

Danny Hughes in the ruck against that Hawthorn side. Kill me now.

I had to work that day, but i watched the entire game.

I got most wasted later that day. Got lucky to, a very sweet girl took pity on me and my scarf that night. Remember that far better than the game.

I went with my Hawthorn supoorting older brother...

I went with my Hawthorn supoorting older brother...

poor bastard !! lol

I'd have to say that I enjoy footy more now than ever before. Now, if only the Dees could play a part in it all...

me too willo

i hate watching other teams playing good finals footy on our home ground in front of big crowds..

i long for the day when we play in a big game again, one that is the talk of the town all week and draws 80,000 to the 'G to witness edge-of-your seat exciting footy

me too willo

i hate watching other teams playing good finals footy on our home ground in front of big crowds..

i long for the day when we play in a big game again, one that is the talk of the town all week and draws 80,000 to the 'G to witness edge-of-your seat exciting footy

It's our ground!

One day we'll own it again.

I will qualify now that I have played over 300games of this game called football....One season at the 2nd highest level (VFA)....I have captain/coached my own side at seconds level when I was 37......I loved football....You could play...have a drink after with the family and opposition and even the umpires after the game. I still have friends that I played against and with all that time ago. I even trained at under 19 level at the dees

But the game has changed(Not for the better) these days the players are like robots.....every minute of every day is micro managed....

From the day you are drafted...what you do and what you eat...how you spend every minute is scrutinzed and managed...If you have a drink it is reported in the front pages of the papers....I know that players get a pretty good wage(the ones who make it) but it seems to me that the fun has gone out of it...I have just retired from a fairly public career but have never been under the scruiny that these young lads have to put up with..

I used to love going to the footy,even non Melbourne games....seeing champs do their stuff ...seeing the bumps and hits and the high scoring....Now I have trouble even watching nthe Dees..let alone other matches.....It's like watching robots...they are all the same...saying the same things...living the same lives...If you are different you soon get told to shape up or ship out

You cant bump now....you cant tackle if the other bloke is hurt.(Jack Trengove) there are 36 bloke in packs that just follow the ball around like an under 10 match.....and I blame the so called great coachs like Roos, Lyon and Wallace who stuffed up this once great game.

I see in the far future that this game will be played by robots (Real Steel) where players will be behind a control panel wired up to a robot and the robots will be out on the field where no player can be hurt...As this game will be too dangerous for humans to play....

The only thing that will not change is the jurnos who will still report on games from the bar and give votes to who ever gets the most kicks.....

Sorry to be so negative but after this year footy sucks.....

Fantastic post. i completely agree. As to the way the game is played I have mentioned it in other posts - teh fact that a once postional game is now a game of 36 midfielders chasing the footy in a pack like a flock of seagulls fighting over a bag of chips. Yes the games can still be exciting if its close and the result of the outcome is meaningful in the sense of ladder position etc, but if its a dead rubber game I find it almost unbearable to watch. In the past, especially the 90's, the footy was fast, very physical but a series of 1on1's or 2on2' contests. , with space for players to get possession and set up play. now its a rolling maul, with space over the back for players to run on to a lucky or rushed kick. really a bit like rugby where the ball will be kicked over the back with the wingers running on to it.

Anyway, my question is why isnt anyone complaining about this state of the game and what could be done to bring it back to the more positional style that used to be so entertaining?

Perhaps limit the rotations per player to discourage trying to be at every contest? this may spread the field out a bit.

I see in the far future that this game will be played by robots (Real Steel) where players will be behind a control panel wired up to a robot and the robots will be out on the field where no player can be hurt...As this game will be too dangerous for humans to play....

Great post. Fantastic vision you have given us.

Let's hope it doesn't get anywhere near this, otherwise it might as well be virtual, on a tablet screen, between people who never see each other, with made up names....

Oh, wait......

Fantastic post. i completely agree. As to the way the game is played I have mentioned it in other posts - teh fact that a once postional game is now a game of 36 midfielders chasing the footy in a pack like a flock of seagulls fighting over a bag of chips. Yes the games can still be exciting if its close and the result of the outcome is meaningful in the sense of ladder position etc, but if its a dead rubber game I find it almost unbearable to watch. In the past, especially the 90's, the footy was fast, very physical but a series of 1on1's or 2on2' contests. , with space for players to get possession and set up play. now its a rolling maul, with space over the back for players to run on to a lucky or rushed kick. really a bit like rugby where the ball will be kicked over the back with the wingers running on to it.

Anyway, my question is why isnt anyone complaining about this state of the game and what could be done to bring it back to the more positional style that used to be so entertaining?

Perhaps limit the rotations per player to discourage trying to be at every contest? this may spread the field out a bit.

Did you watch the Hawthorn Geelong game??

The '88 GF was like a nuclear attack.

Danny Hughes in the ruck against that Hawthorn side. Kill me now.

I had to work that day, but i watched the entire game.

I got most wasted later that day. Got lucky to, a very sweet girl took pity on me and my scarf that night. Remember that far better than the game.

I went to the game at 6.30 and got good seats.

Do you remember the plastic ponchos the mfc made up?

I cant remember Hughes in the ruck? Why? Where was Strawbs/Jimmy.

Edited September 8, 201213 yr by Biffen

I went to the game at 6.30 and got good seats.

Do you remember the plastic ponchos the mfc made up?

I cant remember Hughes in the ruck? Why? Where was Strawbs/Jimmy.

Jimmy was there and did the bulk of rucking. Strawbs was suspended (for swatting Kernahan?) in PF - but kudos to him for being B&F in a team that made the GF.

Did you watch the Hawthorn Geelong game??

Yes i did. and I also watched the geelong Freo game. Stacks on the mill. Exciting to watch as it was a knockout final and was intense. but the actual play was like very scrappy. Individual games cant be singled out to reinforce or debase my point here. Im referring to the overall direction the game has gone. It needs to be opened up more . It all started with flooding and the press. rotations increased to allow players to be able to cover enough ground to enfoce the press etc. Yes, they are much fitter than they used to be but a reduction in the rotations would force the players to spread out more and not be able to reach every contest. over here in france i only have my dvds from the late 90s and early 2000s to watch so i can see the difference so much more clearly than had i been back in oz the last decade. i hope the rules committee look at this. reduction of rotations and pay early frees around the stoppages to speed up the game. this would stop the whole field being drawn in to the stoppage

Jimmy was there and did the bulk of rucking. Strawbs was suspended (for swatting Kernahan?) in PF - but kudos to him for being B&F in a team that made the GF.

Strawbs tried to hit Da Rui ,who had just pole-axed one of our guys. Unfortunately he only landed a glancing blow.

Strawbs was so wiry that rucking against him was described as like hitting a string bag full of set-squares!

Nostalgic Rubbish, yeah it's not the game it was 20 years ago, these guys still go out and have a drink and get up to mischief like any other young bloke. It's only when they end up crashing their car or disrespecting the opposite sex do we hear about.

Jimmy was there and did the bulk of rucking. Strawbs was suspended (for swatting Kernahan?) in PF - but kudos to him for being B&F in a team that made the GF.

The Prelim was a classic. I was sick and vomitted on the way. Dad was about to take me home and I said no way, I'm going (aged ten). I remember my namesake tearing it up in the third q as we stormed with the Waverley wind (not sure how accurate that is, but it's a great memory), dad and I going nuts... And everyone groaning when Strawb lost his head (by knocking off Stick's).

Strawbs tried to hit Da Rui ,who had just pole-axed one of our guys. Unfortunately he only landed a glancing blow.

Strawbs was so wiry that rucking against him was described as like hitting a string bag full of set-squares!

Correct - it was Da Rui. I love how this has become an 88 reminiscence thread!