The Evolution of Football

Callum Twomey explores the philosophy of AFL Football in his exclusive State of the Game feature review.

Charles Darwin has a theory of evolution. Some agree and some dispute this philosophy, but at least he has some sort of evidence behind the concept and how it has evolved in hundreds of years.

But evolution isn’t exclusive to human beings. It can affect anything, not least VFL / AFL Football. Conjecture has been rife in the last week about the state of the game, and how it is becoming boring to watch. Past legends of the game have come out in their droves to be a cheap headline, with the gist of their comments saying how contests have gone out of the game, and it is now more like Gaelic football than Australian Rules.

But this argument is a futile one, for Charles Darwin would agree, everything evolves, and this is just a phase. At some point in time, all those wingers, whiners and wieners complaining about football will have to realize this.

Rule changes need to be implemented, coaches need to take responsibility and more umpires have to be included, have all been the dribble that has left peoples mouths in the past week. If only, they say, we went back to the contests in the ‘good old days of the 1980’s’.

Well why don’t we. Let’s go and play on mud heaps, where thugs and brutes ruled. When skill level was shocking and when so many clubs were uncompetitive. Yes, what a competition it was.

One reason the doomsayers are saying for the downfall, is the inability for key forwards to kick bags of goals, and top the ton in a season. Wasn’t last week the round in which Matthew Lloyd and Mark Williams kicked eight goals, Barry Hall seven and Brendan Fevola five?

And so what if the game isn’t what it was 10–15 years ago? Test cricket isn’t what it was either, but who is complaining about that. The Australian team revolutionized Test match cricket, and all forms of cricket have now evolved accordingly.

This is the next generation of Football. Any youngster would think that the brand of football the Western Bulldogs are playing at the moment is as good as it gets. They are attacking, high scoring, free flowing and entertaining.

Then there is the argument that footballers of a particular mould are no longer able to have as much influence as they once had. Well, was anyone complaining when the dinosaurs left our game? The full backs whose ability only extends to spoiling, without any attacking bone in their body. No. Nobody misses those players, and over time, nobody will miss the slow players either.

If I dare relate our game back to cricket again, does anybody miss the dodgey and dour batsman who took all day to make 80 not out? If Allan Border was playing now he would struggle to get a game in the national team, and the same principle applies to if Greg Williams was playing football nowadays.

Then there are the new rules. None have made an impact so far, and none will change the course of direction football is taking. Nor will any new ones that are implemented to bring more contests into the game. Coaches are smart people, and will find new ways to avoid them at any costs.

The rules were put in place because last year’s season and in particular Grand Final was a woeful display of Australian Rules football. Sure, it was tough and willing, but then again, what game of footy isn’t.

All those who are complaining about the game as it was in Round One are saying that the game needs more bags of goals from key forwards, more big marking contests, and extra physicality, are probably the ones saying that the 2005 Grand Final was a great match, despite all those boxes being left un-ticked.

For those with complaints, concern or criticisms, well, go without; AFL football can survive without you. Last year attendances and membership levels were higher than ever before, and if the MCG was available for the first month of this year then those figures would more than likely be beaten again in 2006.

Evolution is a beautiful thing. It is also inevitable. So stop trying to change something you can’t. Players and coaches will be able to get around anything that comes their way. Who knows, in 2020 the next generation will probably be discussing the demise of the running game, as that style would have gone out of fashion and another would have replaced it. God forbid the game change a touch every now and then ...

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