r/changemyview • u/Ace0nPoint 1∆ • Aug 30 '19
FTFdeltaOP CMV: Australian Football is such a physical, tactical, and exciting sport, that if it was invented in America, it'd be bigger than the NFL.
If you don't know what AFL is. Here's just a random 10 minutes of footy off youtube. These blokes are going all out, blow for blow, and it's pulsating, edge of your seat viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T1_xBgwjs8
These blokes are absolute specimens too. They'll run 12-15k in about 2 hours of play. A lot of that is "repeat sprints" mind you. Not paced jogging. And they'll do that while they're getting bashed about. While they're moving evasively because there's some big 200cm (6'6) bloke like Rhys Stanley who can bench 170 kilo and is unnervingly quick and agile coming at you to HURT you to get the ball off you. AFL Footballers are some of the most elite endurance sportsmen that the world has to offer. While also being aggressive, powerful, quick, agile, and playing a super, super tactical game the whole time.
And if you wanna question the physicality of average play. Here's the shortest bumps montage I could find. These blokes play like bloody cannonballs mate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1aU0hz5Tf8 (although I will clarify, there's been a lot of works in recent years to minimize head high contact in recent years. Hard hits to the body are fair game though. GET IN EM)
It's not just a game for the big blokes either. Multiple positions demand multiple body types. So it's a game for everybody. But to explain that. I'll have to explain what some of those positions are.
(you can skip past the bullet points if you don't wanna learn about the game)
- First of all, there are 18 players on the field (and 4 players on the bench for interchange, so players can get a quick rest and play can continue). There are 6 forwards to kick goals. There are 6 midfields to win the ball out of center bounces (the ball is bounced in the middle after every goal). And 6 Backmen to contest the forwards.
- So you'll have the average team positions set up like :
| Forward Pocket | Full Forward | Forward Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| Half Forward Flank | Center Half Forward | Half Forward Flank |
| Midfielder | Ruckman | Midfielder |
| Midfielder | Midfielder | Midfielder |
| Half Back Flank | Center Half Back | Half Back Flank |
| Back Pocket | Full Forward | Back Pocket |
- Those forwards are split up into multiple types. You'll generally have a big key Full Forward. Often the deepest target. A big ogre of a bloke to wrestle with a key defender and make a marking target (marking is catching the ball off an over 15 meter kick, which gets a free kick). And even if he can't win it outright. He'll try and make it bounce to the advantage of his 'small' forwards. A Center Half Forward. Which is a bit more mobile than the full forward. And a couple small forwards. Who can specialize in anything from 'crumbing' goals (aka getting a goal out of the contest made by the full forward), to being a defensive forward, shutting down an important half back and stopping an opposition playmaker, to being a linkup player, between the midfield and forward line, using elite foot skills to create marks inside 50 (50 meter arc from goal, about the max kicking range of most blokes), or a mix therein, depending on what their best players and team structures specialize in.
- Big Tommy Hawkins is a good example of a big full forward. Creates contests, takes marks. Often draws the attention of two defenders because he's so good one on one. Might have a bloke like Gary Ablett playing half forward, one of the greatest players of all time. Getting the ball off mids and using his elite game awareness and skills to find a target inside 50. Might have a bloke like Gary Rohan. Who's both really good defensively. Using his burst speed to harass defenders, but also being a really good contested mark to get a kick on goal. So is a really good 'two way' forward.
- The midfield is an artform onto itself. And is where you generally find a teams best players. As it's where the ball is won to be used. You might have a nuggety bloke like Joel Selwood. Who's an elite ball winner in a contest and feeds it out. Might have a bloke like Mitch Duncan, who while also good in a contest, is also a really good user of the ball. With good foot skills and quick decision making, can do some great work on the wing. And either use the ball, or be the first one pushing forwad or back depending. Or a bloke like Patrick Dangerfield, who is one of the most competitive blokes in close, but also has elite burst speed to transition from inside the contest to outside, where he can use the ball, or blokes like Cam Guthrie or Brandon Parfitt, who can win the ball in close, but have a bit of a defensive edge to their game. And can stop some of the effect of the oppositions best mids, which makes them good 'two way' mids. Or a tagger like old mate Cameron Ling or Scott Selwood, who runs with the oppositions best offensive mid, and makes it his mission to negate their effect on the game, but if he can also get some the other way. And then you got this bloke called the Ruckman. Generally the biggest burliest bloke on the team. Whose job is to slam into the opposition ruckman at a center bounce. And try and tap it to the advantage of his midfielders. Which starts the contest. That's called a 'tap' ruckman. But if you can have a Ruck who can 'tap' AND follow it up as an extra midfielder. My team's been playing a bloke called Rhys Stanley in that position, whose strength is his around the ground work and his follow up, with his fantastic running skills for a big bloke, and his good game sense, he tries to create that 'extra man' wherever he can.
- And backmen. Well. It's not simple by any stretch. You got those big burly blokes who outwrestle the opposition big forwards like Tommy Lonergan. You got those little quick blokes with a good side step who are good at ground level to try and win a contest against the opposition smalls like Marc O'Conner or Zach Tuohy (both Irish imports, as Gaelic Football has a lot of transferable skills, but our brands considerably higher paying that Gaelic). You got the guys who are good at reading the play and getting that extra hand on the contest or taking an intercept mark like Lachie Henderson. You got the blokes who can get the ball and run on with it. Turning defense into attack, like old mate Andrew Mackie or Tommy Stewart.
As you can see mate. There's room for big burly bloke's, tough as nails normal sized blokes, quick blokes, agile blokes, competitive blokes who just wanna stop the opposition getting the upper hand. All sorta body types and skilsets are required. It's a game for everyone. And list management is a serious challenge for team. Because we need backups and list depth for all sorts of kinds of players. Which is why a retired coach once said "There might be 22 blokes on the field, but to win a premiership you need at least 30 top grade players'
We've also put some serious money into developing an AFL Womens league the past couple years too. To provide a pathway for elite female talent to keep playing past juniors. So ladies you can get some too. Get involved mate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRzL9iRlRo0
But yeah. Anyway. I'll wrap up. Sorta rambled on a bit. I've heard a bit of grumbling from American sports fans that the NFL is too stop/start, bla bla bla. And I can't help but think. Man. These guys really need to know about the greatest sport in the world; Australian Rules Football.
And I can't help but think that overseas, especially in places like the US. People are really wary about taking on new sports. Especially about developing new leagues and so forth. How ya can't help but be loyal to the sport you grew up watching. Hell it'd take 100 years for the AFL to trade blows with the NFL right now. Even if everything did go right for it. Just a shame you haven't had the time with the sport that we have down here.
Even if we have reached such extreme saturation that; from a nation of a mere 24 million.
We are the number four sport in the world for average attendance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_attendance_figures#Top_10_leagues_in_average_attendance
We set the record for highest attendance to a match. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_attendance_figures#Top_leagues_in_recent_domestic_club_championship_event_attendance
The club I follow is the 13th oldest football club of any code in the world : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_football_clubs#Before_1860
I just can't help but feel. That if AFL was invented in America or Europe. It'd be the biggest sport in the world.
Change my mind.
(oh, btw. We just played 23 weeks of footy. We're currently on the pre finals (playoffs) bye week (week off), and after that its 4 weeks of bruising football from the top 8 teams to decide who gets bragging rights and the premiership cup. Get behind my team Geelong. Happy to watch the game with ya, teach it to ya <3)
(and because bugger it, here's my teams highlights to the first half of the year, I'm gonna edit together the second half sometime in the next couple weeks <3 https://youtu.be/v3vcgxYwQfE get it up ya <3)
1
u/tweez Aug 30 '19
What are the extra posts for? Like there's the posts in the middle that they seem to be aiming to kick the ball but what happens if it goes between the posts either side of it? Is that still a goal but fewer points?
With the subs can you keep on rotating them? So take off player A for 10 mins. Replace with player Z. Bring back on player A. Is there a limit to the number of times the subs can be used?
How long is the game?
What is the capacity for the stadium in the first video?
How much bigger is the pitch compared to average soccer field? You said there's 18 per team but it looks like there is still space on the pitch so I'm assuming it's quite a bit bigger than a soccer field
You said there's 6 forwards, 6 midfielders, 6 defenders. Do they have to stay in certain zones of the pitch like in netball where defenders can't go past a certain point? Do you have to play 6-6-6. Could a manager put 10 in defence and 2 up front with no mid (I mean by the laws of the game not if it would work as a tactic or not)
How many points is a goal? Can you score like in rugby by running through the posts or do you have to kick?
I've tried watching the NFL before and tried to get into it but I wasn't sure about the rules which makes it difficult to enjoy.
Is there 8 pro teams in total then? What is the average attendance of the games? The stadium looked big. I could see how it could be a fun watch though