I know it's the start of a new season but I'm not sure my apathy is because we have been so bad or the game of footy is just plain boring except for a few highlights

Ever since Wallace brought in the Flood which in turn turned footy into a defensive slog in most matches.

The Swans vs WC grand finals whilst tough uncompromising affairs took the sparkle and joy of watching a game of footy for me and the trend continued....No coach was game enough to take the game on

I used to enjoy watching other teams play and watch replays of most of the games but now I just look at the results.....It seems to me that the coaches are afraid of attacking...Payers are hobbled out of playing their natural game all in the name of defence first... High marking is just about a thing of the past as defenders block the run ups It's like a game of chess which I enjoy playing but it is so boring to watch.

I miss games where the score line was 19.15 to 17.13....It is not allowed by coaches these days.

Anyway.....Good luck to us this year....I will try not to doze off.

I've been banging on about this for years but I hate all the players being in one half (forward line even) of the ground. I still don't see why coaches don't leave one or two players in their own forward line and see if the opposition are brave enough to leave them unaccounted for.

I know it's the start of a new season but I'm not sure my apathy is because we have been so bad or the game of footy is just plain boring except for a few highlights

Ever since Wallace brought in the Flood which in turn turned footy into a defensive slog in most matches.

The Swans vs WC grand finals whilst tough uncompromising affairs took the sparkle and joy of watching a game of footy for me and the trend continued....No coach was game enough to take the game on

I used to enjoy watching other teams play and watch replays of most of the games but now I just look at the results.....It seems to me that the coaches are afraid of attacking...Payers are hobbled out of playing their natural game all in the name of defence first... High marking is just about a thing of the past as defenders block the run ups It's like a game of chess which I enjoy playing but it is so boring to watch.

I miss games where the score line was 19.15 to 17.13....It is not allowed by coaches these days.

Anyway.....Good luck to us this year....I will try not to doze off.

Suggest you watch PA and NM. Both Hinkley and Scott play a really attractive style of footy with good cattle at their disposal. I think Brisbane and Richmond play attacking attractive footy. I'm sick of Hawks and Cats, good footy but been there too long.

MFC, Freo, Swans and Carlton play crap.

I've been banging on about this for years but I hate all the players being in one half (forward line even) of the ground. I still don't see why coaches don't leave one or two players in their own forward line and see if the opposition are brave enough to leave them unaccounted for.

They would, being further than 80 m away from the ball makes the player useless, teams would love having the outnumber at the context or 30m in front of thei opposition player taking uncontested marks or forcing a restart at least.

I think it ebbs and flows across the league as teams evolve.

Scoring in excess of 100 points is always great but doesn't always mean it's a great contest.

I have always been against on field zones but I am wondering whether it is time to have 3 players from each team in each half at all times to break up the slog or potentially reducing number of players on field to 16 now that we effectively have 14 on ballers from each side instead of 6.

It is a game of tactics and strategy for the coaches. What do you expect them to do?

Plenty of teams / coaches are presenting a pretty decent brand of football at present. Port and Hawthorn in particular play very attractive football and win plenty of games as a result. The Bulldogs go okay as well for a lower ranked side.

Unfortunately Roos is stuck in the dark ages and seems determined to keep us there, so MFC supporters should get used to watching boring games until he moves on.

Plenty of teams / coaches are presenting a pretty decent brand of football at present. Port and Hawthorn in particular play very attractive football and win plenty of games as a result. The Bulldogs go okay as well for a lower ranked side.

Unfortunately Roos is stuck in the dark ages and seems determined to keep us there, so MFC supporters should get used to watching boring games until he moves on.

the teams playing attractive footy are top teams that have a surplus of talent, speed and skills. they can still play ugly footy when required.

we don't have the talent, speed and skills.

in regard to Roos brand of footy lets wait and see how the season unfolds before we condemn him prospectively on his brand of footy

I've been banging on about this for years but I hate all the players being in one half (forward line even) of the ground. I still don't see why coaches don't leave one or two players in their own forward line and see if the opposition are brave enough to leave them unaccounted for.

They would, being further than 80 m away from the ball makes the player useless, teams would love having the outnumber at the context or 30m in front of thei opposition player taking uncontested marks or forcing a restart at least.

Surely one quick at least 40-50 m on the attacking side of the mob would be enough to demand accountability to cover the fast break from the pack.

Spot on Bossdog. I used to watch most games that came on TV now I watch very few. A lot of teams are horrible to watch. My 3 boys (14,15 & 17) would now rather watch Rugby League or soccer instead of AFL.

Compared to the fast flowing games of the 80's & 90's todays footy is a rolling scrum with 28-30 players following the ball around everywhere.

I reckon the interchange has a lot to answer for & i'd like to eliminate interchange completely - the trouble is everytime the AFL tries to do something the coaches whinge & the AFL chickens out.

They will only do something if the number of viewers & attendances decline.

I have always been against on field zones but I am wondering whether it is time to have 3 players from each team in each half at all times to break up the slog or potentially reducing number of players on field to 16 now that we effectively have 14 on ballers from each side instead of 6.

Agree with this type of approach. Hawthorn make a nonsense of the OP. It's just the current fashion.

They would, being further than 80 m away from the ball makes the player useless, teams would love having the outnumber at the context or 30m in front of thei opposition player taking uncontested marks or forcing a restart at least.

Forwards who push up to the centre of the ground only to sprint back when their teammates get the ball are equally useless.

Why do teams crisscross around the ground?.......There is no one there to kick it to up forward

Why don't players kick it long to a contest?.....The coaches don't allow them to

Why are there so so so many scrums?..............Every player is around the ball

Why are backmen so hesitant to kick long.........See all of the above

Why are 100 goal full forwards close to extinct..Coaches want an even spread of goal kickers

Yes I agree Pt and Haw are playing a better forward type footy.....Lets hope it starts a trend.

The game had to evolve. Defensive tactics were non existent besides putting a man behind the ball. If you watch soccer you can see what AFL has become but unlike soccer we don't have off side rules and can still get 360 degree action.

But zoning and pressing were too effective and always will be from now on in I think.

If you watch 10 year old A league you'll see something comparable to AFL right now for many teams. If you watch top flight soccer with good teams you'll see something that AFL should become. It's not a bad thing that some teams will be attacking and others defensive. The variety is good.

Hawthorn and Port have adapted. Sydney are not a terrible defensive boring team any more. Even Freo are improving. Geelong never went too defensive.

The issue right now is I think the game has too many Rohan Bail's and Jordie McKenzie's instead of talented players. Cracking the NSW and QLD development markets will turn those states in to a talent boost instead of the drain they are putting on currently. Melbourne could play much better footy if you gave us a couple of speedy and talented GWS players. Turns out Hawthorn got one of them on the cheap in Jono O'Rourke this season. We didn't. He might not be that skilled by Lumumba will help us. So will Garlett if he's in form.

Even the relatively attacking teams play boring defensive stuff a lot of the time. With all the players near the ball if is a bit like watching kids under 10 playing. If they don't introduce rules to stop it, I just hope some coach finds a way of thumping teams that get all their players near the ball.

Get rid of the interchanges, just have 4 substitutes like soccer and the game will open up as fatigue sets in late in each quarter and more so in the second half . The coaches are taking advantage of the rules so we have 18 midfielders and a fullback and a maybe two key forwards and rolling mauls, ball ups, the forward presses etc. Without the continuous rotations off the bench we would see players actually playing in their position for much of the time.

Get rid of the interchanges, just have 4 substitutes like soccer and the game will open up as fatigue sets in late in each quarter and more so in the second half . The coaches are taking advantage of the rules so we have 18 midfielders and a fullback and a maybe two key forwards and rolling mauls, ball ups, the forward presses etc. Without the continuous rotations off the bench we would see players actually playing in their position for much of the time.

Or we will see continuous rotations between forward and midfield and any limited endurance athletes (see small forwards like Jeff Garlett) or midfield ball winners without speed and skill needed for other positions (see Matt Priddis) get replaced with Rohan Bails.

I don't know if there's a way to prove who will be right and who will be wrong without trying it. I'm happy for them to clamp down the number and see what happens though.

Forwards who push up to the centre of the ground only to sprint back when their teammates get the ball are equally useless.

Only useless if the skill level is poor and dont take advantage of the space with good use of the football.

Hawthorn and Port are great exponents of this style of game play

I know it's the start of a new season but I'm not sure my apathy is because we have been so bad or the game of footy is just plain boring except for a few highlights

Ever since Wallace brought in the Flood which in turn turned footy into a defensive slog in most matches.

The Swans vs WC grand finals whilst tough uncompromising affairs took the sparkle and joy of watching a game of footy for me and the trend continued....No coach was game enough to take the game on

I used to enjoy watching other teams play and watch replays of most of the games but now I just look at the results.....It seems to me that the coaches are afraid of attacking...Payers are hobbled out of playing their natural game all in the name of defence first... High marking is just about a thing of the past as defenders block the run ups It's like a game of chess which I enjoy playing but it is so boring to watch.

I miss games where the score line was 19.15 to 17.13....It is not allowed by coaches these days.

Anyway.....Good luck to us this year....I will try not to doze off.

this is what I've been like for 5 years or more & worsening.

I can't even watch our replays now more than a quarter at a time & never see a whole replay now. cannot even watch the grand final now. the game I love has become a hybrid of soccer & basketball; 2 games i have no real time for.

It is a game of tactics and strategy for the coaches. What do you expect them to do?

thats right, they're hooked on the mental exercise, because they've made the game about them,,, instead of being about the stars.

the coaches are now the stars, moving the Chinese Checker pieces about a magnetic board. its a game of chance, checkers or Chinese?

Now who wants to watch micky malthouse play a game, & explain his moves; >

Only useless if the skill level is poor and dont take advantage of the space with good use of the football.

Hawthorn and Port are great exponents of this style of game play

No, forward runs to centre of ground (nowhere near the ball which is in the opponents forward line), teammates in said forward line get ball so forward runs back to his forward line.

He could have just stayed in his own forward line and provided an option running towards the teammate instead of running away from him.

I think the problem is that the forwards would happily stay at home but the defenders push up on the ball for two reasons, one to win the ball (extra man etc) and two to cut off any quick kicks out of packs. Forwards duly follow to even the numbers.

Any coaches out there want to confirm our differ?

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the afl coaches new strategy course >

& for foreign language coaches >

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The game was always going to evolve. In the 60's-90's Guys went to training after work

Trained under 2 lights. Running laps Handball drills and kick to kick.

Now the players are fully professional techniques had to evolve...

I was all for interchange rotations because i wanted to see what it would actually do to the game, If the MFC had been a better side would we still hate watching it?

Having said that i would now like to see the modern game played with a cap of 40 Rotations (10 per Quarter)

Fatigue should be a part of the game.