i don't know what they said on offsiders, but they have incurred the wrath of Greg Derpham
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...e/news-story/dbf85918ae17a79e4c19324a46614313
AFLX marks the spot for exciting pre-season fare
Three cheers for AFLX.
The league’s experiment with 20-minute games played at lightning pace on soccer-dimension rectangle grounds was a resounding winner.
And it will only get better, with the AFL set to tinker further with the rules to bring in more of the best aspects of Australian football such as high marking.
All the associated razzle-dazzle was well received by more than 40,000 fans who attended the three tournaments.
Goalposts that lit up with every 10-point goal kicked on the full from outside 40m, live commentary and interviews, acrobats, bean bags, flames and music. It wasn’t quite the Super Bowl but it was as good as it gets in the middle of February.
Critics complained that most of the game’s stars were rested, and railed about the minimal man-on-man approach with few contests and tackles. Not a game for big men, they said.
Well, they were mostly wrong assessments. Everyone at Etihad felt the ferocious tackle of North Melbourne’s 109kg man-mountain Braydon Preuss on Melbourne colossus Tom McDonald. They don’t get much better than that in the real season.
Sure, the silky skills of the code’s stars were absent, but they are seldom seen at this time of the season anyway. It was fantastic to see Peter Daicos (aka Jack Bowes) emerge from retirement with Gold Coast. They need a sharpshooter like him.
Even without the best playing, we got close to them at the games where fans could almost touch their heroes, and even closer during the numerous TV interviews, which was outstanding PR for the code.
Maybe it was the excellent and innovative television coverage that got the ABC offside yesterday as their criticism of AFLX was as dopey as it was without foundation.
Buddy Franklin was funny when questioned about Neil Cordy’s yarn that day, saying he could play with the Swans until he was in his late 30s. “I feel like I did at 25,” Franklin told the former Swans star and current
Daily Telegraph newshound. “What else was I going to say?” he later quipped in response.
Household names were replaced by no-names on their way to becoming more recognised. We liked the looks of rookie Kym Lebois at Carlton, Sydney’s Tom McCartin and James Bell, Bulldog Aaron Naughton and North’s Gordon Narrier.
Richmond teenager Derek Eggmolesse-Smith may not get a look in at the Tigers this year despite his early poise, but he’s got the best name in the league.
And we loved the 10-point Zooper goals. Acting Sydney captain Dane Rampe kicked three in a row in his only match and Melbourne forward Jake Melksham was equally adept from outside 40m the previous night. Brisbane rough nut Mitch Robinson can still boot a long goal as well.
Channel Seven also experimented. It partnered BT and JB with the pair providing good commentary over the three days, particularly their concerns at Allianz for the safety of the pigeons, who at times were too keen to have a closer stickybeak at the action. Heath Shaw, though, it must be said, is a work in progress.
No time on, unlimited interchanges and few stoppages ensured the games were lightning fast.
And how good was Swans coach John Longmire, who shared his first on-camera smile with us since the 2012 premiership?
Had Horse been interviewed for a little longer (but there’s no time to linger in AFLX), he probably would have told us his favourite players were Hay … ward and Nai … smith.
Overall, a well-rounded experience whether it was live or on TV. For the fans, playing on a soccer field was certainly better than watching people perform on ice and snow. We’ll rate the pilot episode 8.5 out of 10.
Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray.
