20 minutes ago, Macca said:

There are a few major differences between both the BBL & AFLX though BM.

t20 was already successful on the world stage when the Big Bash was launched so it was always going to get a captive audience.  AFLX is starting from ground zero so it needs the stars playing to have a good chance of succeeding. 

The comparisons for me lay with the demographics that both forms of sport are vying for ... and that's why there is so much opposition - especially here on this site. 

Old school,  old ideals and old values vs New Age.   That's why the debate rages and will continue to rage.   Seen it before a stack of times in various sports including cricket and horse racing.  On that,  NSW racing is aggressively challenging the Victorian stronghold and a lot in Victoria don't like it.  Bring it on I say.  The more competition,  the better.

Yes. Good points, well made

18 minutes ago, Demonland said:

AFLX is still going to need some big name players to make it a success. That's why the AFL have "coaxed" Patrick "the season is too long" Dangerfield and the other stars to be the faces of it.

 

Maybe. Stars like Danger do have some traction with kids under 12 i guess but i reckon lots of little kids would interested in the show than who plays. Particularly if the stars are only going through the motions and doing their best to avoid contact (not very super heroish).

20 hours ago, Demonland said:

 

Dunno bout the rest of you, but i cant wait to see the clash strips.

55 minutes ago, Macca said:

The injury risk is overplayed considering that any player can get injured anytime,  anywhere.  The AFLX games are as much an injury risk as simulated training and way less a risk than practice games or the real stuff.  And we play less practice games these days so the overall injury risk has lessened anyway.

Did you watch AFLX last year rjay?  I did and the games were like touch football with very little tackling and almost zero congestion.  And there was very little chance of fatigue injuries when considering how short & sharp the contests were

As for the appeal of the concept,  whatever floats your boat I say so if AFLX gains a large audience,  so be it. 

No problem with the game 'Macca', from what I hear kids love to play it at school...a bit like touch football.

Just can't see the point in using current AFL players to push it.

I think they would be much better off using retired champions with current VFL/SANFL/WAFL players...would be a further encouragement for players to stay in the game at a higher level rather than giving up or heading back to the minor leagues.

Throw a bit of cash around and get inventive with it...I don't like AFL club players being involved at all.

23 minutes ago, Demonland said:

There is not a need to rejuvenate the game and in order for the AFL to fasttrack this idea they need stars. They don't have the time to grow this game in the minors because the game is not broken for the minor leagues to be able to bring people over to the concept. The only way to ingratiate the audience is to give them the stars.

This paragraph is all over the place...if there is no need to rejuvenate the game then why bother.

The game is broken in the minor leagues and could do with a kick along...it's a hybrid game, why not a hybrid concept.

The stars by the way in the BBL weren't current Australian test players, the big names apart from a couple of O/s players were retired/semi retired champions. No one worried about it as the game itself stacked up.

Get a game up, get some star power onboard (Pavlich, Mitchell, Vince etc) with the local league players (state of origin feel/someone real to barrack for) add some marketing $'s behind it and off you go.

22 hours ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Not saying I agree with the AFLX focus but....

Increased world TV rights. Licence fees if it takes off in a country. Potential to uncover international AFLX talent that can translate to trial AFL as an international rookie. 

I would prefer they create AFLX and fiddle with rules for an international version there than attempt to refine the pure game into a farce that may suit.

When it is all said and done there is not much more that the AFL can do here in this country ... others may disagree especially those looking at grass roots level but to grow the game in a major way we have to go international. 

You make some very good points on the potential benefits that may come about so why not take the game to the world in AFLX form.  The fantastic stadiums are all there so it's just a matter of sticking up the goal posts and away you go.  It's a very clever concept if you think about it.

I don't believe the long term focus is local anyway but they have to start somewhere.

1 minute ago, rjay said:

This paragraph is all over the place...if there is no need to rejuvenate the game then why bother.

The game is broken in the minor leagues and could do with a kick along...it's a hybrid game, why not a hybrid concept.

The stars by the way in the BBL weren't current Australian test players, the big names apart from a couple of O/s players were retired/semi retired champions. No one worried about it as the game itself stacked up.

Get a game up, get some star power onboard (Pavlich, Mitchell, Vince etc) with the local league players (state of origin feel/someone real to barrack for) add some marketing $'s behind it and off you go.

My opinion is that the game is not broken so we don't need to fix it by bringing in AFLX. For some stupid unknown reason the AFL think the code needs AFLX and the only way the can try to fasttrack AFLX is by using the current stars of the game. I don't believe the AFLX will succeed in the minor leagues to the point where it can be a showcase because there is no problem with the length or rules of the game. I think the AFL realise that AFLX won't become popular in the bush leagues to the point where they can drag out no-ones and retired stars and get 20,000+ to pay for tickets and hence Danger and co.

8 minutes ago, rjay said:

No problem with the game 'Macca', from what I hear kids love to play it at school...a bit like touch football.

Just can't see the point in using current AFL players to push it.

I think they would be much better off using retired champions with current VFL/SANFL/WAFL players...would be a further encouragement for players to stay in the game at a higher level rather than giving up or heading back to the minor leagues.

Throw a bit of cash around and get inventive with it...I don't like AFL club players being involved at all.

I reckon we'll know a lot more after viewing year 2 of the concept with the different logo's,  names and all the rest of it.  But I won't be watching it in terms of the excitement of winning.  More so as an entertainment package and whether it could gain traction with a younger audience as the mainstay.

We watch footy with one aim in mind - winning.  Take that aspect away and AFLX has to be viewed differently.  And if that different viewership attracts good numbers,  they may be on to a winner.  Time will tell.

I'm about as old school as it gets with some sports (AFL,  Test Cricket,  the Horses,  Soccer) but I see AFLX as Sports Entertainment or as pure entertainment that has an appeal to certain demographics.  Much like Big Bash,  WWE or ESports.   And those 3 forms of entertainment alone bring in the big $$$$'s. 

Good article. 

 

29 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Good article. 

 

they are moving on from circus performing freaks to hollywood super hero wannabees - lol - what next,  polo playing impresarios?

AFLX is terrible. I preferred AFLs I through IX.

 

Goyder: Gil, we’ve surveyed the population and it appears overweight comic-book geeks aren’t interested in AFL.

Gil: I’ve got this. 

Edited January 14, 20196 yr by Ethan Tremblay

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

 

 

 

I don't care about AFLX, but doing it as State of Origin could have been quite good and with only seven players per side even the smaller states like New South Wales and Queensland could have been competitive.

2 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I don't care about AFLX, but doing it as State of Origin could have been quite good and with only seven players per side even the smaller states like New South Wales and Queensland could have been competitive.

too sensible, clint

Betts' deadly... what?  or they are just deadly?

this is pure bile. lets hope no demons are involved

2 hours ago, DubDee said:

this is pure bile. lets hope no demons are involved

According to this article none of our players are listed in the 20 players best suited to AFLX, which is good in a way, although Oliver should be a tad offended, he could bring snow to Darwin but he’s not AFLX material. 

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2019-01-13/uncanny-xmen-the-20-top-players-suited-to-aflx

Edited January 15, 20196 yr by Dee Zephyr

On 12/13/2018 at 9:00 AM, Demonland said:

• 4 Teams hand picked by 4 Captains.
• One team will be an All Indigenous side captained by Eddie Betts called Team Skill.
• One team will be captained by Patrick Dangerfield and will be called Team Speed.
• The AFL will pre-select 100 players of which the 4 captains will pick 10 players for their teams. 

 

For once I will be quite happy for us to sit this one out.

What an absolute wankfest we have ru(i)Ning our game.

On 12/13/2018 at 9:33 AM, Diamond_Jim said:

a bad idea that got even worse... one really has to wonder whether the AFL is up to running this sport.

Take a lesson from T20.. expose the public via the lower leagues. If it takes off then bring in the higher leagues.

I ceased to woder that several years back.

On 12/14/2018 at 6:34 AM, DSP said:

Im actually astounded that they have managed to make AFLX worse.

 

Team Speed and Skill? Really?

Gil to dash onto the field on his polo pony: would bring both members of the crowd to their feet.

If we all ignore it will it go away? I have more interest in eating a fatberg than watching AFLXyz..!

18 minutes ago, monoccular said:

What an absolute wankfest we have ru(i)Ning our game.

I ceased to woder that several years back.

Gil to dash onto the field on his polo pony: would bring both members of the crowd to their feet.

it will all be marvel-lous(y)

Edited January 15, 20196 yr by daisycutter

It would be ironic if pursuing with this concept may mean that AFLX turns either Stephen Hocking or Gil McLachlan (or both) into EX-AFL

Note to Gil & fellow nuffies: if I didn't have any interest in watching my own team play (and win) AFLX last year, why would I have any more interest in watching this ugly, red-headed bastard stepson of a concept? Wow, even more publicity for the already dangerously over-exposed Dangerfield and Betts!

Broadly speaking I understand the idea behind having a version of the game that requires less space, less players and less physicality, but the execution of the idea has been so bad it has no chance of ever gaining acceptance. 

And only the AFL (and perhaps Cricket Australia) would cannibalise their own product by running it at the same time as they are trying to get publicity and sponsors for AFLW.

36 minutes ago, poita said:

Note to Gil & fellow nuffies: if I didn't have any interest in watching my own team play (and win) AFLX last year, why would I have any more interest in watching this ugly, red-headed bastard stepson of a concept? Wow, even more publicity for the already dangerously over-exposed Dangerfield and Betts!

Broadly speaking I understand the idea behind having a version of the game that requires less space, less players and less physicality, but the execution of the idea has been so bad it has no chance of ever gaining acceptance. 

And only the AFL (and perhaps Cricket Australia) would cannibalise their own product by running it at the same time as they are trying to get publicity and sponsors for AFLW.

Well said.

The Vice Captains have been named.

I always try not to sweat the small things in life or lose sleep over the things in this world out of my control, but for some reason AFLX makes me furious. 

It is purely an exploitative corporate bastardisation of our game from the kitsch format down to the tacky ‘Marvel’ superhero themed teams.

Its genuinely worrying for the future of the game that the AFL wants to see this format succeed.