‘We need to get it flowing again’

IT’S a simple question: Is the game in trouble? Former coach Rodney Eade argues yes.

“People say the game will work itself out and evolve, but it’s evolving the other way,’’ he said. “It’s becoming a more dour game, more defensive a game, more a battle of attrition and no flow.’’

Eade is worried for the youth who will not be entertained with goals, high-marking and players running with the ball — facets of the game quickly disappearing.

“Rusted on supporters, pick an age, say 45, all talk about the game, still like the game, it’s the 15-yearolds, 20-year-olds, two generations away, you worry about them becoming rusted on supporters.

“We are in the entertainment industry and I know Eddie McGuire got howled down and he was talking about the length of the game, but this is about the entertainment value of the game. We have to look at the bigger picture.’’

Eade sees what all see — short kicking, retaining possession, ball being moved from wing to wing and, when it happens, tackling in numbers. “We need to encourage flow footy.’’

It didn’t happen in the two Sunday matches — North Melbourne v Hawthorn and Geelong v Melbourne.

The Hawks-Kangas game was ultra boring for two quarters, as both teams struggled to move the ball from their defensive 50m.

North Melbourne generated an inside 50 from just 5.3 per cent of its defensive 50 chains — just two from 38 chains.

Hawthorn generated an inside 50 from just 8.3 per cent of its defensive 50 chains — just two from 24 chains.

The league average this year is 17 per cent; in 2016, it was 21.

Staggeringly low numbers that highlight the game’s pain.

Eade says coaches are “mainly to blame’’.

“Coaches control the movement and what the game is,’’ he said. “Their only mindset is to win games, and that’s fair enough.’’

Some coaches wanted to slow the game to protect the team from being scored against on turnover, which was the main source of scoring, Eade said.

That had been a massive change in the game.

“There’s two ways to make the game slower, one is congestion, so we get numbers around the ball and cause stoppages, and the other is with the ball in hand,’’ he said.

“Matthew Scarlett encapsulated it. He said last year, teams are now defending with the ball in hand and in the past, you always defended without the ball.

“Teams are slow and precise with the ball, they chip it around, therefore players place themselves on the ground and behind the ball — they call it structure — so if there is a turnover they can defend it and don’t get scored against.

“Hawthorn is the example. Round 2 at Geelong, they took the game on and made mistakes and got blown away, and now they’re back to controlling the game to avoid turnover.

“Take Geelong. In Round 1 against GWS, Geelong tried to score and took the game on. Round 2 v Hawthorn, who took the game on and Geelong won easily. Geelong lost to Carlton on the back of mental attitude and then they couldn’t afford to lose against Melbourne. They’ve changed their mode from Round 1.’’