I think that just about every match discussion about the womens' game carries with it some comment about the standard of the matches being well below those of the men.

To that, I say - "well, what do you really expect?

The men's AFL competition has been going for 120 years (much of it as the VFL) and before that, it was developing for about 40 years. Womens' footy has been around for a fraction of that and in many instances it was shunned by the general community that even today still regards playing the game as "unladylike".  

For years, boys have from a young age been encouraged and taught at home, at school and via junior clubs to play football but not so girls. It wasn't much more than a decade ago that three young girls had to engage a senior counsel in VCAT to win the right to play in a boy's competition in Melbourne's southern suburbs. 

The boys have had the benefit of elite pathways in the sport through the TAC Cup system and the AIS academies since the early 1990s. The TAC Cup system is only now being opened up for girls so it will take time for playing and fitness standards to rise. When that happens, there's no doubt that we will see a marked improvement in skills and an even better spectacle at AFLW level.

Let's also remember the physical differences between the genders play a role and our expectations should not be measured by direct comparisons.

The Gippsland Power TAC Cup squads had fitness testing yesterday and one report indicated that in the beep test, Travis Bindley had the best test out of the boys with a 15.6 while Holly Whitford scored the best of the girls with 10.1. That's a big gap and it's understandable but it will narrow in time. Unlike in other areas of life where women do outshine men, it's a big ask at present to expect complete equality in the physical area.

Of course, we don't know what will happen in the future but we should, at least for the time being, cut the womens' games some slack and allow for the fact that the skills in the infancy of the game at the top level will not be the same as  in the AFL and that direct comparisons are therefore not valid.

I recall not long ago watching a grainy monochrome film of an early 1900s VFL match between Carlton and South Melbourne and some of the skills displayed there were quite laughable by today's standards. So who knows what the AFLW will look like in 100 year's time when the sport has had that much time to  develop?

In the meantime, let's enjoy the efforts of our pioneers - the Pearces, Paxmans, O'Ddeas  ... and of course, the famous Melbourne names of the Cordners and Mithens as they battle away next week for the right to become part of womens' football history.
 

This makes so much sense - thanks!  

The AFL have done great work in establishing so much momentum so quickly; I can think of no precedent in my life time. 

Im ok with h the standard of play. When I watch, I see extreme commitment and courage, interesting back-stories and enough good passages of play to encourage me regarding its future. 

And to see OUR team hold on last night, against the odds, to keep our slim premiership hopes alive was the awesome. I try to avoid this cliche, but it just goes to show that my heart really does bleed red and blue, whether it's the men or women playing  

Well done to Daisy, Mick, Debbie, Peter J, the team and everyone else at Melbourne for what is already a successful inaugural season. 

Edited March 12, 20178 yr by Traja Dee
Grammar fix.

A bit like GWS and Gold Coast, the AFLW competition was set up on the run without as much forethought as would have been advisable, making one huge leap from 'dispersed groups of wandering tribes' to 'Post-Industrial globalised civilization' in very little time.

But the will is there, the commitment is there, and as the practical resources begin to flow, the skill and fitness will build.

Probably the biggest change by this time next year will be the improvement in 'clean hands' - core ball-handling skills which as a weakness at the moment are creating a lot of pauses and interruptions and ungainly looking play.

I should have posted this earlier as it's now hindsight but Paxman, for mine, is the best player in the competition by a margin.

WJ's OP nailed it, but it's also worth simply considering whether the women's game is good to watch, leaving aside comparisons to the men's game. For mine, it definitely is. All the attractions of our game are still there, and as has been multiply repeated, this will only get better. Given the cross gender appeal that footy has enjoyed throughout its history, it's just surprising how long the women's game has taken to grab a fledgling place in the market. It's interesting to note that in the indigenous game of Marngrook, every game was started by a participating woman throwing the ball into play. 

14 hours ago, Webber said:

WJ's OP nailed it, but it's also worth simply considering whether the women's game is good to watch, leaving aside comparisons to the men's game. For mine, it definitely is. All the attractions of our game are still there, and as has been multiply repeated, this will only get better. Given the cross gender appeal that footy has enjoyed throughout its history, it's just surprising how long the women's game has taken to grab a fledgling place in the market. It's interesting to note that in the indigenous game of Marngrook, every game was started by a participating woman throwing the ball into play. 

Yes Webber. We're in heated agreement. I've enjoyed watching the series to date except for the GWS game for obvious reasons (I was out of the country for the game v the Lions) and think it can only get better. There's a definite disparity between the best and the weakest players at the moment but that only highlights the skills and ability of the better players - in Melbourne's case Daisy Pearce and Karen Paxman. 

The thing I like about Melbourne is that we've gone for the youth and this will surely pay dividends in the future even if not this year as it adds to our depth which is pretty good at this stage anyway.  Our younger brigade is so good that I'm calling us the GWS of the AFLW!

For some who had never watched the woman's game it took a while to recalibrate to a lower standard game. 

I think once you accept the the skills aren't the same then you enjoy the game for what it is.

The problem is not so much the lower skill level, it is the lack of allowance in the rules / game settings for this. Yes, there are only 16 players, but they are still playing (mainly) on AFL sized grounds which are too big when the average player struggles to kick 35m. You also have a 50m penalty which is far too great a price to pay for a minor infringement, and goals from 50m penalties have a big effect on low scoring games. The womens game may be a good place to trial zones to reduce the numbers around the ball, which would hopefully open the game up and create more scoring.

The Melbourne Football Club created this great game and we are at the forefront of the women's league. Let's go Daisy let's go Dees.