Does the AFL need a revamp?

Quote Originally Posted by Jive_Turkey:

Quote Originally Posted by Simba_AUS:

Crawl back in your hole jive Turkey

Quote Originally Posted by rooboybaz:

Quote Originally Posted by Rostos:

Rugby Union

Is just a game of who has the best goal kicker.......

Quote Originally Posted by Jive_Turkey:

Quote Originally Posted by nbird33:

No the AFL does not need a revamp.  Get a group of players with 60-100 games under their belts and reach the required levels of stamina to run out a game.  The game has changed so much in the last five years in terms of aerobic capacity and expectation and IMO teams are taking a while to catch up/re-draft accordingly.

Case in point look at Rhys Palmer now... he was a gun junior and a high draft prospect, these days he seems to clearly lack a step of pace and dare I say it the game has gone past him somewhat.. and he was only drafted in '08 (?)

Furthermore, with such an open space and field of play, tactics, presses etc have become more and more of a requirement.  Man on man is scarcely implemented because the game is changing so quickly both tactically and physically.  The coaching staff is IMO now more important than ever before, and if they get it wrong in today's style of gameplay, a real arse beating is in store for them.

It seems though this argument has degenerated into an AFL v NRL discussion.  I am glad to offer my two cents !

Anyone who could honestly put NRL into the same breath or up for comparison with AFL has either been brought up in a league environment or is an idiot.

AFL is the national game and is embraced in 75% of the country.  No one could give a flying F about league outside of NSW & QLD.  How anyone can spruik league's national appeal when they have ONE team outside of NSW & QLD is beyond me.

(Furthermore, how has that one side been going? The Storm had one of the most in depth salary cap rorting programs ever seen in Aus sport.  So more or less they had to heavily cheat to achieve the level of success they have had... perhaps they needed to cheat to improve their performances so as to obtain market share in the AFL driven Vic market)

Now onto the gameplay itself.  IMO Rugby league is one of the most boring and mindless sports in the world.  Rugby Union has an element of game play and tactical manouvering and a degree of openness.  NRL, as rooboybaz said, is merely get ball run 3m, bang, bend over roll the ball run 3m bang. Repeat.  How anyone can seriously compare the aerobic capacity and the skill sets that AFL players possess is laughable.  AFL players are the modern day gladiators, no sport in the world is as demanding on a persons ability to run out a game at a high pace whilst maintaining their skills.

Best example I can think of is on the road the other day I saw a sign saying North Beach Rugby League club new players wanted.  I am a 24 yo male.  If I was to go down to this rugby league club, having never played league before... what would they teach me? They'd say run in this line with the team and get ready for the pass.  Once you get it you'll be slammed front on almost immediately.  Now get up and do it again.  What skills would they teach me? What plays would they teach me apart from a little inside pass or a pass fake or a sidestep? They'd tell me to go to the gym and prepare my body for crashing and bashing.  There is no great level of skill.  It is a wall of players running directly at another wall of players.  Absolutely mind numbing sport that caters to the blue collar underbelly of NSW and QLD.

Take a look at Karmichael Hunt playing AFL... he's efforts have been admirable but really he's nowhere.  Now by comparison put say Jonathon Brown into the Broncos.  I think that he wouldn't be the worst addition.  He has size.  All he'd have to do is tackle and pass. yawn.

Having said all this I do punt quite a bit on the NRL... I rarely watch it though.

The most confusing part of it all to me is, if you're going to like rugby, why not union?  Union is embraced far more internationally and is a better brand of game to watch.

Rugby League has Australia V NZ at the World Cups and no one else comes close. 

League is for meatheads, who just like to go bang and crash without thought of tactics or consequence.  It doesn't matter though, with max avg crowds seemingly around 10-12k NRL will be much an after thought in the next twenty years.  The way the AFL is progressing, and with the attractive fast paced style of game play, more and more will embrace AFL.  Rugby League will be reduced to much a suburban/amateur competition, and that is the position it deserves.

So in answer to the thread - no; the AFL doesn't need a revamp.

Quote Originally Posted by Rostos:

Rugby Union

Is just a game of who has the best goal kicker.......

Quote Originally Posted by Rostos:

Rugby Union

Is just a game of who has the best goal kicker.......

Quote Originally Posted by nbird33:



then what's league?

Quote Originally Posted by rod_steel:



Only if you are watching northern hemisphere rugby.

Quote Originally Posted by rooboybaz:

Quote Originally Posted by nbird33:

No the AFL does not need a revamp.  Get a group of players with 60-100 games under their belts and reach the required levels of stamina to run out a game.  The game has changed so much in the last five years in terms of aerobic capacity and expectation and IMO teams are taking a while to catch up/re-draft accordingly.

Case in point look at Rhys Palmer now... he was a gun junior and a high draft prospect, these days he seems to clearly lack a step of pace and dare I say it the game has gone past him somewhat.. and he was only drafted in '08 (?)

Furthermore, with such an open space and field of play, tactics, presses etc have become more and more of a requirement.  Man on man is scarcely implemented because the game is changing so quickly both tactically and physically.  The coaching staff is IMO now more important than ever before, and if they get it wrong in today's style of gameplay, a real arse beating is in store for them.

It seems though this argument has degenerated into an AFL v NRL discussion.  I am glad to offer my two cents !

Anyone who could honestly put NRL into the same breath or up for comparison with AFL has either been brought up in a league environment or is an idiot.

AFL is the national game and is embraced in 75% of the country.  No one could give a flying F about league outside of NSW & QLD.  How anyone can spruik league's national appeal when they have ONE team outside of NSW & QLD is beyond me.

(Furthermore, how has that one side been going? The Storm had one of the most in depth salary cap rorting programs ever seen in Aus sport.  So more or less they had to heavily cheat to achieve the level of success they have had... perhaps they needed to cheat to improve their performances so as to obtain market share in the AFL driven Vic market)

Now onto the gameplay itself.  IMO Rugby league is one of the most boring and mindless sports in the world.  Rugby Union has an element of game play and tactical manouvering and a degree of openness.  NRL, as rooboybaz said, is merely get ball run 3m, bang, bend over roll the ball run 3m bang. Repeat.  How anyone can seriously compare the aerobic capacity and the skill sets that AFL players possess is laughable.  AFL players are the modern day gladiators, no sport in the world is as demanding on a persons ability to run out a game at a high pace whilst maintaining their skills.

Best example I can think of is on the road the other day I saw a sign saying North Beach Rugby League club new players wanted.  I am a 24 yo male.  If I was to go down to this rugby league club, having never played league before... what would they teach me? They'd say run in this line with the team and get ready for the pass.  Once you get it you'll be slammed front on almost immediately.  Now get up and do it again.  What skills would they teach me? What plays would they teach me apart from a little inside pass or a pass fake or a sidestep? They'd tell me to go to the gym and prepare my body for crashing and bashing.  There is no great level of skill.  It is a wall of players running directly at another wall of players.  Absolutely mind numbing sport that caters to the blue collar underbelly of NSW and QLD.

Take a look at Karmichael Hunt playing AFL... he's efforts have been admirable but really he's nowhere.  Now by comparison put say Jonathon Brown into the Broncos.  I think that he wouldn't be the worst addition.  He has size.  All he'd have to do is tackle and pass. yawn.

Having said all this I do punt quite a bit on the NRL... I rarely watch it though.

The most confusing part of it all to me is, if you're going to like rugby, why not union?  Union is embraced far more internationally and is a better brand of game to watch.

Rugby League has Australia V NZ at the World Cups and no one else comes close. 

League is for meatheads, who just like to go bang and crash without thought of tactics or consequence.  It doesn't matter though, with max avg crowds seemingly around 10-12k NRL will be much an after thought in the next twenty years.  The way the AFL is progressing, and with the attractive fast paced style of game play, more and more will embrace AFL.  Rugby League will be reduced to much a suburban/amateur competition, and that is the position it deserves.

So in answer to the thread - no; the AFL doesn't need a revamp.