No joy of X for Cats
But plenty to take away
LET’S get one thing straight from the outset: AFLX matches are different to AFL ones.
Seven players are on the field as opposed to 18.
Rectangular playing areas are used as opposed to the oval variety.
Teams get 10 points for something called a ‘ Zooper’ goal — a kick through the middle of the big sticks from outside 40 metres.
The balls are a different colour, there are three players on the bench and most of the teams playing last night had stars who weren’t even out there, instead sitting at home watching on the TV (to be fair though, a lot probably weren’t).
Clearly it is greatly dissimilar to what we have seen from Geelong and Hawthorn blockbusters on Easter Monday or the annual Anzac Day fixture between the Bombers and the Pies. But despite that, AFLX is not all that different to the real thing when it comes to football basics.
It still requires all the skills of the traditional format of the game, and in many cases those who couldn’t execute them well last night were punished even more harshly than during the regular season.
For that reason, the Cats’ hierarchy would have walked away from Hindmarsh Stadium delighted with what they saw.
The opportunity for Chris Scott and his coaching staff to expose draftees Lachie Fogarty, Tim Kelly and Gryan Miers to what life as an AFL footballer is like was invaluable.
Kelly’s pace was a highlight and it is evident that, at 23, he is ready for AFL football.
He has waited a long time for his chance but if last night is anything to go by, Geelong has found another on-baller who can slot into its midfield mix and have an immediate impact.
Fogarty also impressed and while there was no Patrick Dangerfield or Joel Selwood for the Cats, and no Ollie Wines for Port Adelaide or Rory Sloane for the Crows, he was calm and composed when he needed to be.
The 19-year-old’s balance and ability to manoeuvre in space — and to find teammates in better positions than him — stood out.
Miers saw a little less of the football but finished game two with a goal reminiscent of his days prowling the forward line at the Geelong Falcons.
He will be a project player for the Cats, but it would hardly surprise if he played senior footy during the season.
Outside of that trio, Mitch Duncan seems ready to continue from where he left off in 2017 and Tom Stewart, Jed Bews and Mark Blicavs all put in noteworthy performances.
Of course there will be plenty of naysayers when it comes to AFLX, but then again, as some of the ridiculous feedback to Scott Pendlebury’s tweet yesterday about footy being back showed, in 2018 certain people will find anything they can to complain about. Predictably, it is not to everyone’s taste but the AFL will likely rate last night as a success.
For the league, it was a chance to test its new product locally before taking it to the masses overseas and the reality is that (and non-traditional regions in Australia) is where its interests will be with this version of the game.
If grassroots supporters jump on board, great, but this is about growing the sport and taking it to a broader market.
After all, it may be summer, but with AFLX we’ve been told to expect the unexpected. Just don’t expect everyone to like it.