Has this been a good year for the AFL?

[von 1,559]

11 hours ago, McQueen said:

Listening to Gil on AFL 360 the other night saying the league does whatever it wants is enough for me. Arrogant [censored] of a man. 
 

ed: and I’d also like to raise the fact that this site is caving into censorship ridiculousness. 
 

How the hell can fl_og be censored?

Please provide a vocabulary for me. 
 

Fair dinkum. Loosen the [censored] up. 

You have to look to actual royalty to find a more silver spooned situation 

[ElDiablo14 4,990]

1 hour ago, titan_uranus said:

It seems I’m in a minority here. 

I enjoyed season 2023 more than many other season (2021 the obvious exception).

IMO the quality of the game is trending upwards and equalisation is working (has there ever been a better bottom 4 side than 2023 Gold Coast?). Combined with great crowds for great at-stadium atmosphere, and I’ve loved it.

I completely agree that the MRO system is broken. I don’t subscribe to the corruption guff many on here believe from the Maynard incident - the rules are murky and there has been inconsistency as to classification of bumps for years - but the entire system is stuffed and needs an overhaul. I also agree that umpiring is at historic low levels of performance. 

But for whatever reason, I can get past that and enjoy the sport. 

I’m super excited for 2024. 

Are you excited about us going down to Geelong for the nth time while others haven't been there in this millennia?

Excited about the blunders that will happen in the MRO and the clear bias to "big clubs"?

I trust in our boys, I know they have the necessary weapons to go get another one next year (bar some important positions we need to cover).

But the wider competition is unfair, negligent and well protected by a media that is supposed to be independent.

[Stiff Arm 4,419]

4 hours ago, dees189227 said:

Don't think the 4 umpires has worked. They were bought in to oversee what the others missed.

That advantage call should have been communicated back to the ump that paid the free to bring it back. 

Speaking of umpires, I think it's time to throw the ball up instead of bouncing it. I used to love the tradition of the umpires having a ball skill, now I'm just sick of seeing their crappy bounces being recalled. Happened at the very start of the GF, what a let down!

[Sir Why You Little 36,891]

17 hours ago, Redleg said:

Well if it's based solely on a sell out GF and a great game, plus Gill finally leaving the building, then it would be a good year for the AFL.

If it's about a host of other issues they have stuffed up, then absolutely not.

Spot on Mr Leg

The AFL allowing Maynard to play out the Final Series is an absolute disgrace. 
I hope the league are sued mercilessly by ex players. 
the AFL is an entertainment circus 

[Dee Viney Intervention 1,913]

13 hours ago, ElDiablo14 said:

I think he is trying to say that, unless we become a "big club" , we will always be unfairly treated by the AFL.

Or we could stick up for ourselves and call things out instead of being the nice guy. The passive acceptance we have annoys me. I don’t want us to go full Eddie and turn into a serial whinger but every now and then make a stand and not be the serial pushover.

[McQueen 17,864]

The media are more to blame than the game itself for profligating the contentious aspects of the sport. 
 

The AFL needs to somehow crack down on the rubbish spewed out by certain individuals rather than supporting their agendas.  

[layzie 33,720]

3 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

It seems I’m in a minority here. 

I enjoyed season 2023 more than many other season (2021 the obvious exception).

IMO the quality of the game is trending upwards and equalisation is working (has there ever been a better bottom 4 side than 2023 Gold Coast?). Combined with great crowds for great at-stadium atmosphere, and I’ve loved it.

I completely agree that the MRO system is broken. I don’t subscribe to the corruption guff many on here believe from the Maynard incident - the rules are murky and there has been inconsistency as to classification of bumps for years - but the entire system is stuffed and needs an overhaul. I also agree that umpiring is at historic low levels of performance. 

But for whatever reason, I can get past that and enjoy the sport. 

I’m super excited for 2024. 

Well said Titan. There are plenty of great positives and the standard of play and competition is very high. 

Can't disagree with much there to be honest. I would like to see some improvements in the areas mentioned, it doesn't need to be perfect just not regressing. 

A new year will bring new excitement, I'll be ready for 24. 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

Or we could stick up for ourselves and call things out instead of being the nice guy. The passive acceptance we have annoys me. I don’t want us to go full Eddie and turn into a serial whinger but every now and then make a stand and not be the serial pushover.

But how does anyone know we don’t call things out? Is it because it’s not splashed across the media? For all we know our Club does call things out but nothing is done about it. 

[gregdemon 624]

4 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

It seems I’m in a minority here. 

I enjoyed season 2023 more than many other season (2021 the obvious exception).

IMO the quality of the game is trending upwards and equalisation is working (has there ever been a better bottom 4 side than 2023 Gold Coast?). Combined with great crowds for great at-stadium atmosphere, and I’ve loved it.

I completely agree that the MRO system is broken. I don’t subscribe to the corruption guff many on here believe from the Maynard incident - the rules are murky and there has been inconsistency as to classification of bumps for years - but the entire system is stuffed and needs an overhaul. I also agree that umpiring is at historic low levels of performance. 

But for whatever reason, I can get past that and enjoy the sport. 

I’m super excited for 2024. 

yes  apart from us going out in  straight sets   enjoyed the year.    maynard let a bad taste  hope karma gets him    If only with the dees   (fritsch kick Viney kick Kossie cost us Carlton game with ill discipline     Petty out etc)    Bring on 2024

[Willmoy1947 4,069]

4 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

This is EXACTLY what I’ve discussed with other DA members. It’s gotten to a point where you (unconsciously or not) hold back celebrating a little lest a goal be overturned, for example. Or someone takes a great mark but there’s a possibility it mightn’t be paid for whatever reason. It’s like the lid can’t be fully let off “just in case” which goes against the very nature of what we do. Tentative cheering just isn’t the same. 🙁

What about when ALL the players run in the wrong direction⁉️

[Diamond_Jim 12,502]

20 hours ago, Jontee said:

Record breaking crowds which is remarkable in the age of online entertainment

With the increased capacity in SA and WA this is not a surprise. Combine that with Essendon and Pies having good seasons plus Carlton's late run. By % of population, crowds are way down from the VFL days of the 70's. (You can skew figures anyway you like these days)

GCS and GWS are attendance failures and don't look like going anywhere. AFL is a very long second to NRL in NSW and Qld.

Let's be honest television money saved the competition

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, Willmoy1947 said:

What about when ALL the players run in the wrong direction⁉️

I have absolutely nfi what you mean by this. 

[Demon Dynasty 17,109]

20 hours ago, layzie said:

Yes and this is the concern. 

It's like a tech company like Apple or Samsung releasing a new smartphone, a ton of problems come up but they won't fix them because there's a new release coming out anyway and people will still buy it.

That about sums up Gil's reign.

As long as the $$ kept flowing in, him & the other ring masters at Barnum & Baileys couldn't give a rat's tossbag about where the actual game is headed from an on-field & off field integrity POV.

That they never seriously addressed the ARC issues that arose (over two consecutive weeks) tells you exactly where they sit.

Of course it was the umpire's fault.  Out you go son, nothing to see here folks.

We had the Cripps & Maytard fiascos.  Again nothing to see here folks.

Here's your Best & 'Fairest' Brownlow Crippa and there's your Premiership medal Maytard!  Nice footy act mate, sorry you had to suffer through all that nonsense that followed afterwards. 

Everyone get around Maytard including all you Chanel 7 & media folk on the AFL gavy train (or else!).  It's dispicable all these accusations that were thrown at him.  Poor fellow!

Then there's the complete farce that is the Stand rule.  Initially introduced to prevent players from encroaching across corridor / fat side in order to prevent the player taking the mark or free from playing on or kicking on 45 angles through the corridor or into 50. 

Now we rarely, if ever, see players getting pinged for entering / running through the protected zone.  Sometimes 3 to 5 seconds after the mark/free has been taken.  So why is the rule even there?

Like all good corporate leaders and politicians Gil was very good at speaking with forked tongue.

I don't hold out much hope for improvement with his replacement either.

They're very much starting to sound and act like the IOC of Aussie Rules Football. 

Untouchable and accountable to no one.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Demon Dynasty

[Fritta and Turner 4,286]

34 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

With the increased capacity in SA and WA this is not a surprise. Combine that with Essendon and Pies having good seasons plus Carlton's late run. By % of population, crowds are way down from the VFL days of the 70's. (You can skew figures anyway you like these days)

GCS and GWS are attendance failures and don't look like going anywhere. AFL is a very long second to NRL in NSW and Qld.

Let's be honest television money saved the competition

There may be increased capacity interstate but WC and Freo were woeful most of the year and Adelaide and Essendon dint even make it to 9th.  Agree as a % of the population attendances are down and the MCG now only holds 100k, down from 120k before they got rid of standing room.  But it was record attendances this season.  People are turning up to see the game live.  They like it.

The issues for the AFL are the MRO whose deliberations seem to be taken straight out of a Monty Python script and the standard of umpiring.  Perhaps the rules need to be simplified (somehow).

 

[Diamond_Jim 12,502]

2 minutes ago, Jontee said:

There may be increased capacity interstate but WC and Freo were woeful most of the year and Adelaide and Essendon dint even make it to 9th

Essendon were vying for 5th until the wheels fell off around Rd 18.

WC membership and reserved seat holders almost notionally sell out Optus each week so it doesn't matter much attendance wise. Similar with Adelaide. Sure you might not get the last 20% but you now get a bigger base crowd at each stadium.

Then there was Gather Round (an extra round) and the luck of sell out Melbourne finals. Pre covid even PF's rarely sold out

[Gawndy the Great 9,011]

7 minutes ago, Jontee said:

There may be increased capacity interstate but WC and Freo were woeful most of the year and Adelaide and Essendon dint even make it to 9th.  Agree as a % of the population attendances are down and the MCG now only holds 100k, down from 120k before they got rid of standing room.  But it was record attendances this season.  People are turning up to see the game live.  They like it.

The issues for the AFL are the MRO whose deliberations seem to be taken straight out of a Monty Python script and the standard of umpiring.  Perhaps the rules need to be simplified (somehow).

 

Yep the MRO and umpiring for me were the worst aspects of this season. The fixturing is also flawed and the draft system needs some kind of overhaul,  particularly in the area of Academy and F/S prospects

[drdrake 3,151]

Football wise, much more enjoyable season to watch.  The competition is close and will get closer next season as WCE and North improve.

The lack of investment in the technology to get goal reviews right is a concern.

The 4 umpires also was a complete failure.

Inconsistency with tribunal and MRO continues to be frustrating.

On field the players and coaches made it a good season, off field the AFL new leader has a bit to fix

[Guest]

20 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

I guess the upside is it’s nice to know that things can actually get better.

… but will they? The Maynard incident tells me they won’t. Why would things get better when the only driving force to make things better is if there was $ to be made in doing so. And that’s seemingly not the way it goes.

[Diamond_Jim 12,502]

16 minutes ago, Jontee said:

The issues for the AFL are the MRO whose deliberations seem to be taken straight out of a Monty Python script and the standard of umpiring.  Perhaps the rules need to be simplified (somehow).

The MRO and the grading system was meant to simplify things. I wonder if we should bring back the appeal jepoardy. One week or more discount for pleading guilty seemed to work well.

The brush of the hair incident that cost us the SF has made me question the whole "touched goal" rule. Frankly I cringe when the ARC says "we can clearly see XYZ" because most others can't

[darkhorse72 1,901]

The audience seems to be growing and that is all the matters for the AFL.  The more we grow the "safer" the will be.  

[The heart beats true 18,083]

18 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

… but will they? The Maynard incident tells me they won’t. Why would things get better when the only driving force to make things better is if there was $ to be made in doing so. And that’s seemingly not the way it goes.

I reckon they will. The AFL will quietly change the rules this offseason so that incident can never happen again. Just like the Cripps fiasco.

We feel disappointed, but that’s part of the journey. It’ll make it so much sweeter when we get what we all want. Theres no justice in the world - so you’ve just got to dance when it’s your turn to dance.

I hated how our season ended, but we are still the best team to support, have the best supporters, and play at easily the best ground.

[Bates Mate 4,462]

I consciously stopped consuming most footy media other than some demons and footy podcasts that I was interested.

I used to consume 360, on the couch, SEN , Classified (worst of the lot) each week and watch something pretty much everyday. It's mostly toxic rubbish 

Other than gameday Demons games and the odd big game, I didn't watch any football shows and it certainly made the year more enjoyable.

 

[Guest]

58 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

I reckon they will. The AFL will quietly change the rules this offseason so that incident can never happen again. Just like the Cripps fiasco.

We feel disappointed, but that’s part of the journey. It’ll make it so much sweeter when we get what we all want. Theres no justice in the world - so you’ve just got to dance when it’s your turn to dance.

I hated how our season ended, but we are still the best team to support, have the best supporters, and play at easily the best ground.

Of course prevention of a similar incident is welcome and expected. But the damage has been done. And the damage is huge, totally avoidable and sadly, irreversible.

Things impact people in ways many and varied. Probably for most Dees fans there’s the feeling of disappointment, to differing degrees. Personally, it goes beyond disappointment, lightyears beyond. The AFL is synonymous with terrible decisions and the Maynard outcome is yet another in a very long line of outrageous outcomes. But this one is different. It’s taken many years and many instances of the miscarriage of justice but I fear this might be straw/camel’s back. I’m hoping this is temporary, but as of right now I’m not sure I can muster the enthusiasm and passion come next season.

I hate what Brayden Maynard did as much as every other Melb supporter. But it pales in comparison to how much I despise the AFL, for a raft of reasons, but primarily for potentially breaking my spirit.

Genuinely happy for those who aren’t as adversely impacted. Just wish I could say the same. 😔 

Edited October 2, 2023 by WalkingCivilWar

[DeeZone 9,535]

2 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

I have absolutely nfi what you mean by this. 

WCW maybe when umps fail to pay obvious free kick, the players react to the expected free the crowd react but the umpire who has no feel for the game signals Play On.!!

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

WCW maybe when umps fail to pay obvious free kick, the players react to the expected free the crowd react but the umpire who has no feel for the game signals Play On.!!

That makes sense. Thanks DZ!