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.

• 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.

Overall, I'll give AFLX a 7/5 out of 10. Reduce some of the complexity in the rules, bring in the SOO concept, and tidy up some of the bits and pieces happening around the game, and I'd watch it again.