- The standard got better as the night went on. It was relieving to say "Good footy..." out loud a few times as the play went on (It's one of my favourite in-game pieces of commentary).
- The scoring was higher than I expected, but the scoring rules are so confusing that I've pretty much given up on trying to understand them/explain them. The AFL also seemed to be introducing rules on the run, because a second Gamechanger was introduced for the Grand Final, which I don't remember seeing as a rule anywhere in the lead up to the event.
- The rules and their unnecessary complexity was a source of mirth for my friends and I, as we would make up arbitrary and deliberately obtuse rules while watching the play. It was fucking hilarious.
- The atmosphere at the ground seemed pretty good, and the players, almost to a man, said they enjoyed playing it. The one downside seemed to be that fans were allowed to stand behind the goals at one end, and whenever the ball went into the crowd after a score, there was the potential for a mosh to develop, possibly resulting in physical danger, and not the look the AFL would be going for with so many young fans there. The whole event was a bit of a sideshow however, with climbing walls, mascots and other attractions happening while play was taking place.
- I had a female friend watching the game at home, and she said it was ok to watch, which I thought was interesting because I'd said to her that she was one of the types of markets the AFL was trying to capture, but I'd put a caveat on that, in that we didn't watch the game very closely/
- I've heard a number of calls now for the State of Origin to be used as the basis for the teams next year, and it seems like a logical fit. There are 4 strong SOO teams that could be used (Sorry Tasmania, NSW, ACT and Queensland), and the players would probably play with a bit more purpose wearing their state colours.
- The reaction of the players on social media during and after the game seemed to be positive, and combined with the positive reaction of the players and the crowd, I'm hopeful the concept will return again next year. Only one injury seemed to come out of it, and this seemed to be a preexisting injury anyway.
Monday, February 25, 2019
Participant Observations 25/2/19 - AFLXtra
A few friends came over for a BBQ and to watch AFLX on Friday night, and while I didn't watch the game closely (with so many distractions happening with the BBQ), here are some of my observations on it.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Participant Observations 18/02/19 - First AFLW Game and an AFL Fan Day x2
For a while I'd been meaning to get along to an AFLW game, and last weekend was the first time when I had a Saturday free that also coincided with a GWS Giants game in Sydney. Another reason to go down to Sydney was to pick up some old boxes from my mum's place, and then a few days before I left, I received an email from the Swans, saying their Fan Day was going to be on the same morning as the game. The GWS Giants were also hosting their Fan Day just prior to the AFLW game at Blacktown, so there was plenty of reasons to go along.
I arrived at the Swans Fan Day at Moore Park about an hour before it finished. It was at Industrial Hall, their new base in the Entertainment Precinct. It was ok, and pretty much what I expected. Loads of kids, and child-friendly activities. There were more AFL players there than I had anticipated however, and not just the fringe players. Buddy Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Jarrod McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney, along with many others were all there, and it seemed like most were making an effort to be involved with the fans.
Personally, I didn't approach any of the players, or get involved in any of the activities, although they did have the 4x Swans Premiership Cups there, so I of course had to get my photo taken with them, although they said I couldn't pick them up...
At first I thought it was a bit disingenuous to have both Fan Days on the same day, and that perhaps someone was trying to sabotage the other. But then on reflection, I think it's likely that there would be many families in Sydney with split allegiances, and having both Fan Days on the same day, but at clearly different times, would allow those families to get to both events, and enjoy the same experience on the same day.
Because the Giants Fan Day was outside, they could also have a few different fan events, such as a water-slide, and a goal kicking setup, although I suspect these were AFLW-driven rather than being unique to the Giants Fan Day. The other positive to come out of it was the fact that, because there were so many people there for the Fan Day, it effectively guaranteed a big crowd for the AFLW game.
Sensing this would be the case, and with only the grandstand offering any shade, I grabbed a seat about 40 minutes before the bounce. The grandstand only really covers one wing, and probably seats about 2,000 people. A lot of seats were also reserved for players and officials, which is understandable given how many of them were there on the day. It was a good decision, because b y the bounce, the stand was about 90% full. The rest of the ground, which is surrounded by a grassed embankment, was also well populated, which was really encouraging. I would have guessed there to be about 3,500 people to be there - AFLW says 3,823 people.
It's a good place to watch footy, and the ground covering looks immaculate. The fans are close to the players on the sideline, although there is a huge distance between the player benches and the interchange gates, which must be inconvenient for teams, especially in terms of communication and making quick interchange decisions. There also appears to be a good corporate area, and two stories of boxes/media facilities. Generally speaking, it looks like a fantastic place to play footy and run a team.
When it came time for the game to start, Carlton were on top almost from the start, and the Giants just couldn't get any clean and clear use of the pill. Their forward pressure was very good, and they structured up behind the footy very well as well. There was some good passages of play, although a few basic skill errors still dog the women's game, particularly dropped marks and overrunning ground balls.
However, there were some good passages of clean play, and the athleticism of the women stands out a lot more in-person than it does on the TV. I was really impressed with Katie Loynes, and fortunately I saw probably the best game from two AFLW stars, Darcy Vescio and Tayla Harris. Harris in particular was very good in the air and dominated the first half, to really set up the win. Amanda Farrugia was probably one of the best for the Giants, and I think Jess Dal Pos might be carrying an injury - she definitely looked a bit restricted at times. Cora Staunton was a crowd favourtie, but she tends to go to ground too often, and the Giants backs were just overrun by the repeat inside-50's by the Blues.
Having said all that, I left at half time, to beat the traffic back to Newcastle. So I missed the massive hit Harris put on Pepa Randall. Having only seen it on TV, I think she'll still get 1-2 weeks for it. She took her eyes off the ball, ran past the footy, and connected with a player who clearly wasn't expecting the hit. The only thing that might save her is that I don't think she collected Randall in the head, who walked off, and if Randall doesn't have a concussion. But it goes to show how hard the women play. there is no doubting the women's ability to go in hard at the footy, and I'm a huge fan of the way they play. Having also watched the Adelaide team destroy Geelong on the weekend, there is no doubt the quality of play is improving.
A couple of further observations about AFLW: There definitely should be an entry fee - even a gold coin donation would be enough to ameliorate some of the costs involved, and I don't think crowd numbers would suffer much. And not enough players can kick on both sides of their body. this is a real issue preventing the quality of play, and it may result in more leg injuries, as players stop and prop a lot to get back onto their preferred side. The sudden stop I imagine would put strain on the knees, rather than being able to kick freely through the ball, but obviously I have no evidence to sustain such an hypothesis.
Overall the atmosphere at the ground was good, although obviously the fans were disappointed the Giants weren't more competitive. There was a good number of Carlton fans there, and they were pretty vocal without being negative to the opposition, which was encouraging. Players from both teams were applauded when they entered the playing arena, and the feeling overall is more encouraging and festive than the men's game, which you're probably going to get in a shorter season that is still maturing.
So I wish I could go to more games! I wish they would play some games in Newcastle, and I wish the Swans had a team - not just to support, but also because I think it would help the culture of the entire organisation.
I arrived at the Swans Fan Day at Moore Park about an hour before it finished. It was at Industrial Hall, their new base in the Entertainment Precinct. It was ok, and pretty much what I expected. Loads of kids, and child-friendly activities. There were more AFL players there than I had anticipated however, and not just the fringe players. Buddy Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Jarrod McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney, along with many others were all there, and it seemed like most were making an effort to be involved with the fans.
Personally, I didn't approach any of the players, or get involved in any of the activities, although they did have the 4x Swans Premiership Cups there, so I of course had to get my photo taken with them, although they said I couldn't pick them up...
It was free, all indoors and air-conditioned, which was good. Music was ok, and it wasn't overcrowded. The space is a good size, and it'll be interesting to see how the Swans utilise it in the future. The downsides to the event were that the food was expensive - $12 for a mini pizza!! - and the Swans (probably the staff more than the players) seem to have a bit of arrogance about them, although in some ways, you kind of expect that from an elite team. I also think the arrogance comes from not having any elite female representation, which I'll explain a bit later...
After leaving Moore Park and picking everything up from Mum's, I took the long journey out west to Blacktown, which really is in the way out west. You're confronted with hobby farms and open parkland when you get off the expressway in places with names like like Rooty Hill, Doonside, and Plumpton.
But it was easy to find the ground, and even easier to find a park, although I got there about 90 minutes before the game. Entry was free (AFLW games are free anyways), but the refreshments were again expensive - $5.50 for a 600ml bottle of Sprite!! The place was overrun with kids, and the Fan Day events were packed into a relatively small outdoor area, without much shade on a 30-degree day. And there are no AFL Premiership Cups to pose with...
But it had a bit more of a positive vibe about it than compared to the Swans Fan Day, and this is where I think having the elite female athletes at the event made a difference. Aside from the male AFL players, the Giants also had their netballers there, as well as the AFLW players who were not playing in the game that afternoon. I think this makes the male players more humble and fan-friendly, and the female players bring a different attitude and fan response.
At first I thought it was a bit disingenuous to have both Fan Days on the same day, and that perhaps someone was trying to sabotage the other. But then on reflection, I think it's likely that there would be many families in Sydney with split allegiances, and having both Fan Days on the same day, but at clearly different times, would allow those families to get to both events, and enjoy the same experience on the same day.
Because the Giants Fan Day was outside, they could also have a few different fan events, such as a water-slide, and a goal kicking setup, although I suspect these were AFLW-driven rather than being unique to the Giants Fan Day. The other positive to come out of it was the fact that, because there were so many people there for the Fan Day, it effectively guaranteed a big crowd for the AFLW game.
Sensing this would be the case, and with only the grandstand offering any shade, I grabbed a seat about 40 minutes before the bounce. The grandstand only really covers one wing, and probably seats about 2,000 people. A lot of seats were also reserved for players and officials, which is understandable given how many of them were there on the day. It was a good decision, because b y the bounce, the stand was about 90% full. The rest of the ground, which is surrounded by a grassed embankment, was also well populated, which was really encouraging. I would have guessed there to be about 3,500 people to be there - AFLW says 3,823 people.
It's a good place to watch footy, and the ground covering looks immaculate. The fans are close to the players on the sideline, although there is a huge distance between the player benches and the interchange gates, which must be inconvenient for teams, especially in terms of communication and making quick interchange decisions. There also appears to be a good corporate area, and two stories of boxes/media facilities. Generally speaking, it looks like a fantastic place to play footy and run a team.
When it came time for the game to start, Carlton were on top almost from the start, and the Giants just couldn't get any clean and clear use of the pill. Their forward pressure was very good, and they structured up behind the footy very well as well. There was some good passages of play, although a few basic skill errors still dog the women's game, particularly dropped marks and overrunning ground balls.
However, there were some good passages of clean play, and the athleticism of the women stands out a lot more in-person than it does on the TV. I was really impressed with Katie Loynes, and fortunately I saw probably the best game from two AFLW stars, Darcy Vescio and Tayla Harris. Harris in particular was very good in the air and dominated the first half, to really set up the win. Amanda Farrugia was probably one of the best for the Giants, and I think Jess Dal Pos might be carrying an injury - she definitely looked a bit restricted at times. Cora Staunton was a crowd favourtie, but she tends to go to ground too often, and the Giants backs were just overrun by the repeat inside-50's by the Blues.
Having said all that, I left at half time, to beat the traffic back to Newcastle. So I missed the massive hit Harris put on Pepa Randall. Having only seen it on TV, I think she'll still get 1-2 weeks for it. She took her eyes off the ball, ran past the footy, and connected with a player who clearly wasn't expecting the hit. The only thing that might save her is that I don't think she collected Randall in the head, who walked off, and if Randall doesn't have a concussion. But it goes to show how hard the women play. there is no doubting the women's ability to go in hard at the footy, and I'm a huge fan of the way they play. Having also watched the Adelaide team destroy Geelong on the weekend, there is no doubt the quality of play is improving.
A couple of further observations about AFLW: There definitely should be an entry fee - even a gold coin donation would be enough to ameliorate some of the costs involved, and I don't think crowd numbers would suffer much. And not enough players can kick on both sides of their body. this is a real issue preventing the quality of play, and it may result in more leg injuries, as players stop and prop a lot to get back onto their preferred side. The sudden stop I imagine would put strain on the knees, rather than being able to kick freely through the ball, but obviously I have no evidence to sustain such an hypothesis.
Overall the atmosphere at the ground was good, although obviously the fans were disappointed the Giants weren't more competitive. There was a good number of Carlton fans there, and they were pretty vocal without being negative to the opposition, which was encouraging. Players from both teams were applauded when they entered the playing arena, and the feeling overall is more encouraging and festive than the men's game, which you're probably going to get in a shorter season that is still maturing.
So I wish I could go to more games! I wish they would play some games in Newcastle, and I wish the Swans had a team - not just to support, but also because I think it would help the culture of the entire organisation.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Participant Observations 13/2/19 - Don't ruin AFLX with gimmicky rules
AFLX is just over a week away, and I'm a big fan of the concept. I know that puts me in the minority, given most of the fan reaction on social media has been largely negative, from what I can tell.
So in the lead up to the second year of the fledgling competition, I find it surprising the AFL would make it harder for fans to embrace the format by introducing some naff features and rules, at a time when trying to convince fans about its merits would seem to be important.
The AFL has abandoned the club-based format in favour of an All-Star, captains-pick concept. Four autonomous, unaffiliated teams have been created, each with a star player as captain, who then picks their side from the available player pool in a 'draft'.
I don't mind that teams are not club-based, and I like the idea of the All-Star teams. I didn't even mind the draft. It showcased the personalities of the captains, and we picked up on the peculiar (and at times humorous) motivations behind some of their decisions.
The All-Star teams are also a good way to get fan interest over the pre-season, where teams usually play fringe players, who have minimal interest for the fans. Now, I'm looking forward to seeing Nat Fyfe play with Patrick Cripps, Scott Pendlebury, Alex Rance, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney and Josh Kennedy (Yes, I'm on #TeamFlyers).
But I think Leigh Matthews had a really interesting comment, when he Tweeted:
However, what I find really disenfranchising as a fan is what has happened to the rules. I struggle to see the upside of a "Forward Zone", a "Launch Zone", the ball returning to the middle after a super goal, and the "Gamechanger".
I like the idea of a super-goal, but instead of using the "Launch Zone", why not just say, "Any goal kicked from over half-way"? Is it just trying to improve the nomenclature? What is the point of the "Forward Zone"? The only reason for it being there, from what I can tell, is a player can mark a ball kicked backwards in that area, and not be called to play on. Why not just make it that all balls kicked backwards are called play-on, except in the front half, or the front third?
And what is the point of returning the ball to the center after a super-goal? Perhaps attacking players will try to kick more of these goals, but it could just as easily result in more points being kicked, and defenders will work harder to try and stop these goals, possibly resulting in regressive, lock-down play in the midfield. I also like players being allowed to play-on from full-back. I believe it promotes faster play, as seen in the AFLW this year with the play-on from full-back rule.
Another rule that adds complexity for fans, umpires and timekeepers is the "Gamechanger". Yes, it might add more scoring, but I see defenses applying a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, so that they don't score, further restricting the action on field.
Moreover, this rule seemingly has little purpose other than being opportunity to activate sponsorship. The "Gatorade Gamechanger". Seriously? And if defenders do apply a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, it could in turn actually reduce the sponsorship recognition that would come with every "Gamechanger" goal.
I could stomach the "Zooper" goal last year, because it was basically an existing rule (i.e., the super-goal) with a brand name thrown on top. But to create an entirely new rule, with little purpose than to activate a sponsorship seems like an unnecessary commercialisation of the game, which fans usually have a distaste for.
The possible implications of this increasing complexity shouldn't be underestimated. If the code is trying to sell this game to new, young fans in non-traditional markets, as they've suggested they are, then I can't think of a better way to alienate those fans than by making the rules of the new format so unnecessarily difficult to follow.
As Max Laughton from Fox Sports explained, imagine trying to get your head around this new game as one of those young players in the target market: "All we need is ten players - oh, hang on, it’s 14 now. And we need to mark out the launch zone, and the forward zone, and nominate our Gatorade Game Changer, and someone needs to watch the clock in the second half for them... you know what, maybe let’s play something else.”
I've played AFL 9's quite a lot, which is also based on a rectangular field, and it's fantastic. One of the attractions in that version of the game is the rules are so simple, meaning any newcomer who joins us for a game can pick the rules up in the first 5-10 minutes of play. But these new AFLX rules could be harder on umpires, broadcasters, commentators, and players, while simultaneously making it harder for fans to embrace a non-traditional version of the code.
As I've said before, I actually enjoyed watching the game last year, and I'm looking forward to watching the star-studded games this year. Just make it easier for fans to follow, and add some substance by building it around the State of Origin format.
So in the lead up to the second year of the fledgling competition, I find it surprising the AFL would make it harder for fans to embrace the format by introducing some naff features and rules, at a time when trying to convince fans about its merits would seem to be important.
The AFL has abandoned the club-based format in favour of an All-Star, captains-pick concept. Four autonomous, unaffiliated teams have been created, each with a star player as captain, who then picks their side from the available player pool in a 'draft'.
I don't mind that teams are not club-based, and I like the idea of the All-Star teams. I didn't even mind the draft. It showcased the personalities of the captains, and we picked up on the peculiar (and at times humorous) motivations behind some of their decisions.
The All-Star teams are also a good way to get fan interest over the pre-season, where teams usually play fringe players, who have minimal interest for the fans. Now, I'm looking forward to seeing Nat Fyfe play with Patrick Cripps, Scott Pendlebury, Alex Rance, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney and Josh Kennedy (Yes, I'm on #TeamFlyers).
But I think Leigh Matthews had a really interesting comment, when he Tweeted:
What a innovative idea. We'd get to see the return of State of Origin competition (at least in some format), and captains could still pick teams based on the players available from their state, although there would be much less need for a draft. You could then have a round robin competition, with the top two teams playing for something. It could be done in one day, but might stretch over two days, with a finals series on the second day.I’m for the AFLX concept even though I’m sure my generation is not the target audience anyway,however competitive sport without caring who wins is meaningless ,what if they dropped the gimmicky team names and made the 4 teams Vic,SA,WA and the Allies?Would increase my interest— Leigh Matthews (@LeighRMatthews) February 8, 2019
However, what I find really disenfranchising as a fan is what has happened to the rules. I struggle to see the upside of a "Forward Zone", a "Launch Zone", the ball returning to the middle after a super goal, and the "Gamechanger".
I like the idea of a super-goal, but instead of using the "Launch Zone", why not just say, "Any goal kicked from over half-way"? Is it just trying to improve the nomenclature? What is the point of the "Forward Zone"? The only reason for it being there, from what I can tell, is a player can mark a ball kicked backwards in that area, and not be called to play on. Why not just make it that all balls kicked backwards are called play-on, except in the front half, or the front third?
And what is the point of returning the ball to the center after a super-goal? Perhaps attacking players will try to kick more of these goals, but it could just as easily result in more points being kicked, and defenders will work harder to try and stop these goals, possibly resulting in regressive, lock-down play in the midfield. I also like players being allowed to play-on from full-back. I believe it promotes faster play, as seen in the AFLW this year with the play-on from full-back rule.
Another rule that adds complexity for fans, umpires and timekeepers is the "Gamechanger". Yes, it might add more scoring, but I see defenses applying a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, so that they don't score, further restricting the action on field.
Moreover, this rule seemingly has little purpose other than being opportunity to activate sponsorship. The "Gatorade Gamechanger". Seriously? And if defenders do apply a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, it could in turn actually reduce the sponsorship recognition that would come with every "Gamechanger" goal.
I could stomach the "Zooper" goal last year, because it was basically an existing rule (i.e., the super-goal) with a brand name thrown on top. But to create an entirely new rule, with little purpose than to activate a sponsorship seems like an unnecessary commercialisation of the game, which fans usually have a distaste for.
The possible implications of this increasing complexity shouldn't be underestimated. If the code is trying to sell this game to new, young fans in non-traditional markets, as they've suggested they are, then I can't think of a better way to alienate those fans than by making the rules of the new format so unnecessarily difficult to follow.
As Max Laughton from Fox Sports explained, imagine trying to get your head around this new game as one of those young players in the target market: "All we need is ten players - oh, hang on, it’s 14 now. And we need to mark out the launch zone, and the forward zone, and nominate our Gatorade Game Changer, and someone needs to watch the clock in the second half for them... you know what, maybe let’s play something else.”
I've played AFL 9's quite a lot, which is also based on a rectangular field, and it's fantastic. One of the attractions in that version of the game is the rules are so simple, meaning any newcomer who joins us for a game can pick the rules up in the first 5-10 minutes of play. But these new AFLX rules could be harder on umpires, broadcasters, commentators, and players, while simultaneously making it harder for fans to embrace a non-traditional version of the code.
As I've said before, I actually enjoyed watching the game last year, and I'm looking forward to watching the star-studded games this year. Just make it easier for fans to follow, and add some substance by building it around the State of Origin format.
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