AFL imploding

[tigger]

If you get a bad game of AFL it's just unwatchable. 36 grown men rolling around on the ground knocking the ball about.

A really good game of AFL is ok to watch live , where you can see all the off-the-ball leads and plays but, again, IMO, it's unwatchable on tv where the camera just follows the ball.

I think the game has a really bad culture. My eldest boy played it for one season when we first came to Victoria. I was appalled that crowds yelled abuse at junior umpires (under 12's comp) and that each week the umpires had to be escorted to and from the field by club officials.

I was glad when he stopped playing it, even though the alternative was Rugby Union

 

[TillLindemann]

Hey just watching the news and the AFL is imploding . It’s weird ! The sport is apparently unwatchable at the moment , as well as none of thier players seem to understand what isolation means .
Their talking heads are having a field day

Loving hearing the AFL journo's crying in their saucer of milk, heard one on the radio today say "Peter V'Landys is very lucky he doesn't have to manage a truly national comp". ?Sad sacks. Wouldn't a truly national comp include Tasmania and the Northern Territory as well? ACT?
Their heads are that far up their own bums in AFL-land, it's fun to watch their brand squirm TBH.

A 'truly national comp' wouldn't have half of its teams based in one city, which is not even our largest city. It wouldn't have 3 quarters of its teams south of the Murray, it would have a team in the nation's capital, it would have at least one team north of Brisbane, it would have more than 2 teams in our most populous state, etc etc etc

PS more people live just in REGIONAL NSW than in the whole of South Australia. More people live just in REGIONAL Queensland than the whole of South Australia. Having 2 teams in Adelaide doesn't make you more 'national' than having teams in Newcastle, Canberra and North Queensland.

The NRL mightn't have teams in SA or WA, but I'd argue it's more reflective of where Australians actually live than the AFL is.

 

[TheDaBoss]

i dont mind watching it here and then

same with playing it, it is good fun

 

[jadtiger]

It was fun to play 50 years ago, terrible to watch then and still is ghastly now

 

[Tigerwould]

The top of any sport in Australia should be representing your country. Not playing again a crap suburb of Melbourne


 

[jirskyr]

Hey just watching the news and the AFL is imploding . It’s weird ! The sport is apparently unwatchable at the moment , as well as none of thier players seem to understand what isolation means .
Their talking heads are having a field day

Loving hearing the AFL journo's crying in their saucer of milk, heard one on the radio today say "Peter V'Landys is very lucky he doesn't have to manage a truly national comp". ?Sad sacks. Wouldn't a truly national comp include Tasmania and the Northern Territory as well? ACT?
Their heads are that far up their own bums in AFL-land, it's fun to watch their brand squirm TBH.

A 'truly national comp' wouldn't have half of its teams based in one city, which is not even our largest city. It wouldn't have 3 quarters of its teams south of the Murray, it would have a team in the nation's capital, it would have at least one team north of Brisbane, it would have more than 2 teams in our most populous state, etc etc etc

PS more people live just in REGIONAL NSW than in the whole of South Australia. More people live just in REGIONAL Queensland than the whole of South Australia. Having 2 teams in Adelaide doesn't make you more 'national' than having teams in Newcastle, Canberra and North Queensland.

The NRL mightn't have teams in SA or WA, but I'd argue it's more reflective of where Australians actually live than the AFL is.

I did a review once, about population distribution wrt clubs. Of the Top 10 most populous "urban areas" in Australia, 7 of them are rugby league dominated: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Goldie-Tweed, Newcastle-Maitland, Canberra-Queanbeyan, Sunny Coast, Wollongong.

So AFL can go ahead and have 2 teams in Adelaide, but they've only got 1 in the next 5, and that's a token side as it is (Gold Coast Suns).

I don't know what mechanism by which AFL considers themselves a more national sport, I can only suppose they count # States with pro teams. In that respect they have pro sides in 5 of 7 States/Territories, whereas rugby league has 4/7.

But then rugby league has a team in NZ and representation in every Pacific nation including PNG, which AFL does not have.

So by population and urban areas AFL is not dominant, by top and total TV audiences it is not dominant, by region it is not dominant. It basically has 1 extra State, of small population.

I read an interesting article the other day by the Swans chairman who was warning the AFL about PVL and rugby league's post-COVID success. This guy said basically that AFL heads in Melbourne tended to focus too much on crowds as a measurement of popularity, but were missing the factors by which NRL was strengthening and had basically trampled over Yawnion.

 

[cochise]

Hey just watching the news and the AFL is imploding . It’s weird ! The sport is apparently unwatchable at the moment , as well as none of thier players seem to understand what isolation means .
Their talking heads are having a field day

Loving hearing the AFL journo's crying in their saucer of milk, heard one on the radio today say "Peter V'Landys is very lucky he doesn't have to manage a truly national comp". ?Sad sacks. Wouldn't a truly national comp include Tasmania and the Northern Territory as well? ACT?
Their heads are that far up their own bums in AFL-land, it's fun to watch their brand squirm TBH.

A 'truly national comp' wouldn't have half of its teams based in one city, which is not even our largest city. It wouldn't have 3 quarters of its teams south of the Murray, it would have a team in the nation's capital, it would have at least one team north of Brisbane, it would have more than 2 teams in our most populous state, etc etc etc

PS more people live just in REGIONAL NSW than in the whole of South Australia. More people live just in REGIONAL Queensland than the whole of South Australia. Having 2 teams in Adelaide doesn't make you more 'national' than having teams in Newcastle, Canberra and North Queensland.

The NRL mightn't have teams in SA or WA, but I'd argue it's more reflective of where Australians actually live than the AFL is.

I did a review once, about population distribution wrt clubs. Of the Top 10 most populous "urban areas" in Australia, 7 of them are rugby league dominated: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Goldie-Tweed, Newcastle-Maitland, Canberra-Queanbeyan, Sunny Coast, Wollongong.

So AFL can go ahead and have 2 teams in Adelaide, but they've only got 1 in the next 5, and that's a token side as it is (Gold Coast Suns).

I don't know what mechanism by which AFL considers themselves a more national sport, I can only suppose they count # States with pro teams. In that respect they have pro sides in 5 of 7 States/Territories, whereas rugby league has 4/7.

But then rugby league has a team in NZ and representation in every Pacific nation including PNG, which AFL does not have.

So by population and urban areas AFL is not dominant, by top and total TV audiences it is not dominant, by region it is not dominant. It basically has 1 extra State, of small population.

I read an interesting article the other day by the Swans chairman who was warning the AFL about PVL and rugby league's post-COVID success. This guy said basically that AFL heads in Melbourne tended to focus too much on crowds as a measurement of popularity, but were missing the factors by which NRL was strengthening and had basically trampled over Yawnion.

They use footprint

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

only game in the world where you get a point for missing
Tv audience in past few years in nsw and qld are terrible basically if you like afl you generally go to it not watxh it on tv.
i work for a company that has an affiliation with GWS and they are giving away tickets to the game this sunday as many as you like man they are desperate.
We have sponsorship too with Bankwest and can promise you we had no nrl giveaways this weekend.
This is the NRL's chance to soar past afl
would love a second Brisbane team and a central coast team or w.a team

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Got an inferiority complex big time.

Hope the game does down the toilet. I hate the game purely because it is killing Cricket.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Roy Masters a few weeks ago unleashed on the female AFL reporter on the ABC. It was beautiful to listen to Masters speak on the proactive approach of V'landys. This was after the reporter had suggested the AFL were considerably ahead if the NRL in returning to playing.

 

[happy_tiger]

We've had some luck in all this

The AFL coaches have grown an NRL coaches mentality ........instead of outscoring opponents ....they want to outdefend opponents ...and it looks damn ugly on the TV

 

[jirskyr]

They use footprint

What does that even mean? Distance between professional clubs? Area covered by footballers of any division?

If I set up a jirskyrball league with a team on Christmas Island, a team in Arnhem Land, a team on Norfolk Island and a team on Bruny Island, can I call jirskyrball the national sport? Travel costs would of course end my league after a round or two.

 

[jirskyr]

Roy Masters a few weeks ago unleashed on the female AFL reporter on the ABC. It was beautiful to listen to Masters speak on the proactive approach of V'landys. This was after the reporter had suggested the AFL were considerably ahead if the NRL in returning to playing.

How could anyone possibly argue that AFL was ahead of NRL post-COVID? My only disappointment is that the AFL is moving all teams out of Victoria and attempting to continue to play, though any attempt at crowds you think would be decimated, trying to play games like Hawthorn vs Carlton in Queensland.

I would much have preferred half the AFL to find themselves in suburban hotspots and shut down.

 

[cochise]

They use footprint

What does that even mean? Distance between professional clubs? Area covered by footballers of any division?

If I set up a jirskyrball league with a team on Christmas Island, a team in Arnhem Land, a team on Norfolk Island and a team on Bruny Island, can I call jirskyrball the national sport? Travel costs would of course end my league after a round or two.

It really is television markets, I agree with you that it is a manipulation of facts but that is what they use.

 

[jirskyr]

They use footprint

What does that even mean? Distance between professional clubs? Area covered by footballers of any division?

If I set up a jirskyrball league with a team on Christmas Island, a team in Arnhem Land, a team on Norfolk Island and a team on Bruny Island, can I call jirskyrball the national sport? Travel costs would of course end my league after a round or two.

It really is television markets, I agree with you that it is a manipulation of facts but that is what they use.

Well they lost the television market last year by any measurement (a) total viewers or (b) viewership per match or (c) number of shows in Top 20, whether you look at FTA or Pay TV, NRL outstripped them all accounts.

Queensland plus NSW plus ACT population alone is ~52% of the national population. So the potential viewership in dominant states is automatically less.

But alright if they count Coober Pedy and Kalgoorlie as two separate and important TV markets, good luck to them.

 

[cochise]

They use footprint

What does that even mean? Distance between professional clubs? Area covered by footballers of any division?

If I set up a jirskyrball league with a team on Christmas Island, a team in Arnhem Land, a team on Norfolk Island and a team on Bruny Island, can I call jirskyrball the national sport? Travel costs would of course end my league after a round or two.

It really is television markets, I agree with you that it is a manipulation of facts but that is what they use.

Well they lost the television market last year by any measurement (a) total viewers or (b) viewership per match or (c) number of shows in Top 20, whether you look at FTA or Pay TV, NRL outstripped them all accounts.

Queensland plus NSW plus ACT population alone is ~52% of the national population. So the potential viewership in dominant states is automatically less.

But alright if they count Coober Pedy and Kalgoorlie as two separate and important TV markets, good luck to them.

No but they count WA, VIC, SA, TAS, NT as separate markets and the NRL goes into most of them on secondary channels and has 1 team in them in total, which means the advertising $ in those states is not there.

I'm not saying I agree but it is the argument they use.

 

[fibrodreaming]

Well they lost the television market last year by any measurement

Your comments re AFL are very interesting.

When we talk about TV ratings, does that take into account ratings in NZ ? I imagine not only the Warriors but NRL matches generally would attract some viewers, particularly SOO.

 

[Deleted member 3518]

AFL likes to promote itself as the winter code of the nation however they have teams in nsw and qld that not many care about. If you speak to AFL die hard about this they almost go into cardiac arrest.

AFL is actually a decent game to watch live but rubbish on TV because so much happens in the background. They are panicking because people are bored because they aren’t at the game. Throw that in with most of there clubs potentially being excluded from travelling out of the state and they are in a position where they may not be able to finish the season.

On top of that Rugby League has been able to arrange for a team from New Zealand to play in there comp as well as relocate a team from Victoria at short notice.

AFL leaders where telling the media that NRL is trying to return to quickly and now they are the ones who look like they might fail.

Personally I played AFL with some mates in high school after switching from rugby league and it is a pretty simple game. Even made a couple of rep teams. However I wouldn’t watch it on TV, happy to go to a game live and bag out swans supporters but that’s about it.

Hopefully the league players can continue to control themselves and we don’t get some kind of outbreak but I think having the NZ boys away from their families helps drill home how important being sensible is.

I’ve got no issues with AFL really . The way they carry on is a bit on the nose though . I tend to agree with your comments . I’ve played 2 AFL games in my life . 1 of which I got player of the game . Just because I was willing to tackle all day . And chase the ball around . To me it’s number 1 skill is endurance . They’re basically triathletes with a ball . Which is super impressive as a feat , but not so much to watch .

 

[cochise]

Well they lost the television market last year by any measurement

Your comments re AFL are very interesting.

When we talk about TV ratings, does that take into account ratings in NZ ? I imagine not only the Warriors but NRL matches generally would attract some viewers, particularly SOO.

The ratings do not include New Zealand but I do not think they would be huge anyway as I believe the Nrl is not on free to air television and the population of NZ in total is less than 5 million which is less than Sydney.

 

[Deleted member 3518]

We've had some luck in all this

The AFL coaches have grown an NRL coaches mentality ........instead of outscoring opponents ....they want to outdefend opponents ...and it looks damn ugly on the TV

Yep , this has been a natural cycle in all sports world wide . Some sports like AFL and basketball , are unwatchable it it’s a defensive display .
Others like RL, soccer , Ice Hockey , can be amazing spectacles when they’re low scoring games .
NBA changed the rules to stop this type of stuff . AFL is screwed , because it is a sport about endurance , so if you flood the backline and tackle to the ground , you negate this . Which makes it absolutely unwatchable