Yay, Blues
Ho hum, Carlton wins another one, what else is new?
I haven't had much of an opportunity to watch the football over the last few years, because I have a) a job which entails much weekend work and b) a life. However, we had a little shower of rain last night, which means that I won't be able to get the offsets going until after lunch so I had time to watch the replay of the Carlton - Richmond game on the Footy Channel this morning. Several points which had been lurking somewhere in the hidden depths of what I like to refer to laughingly as my mind crystallized as I was watching the game.
1. Players are marking better now than they have been since the seventies. Why this is I don't know, but I suspect it is because the umpires no longer blow marks in anticipation of the fact. This is a vast improvement over the eighties and nineties when the whistle was blown as soon as the ball contacted hands, leading to some farcical decisions.
2. 50- and even 60- meter plus goals are no longer rare. Even in general play the ball seems to be travelling further on each possession. Again, I don't know why this is, but when you see players like Fevola stabbing goals from two steps at about 55 meters without attracting fawning verbosity from the commentators. it really makes me suspicious of the ball itself; have they changed its weight or shape? I don't know how they could change its weight without sacrificing accuracy, but I'm still suspicious.
3. Players are getting bigger. Or rather, there are more big players. Look at Fevola, Whitnall, even Koutoufides. Richardson looks like he has put on about 12kg's of muscle since the last time I saw him. I put this down to the success of the Lions and the influence Matthews has had on them. A study in strength when he was playing, Matthews has added bulk to almost every Lion and it has worked. Now all the other clubs are playing catch-up.
4. The 'Possession at all costs' strategy seems to have died a death, Richmond's last stand excepted. I suspect this has a lot to do with points 1 and 2, but a lot of these things are cyclical anyway.
And thus endeth the expert summation on the state of the AFL.
Can you smell the sarcasm?
I haven't had much of an opportunity to watch the football over the last few years, because I have a) a job which entails much weekend work and b) a life. However, we had a little shower of rain last night, which means that I won't be able to get the offsets going until after lunch so I had time to watch the replay of the Carlton - Richmond game on the Footy Channel this morning. Several points which had been lurking somewhere in the hidden depths of what I like to refer to laughingly as my mind crystallized as I was watching the game.
1. Players are marking better now than they have been since the seventies. Why this is I don't know, but I suspect it is because the umpires no longer blow marks in anticipation of the fact. This is a vast improvement over the eighties and nineties when the whistle was blown as soon as the ball contacted hands, leading to some farcical decisions.
2. 50- and even 60- meter plus goals are no longer rare. Even in general play the ball seems to be travelling further on each possession. Again, I don't know why this is, but when you see players like Fevola stabbing goals from two steps at about 55 meters without attracting fawning verbosity from the commentators. it really makes me suspicious of the ball itself; have they changed its weight or shape? I don't know how they could change its weight without sacrificing accuracy, but I'm still suspicious.
3. Players are getting bigger. Or rather, there are more big players. Look at Fevola, Whitnall, even Koutoufides. Richardson looks like he has put on about 12kg's of muscle since the last time I saw him. I put this down to the success of the Lions and the influence Matthews has had on them. A study in strength when he was playing, Matthews has added bulk to almost every Lion and it has worked. Now all the other clubs are playing catch-up.
4. The 'Possession at all costs' strategy seems to have died a death, Richmond's last stand excepted. I suspect this has a lot to do with points 1 and 2, but a lot of these things are cyclical anyway.
And thus endeth the expert summation on the state of the AFL.
Can you smell the sarcasm?
posted by Dirk at 6:51 am
1 Comments:
As an old rugby league/union player I was a fairly accomplished kicker. My old man, ex-Collingwood, had taught me from an early age to kick with two feet.
Regarding this mystery over modern kicking feats, I suspect the ball is the culprit. In league the ball is now much fatter, resulting in accuracy strike rates not seen before.
Given the tweaking of the rules and equipment in other areas of the game, in order to improve the spectacle, I'd say they have manipulated the characteristics of the ball.
Also, with the bigger, bulkier players (of which I'm also suspicious), that also would increase the kicking power.
JAFA.
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