BLIGHT’S VIEWS
AFL GREAT WEIGHS IN ON NEW FORMAT
THE rapid-fire version of Australian rules football that is AFLX is nothing new to Hall of Fame Legend Malcolm Blight.
The AFLX kicked off yesterday at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide and continues at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne today and then again at Allianz Stadium in Sydney tomorrow, when the Gold Coast Suns play.
AFLX is all about pace and action, played on a rugby league or soccer field and with only six players on the field at any one time.
But it is nothing new to Blight, who moved back to Adelaide from the Gold Coast just before Christmas after spending time as a coaching coordinator with the Suns.
He played for an Australian selection side against VFL premiers Carlton in three promotional games in 1972.
“One of them was in Athens on a soccer field and there were four guys actually holding up the goalposts,” Blight said.
“It was good fun actually and you could kick goals from anywhere.
“And we had the last touch out rule.”
Blight’s interest in minirules, or AFLX as it has been dubbed now, was sparked by the Athens exercise but when he quit North Melbourne and moved back to Adelaide to coach and play out his career with Woodville, it was stirred again.
“I was involved with a guy and what he wanted was to take the game to the USA, more than anywhere,” Blight said.
“Of course they have gridiron grounds over there so I actually devised a game we called Roo Ball, with seven or nine players in a side.
“I had the Woodville players practise it on Sundays but the dollars never appeared to take this form of the game to the world.”
Ever a thinker from left field, Blight even suggested that AFLX people ban punching the ball in marking contests.
“Just go for hangers, the big speccies,” he said.
“I guess the game has a halfgimmicky look but it’s all about entertainment. But who knows if it has any legs.”