AFL 2026

[gadj1976]

I still think the best players will always be footballers, not athletes. List fillers, sure, they AFL might go for the fitness freaks. But, how many kids do you see that dominate the 2km time trial at the draft combine, go on to become elite footballers?

As for the media commentary, they also included players like Levi Ashcroft & Matt Rowell in that group. I'm not the biggest Matt Rowell fan, but my god is he a lovely kick up to 40m, both sides. Couple this with his ball winning ability and he will play in the AFL until his mid 30's.

Since the rule changes that occurred this year? That's the big unknown!

[wenchbarwer]

I still think the best players will always be footballers, not athletes. List fillers, sure, they AFL might go for the fitness freaks. But, how many kids do you see that dominate the 2km time trial at the draft combine, go on to become elite footballers?

As for the media commentary, they also included players like Levi Ashcroft & Matt Rowell in that group. I'm not the biggest Matt Rowell fan, but my god is he a lovely kick up to 40m, both sides. Couple this with his ball winning ability and he will play in the AFL until his mid 30's.

Since the rule changes that occurred this year? That's the big unknown!

A smart coach will work out how to circumvent the new rule changes, then we'll have another load of them to interpret. It's all cyclical with the AFL, you just end up with the same problems you started with.

[DOC]

Just watched Chris Scott’s presser specifically about Tyson Stengle, and I found myself saying bullshit.

He was saying he did not know when he would return and that he is not across those type of things.

“ I don’t have a problem with the media speculating, but they are speculating with less information than I have — and I have less information than other people at the club have, who probably have less information than the AFL have,” Scott told journalists at Kardinia Park when questioned on Stengle.”

I then read Fox Footy story regarding it and it happens that he may be telling the actual truth, because if a player fails a drug test then he CANNOT be told,

“” What we just saw there (from Scott), and I think not accidentally, was the illustration of the absurdity of the AFL’s Illicit Drug Policy as it relates to senior coaches,” Whateley said.

“That policy was unveiled last month, and it includes a clause that there’s a $250,000 fine should a senior coach be brought into the loop on the specific information on the breach of the Illicit Drugs (Policy). The changes were the president, the footy manager and CEO can know — and we know that the club doctor and psychologist are the point figures.”

I can’t imagine he wouldn’t know, unless the Footy Manager and the CEO are morons but he can’t say he knows as they will be fined.

“But, if the senior coach is brought into that loop, it comes with a quarter of a million dollar fine. I’m told there was guffawing in the briefing when that was unveiled. I think Ken Hinkley described it best as being ‘typical’, the AFL’s attitude towards senior coaches.

“He said it was ‘crazy’ that players come to their senior coaches for everything, and there’s nothing a coach wouldn’t do to help his player. But, when it comes to potentially the biggest crisis in a player’s life, the coach is specifically excluded.

“What would’ve been interesting today, is if Chris Scott had sat there and illustrated that he did know precisely what was going on with Tyson Stengle, would that have left Geelong open to a quarter of a million dollar fine?”

[gadj1976]

I still think the best players will always be footballers, not athletes. List fillers, sure, they AFL might go for the fitness freaks. But, how many kids do you see that dominate the 2km time trial at the draft combine, go on to become elite footballers?

As for the media commentary, they also included players like Levi Ashcroft & Matt Rowell in that group. I'm not the biggest Matt Rowell fan, but my god is he a lovely kick up to 40m, both sides. Couple this with his ball winning ability and he will play in the AFL until his mid 30's.

Since the rule changes that occurred this year? That's the big unknown!

A smart coach will work out how to circumvent the new rule changes, then we'll have another load of them to interpret. It's all cyclical with the AFL, you just end up with the same problems you started with.

This isn't cyclical - it's been heading toward this for years and will keep evolving.

Whilst I'm on that - another rule to speed the game up that I forgot about - kicking in from full back without the flags being waved. And removing the kick to yourself before you can run outside the square. All designed to speed the game up. And 99% have not made the game easier to watch, nor umpire.