Open season
THEY say “space” is the final frontier.
A void so large and overwhelming that no one can hear you scream.
Well, on Sunday at the MCG the Geelong football club proved them to be right.
The MCG was less than half full to see Geelong play a home game against Richmond, (on Richmond’s home ground).
The financial logic of the fixture was sound. Cats v Tigers was the only game for the day.
It wasn’t televised on free to air and the two teams were both in the top four.
So it was fair to assume that you would get an 80,000-plus packed house.
If the match had been played at 1pm or even 2pm under sunny winter skies, there would have been every chance of a multimillion-dollar return on the investment of scheduling a home match away.
But a weekend of wild weather and a 3.20pm start put the accountants to the sword and guaranteed that there would be plenty of space in the stands and plenty of space on the ground.
The MCG is an amazing venue, but when it’s only half full and the game is slippery and sloppy, it is the perfect place to ponder the “what if’s” and “why’s” of AFL football.
I had gone to the ’G with an optimistic outlook. I was meeting two good mates and we had high hopes for the game. We still think we’re a chance in the finals.
The first quarter gave us reason to have a sunny outlook. But by half time when Richmond began to shut it down and grind out the goals, my mate was turning to me and asking the question that all modern Cats fans are sick of asking ... “What is our game plan here?”
From the stands, the answer to the question is that same as space exploration.
“Nobody knows what’s going on out there.”
Only professional coaches and players truly understand what’s happening in professional football. To hacks like us who pay for admission, it should be simpler, clearer and more entertaining. Shouldn’t it? Tom Hawkins (pictured) should be leading from in the goal square, not taking marks in defence, right? don’t let you do that? What happens when they dictate the use of the space?
Richmond plays a fierce tackling game, it gives the ball carriers no time.
On Sunday, it was not uncommon to see all 36 players inside the same 50 metres. That doesn’t make for beautiful football. Packs and stacks on the mill. Then suddenly a ball gets squirted out into space and two players run it down into the goal square. Goal. That’s not a sustainable sports entertainment product. Rugby is already doing that. Aussie rules is played on a massive field. We need more space exploitation if we are going to rekindle the beauty of the game. Little did we know on Sunday afternoon (at pretty much the same time) a former leading full forward (by the name of James Podsiadly) was up in Brisbane on a secret mission for the AFL. Pods has been conducting covert investigations on how to open up the game and find more space.
Apparently one of the new rules being tested is the idea of a 25-metre kick out zone to replace the existing 10-metre goal square.
The theory is that after a behind is scored the full back is allowed to come out half way up the 50-metre zone. This would give a reason for a 50-metre arc on the ground and enable the full back the opportunity to go longer, more often. This simple change could be the answer to opening up more space.
There are other options being explored also, which include starting positions for players and zones. But this 25-metre rule is the one that makes good sense straight off the bat.
We go to the game of Australian rules because we want to see players experiencing the freedom of space. This is why the ground is so big.
Players like Zach Tuohy are already capable of roosting the pig skin 60 metres. An additional 25 could force all teams to keep some players back.
These stoppages would immediately become attack opportunities and push players like Hawkins deeper into the forward line. This could make defenders defend and open up the field to more space. This could be the new game plan. Ross Mueller is a freelance writer and director.