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No doubt they do and with good reason. It does beg the question, however, where were all these voices of reason when the AFL was making changes aimed at deliberately speeding the game up?
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Players fear the speed of the game
23 August 2006 Herald-Sun
Mark Stevens
AFL players are concerned the need for speed could prematurely push them out of a job.
An exclusive Herald Sun-AFLPA survey has found almost 60 per cent of players fear their career will be shortened by the intensity of the modern game. With quick kick-ins, flooding and fewer stoppages, players feel they have less down-time during battle.
The traditional mark-and-kick player is becoming superseded by fleet-footed athletes who remain fresh with regular bench rotations.
Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley said the intensity of the game was higher than ever, placing unprecedented strain on the body.
"Positional play's gone, so you're probably pushing further up the field and covering more ground than you ever have before," Buckley said.
"You can't ignore the playing group. If they are concerned careers are going to be shortened, it's something that needs to be listened to."
Of 625 players surveyed, 355 -- or 56.8 per cent -- raised fears about their longevity.
AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale said the findings would be raised with the Laws of the Game Committee.
"If that's what the players think -- they're the ones out there -- those views should be respected and taken on board," Gale said. "We'll sit down with the laws committee in the next few months and present this feedback."
But AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said it was no time for panic.
"We have to wait until the end of the year and see the results of what's happened this year with the new rules and interpretations," he said. "We need to educate players, coaches and others in the industry.
"I assume the perception is the game is getting faster and faster. The game's actually slowed down this year."
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said studies had found ball movement had slowed slightly.
A drop in stoppages had meant players were tiring slightly quicker and getting to less contests.
"Play is more continuous and the ball is in play longer," Anderson said. "It is less stop-start. Having the ball in play longer means the ball speed, on average, is slightly lower.
"Play periods are longer. It feels faster, but it is harder to get to every contest. It is now harder to continually flood."
The Bulldogs, Brisbane and Richmond, in particular, have been hit by long-term injuries and the Herald Sun yesterday listed more than 50 players with season-ending injuries.
"We don't react to a recent spate of injuries or unfortunate and unlucky serious injuries," Demetriou said.
Demetriou said a recent annual report on injuries had shown the toll was easing.
Buckley said he felt there was significantly less rest time on the ground this year.
"You just feel more tuckered out more often in a game than perhaps you used to," Buckley said. "The game is slowed, but it doesn't mean it's less intense."
Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews last month called for the quick kick-in rule to be scrapped, claiming the speed of the game was leading to more injuries. "I think the human body is being tested, and fairly regularly," Matthews said. "The human body won't take the test."
AFL-employed exercise expert Kevin Norton, in May, predicted teams could be restricted to a maximum of 30 interchanges a game next year to reduce the game's speed.
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Players fear the speed of the game
23 August 2006 Herald-Sun
Mark Stevens
AFL players are concerned the need for speed could prematurely push them out of a job.
An exclusive Herald Sun-AFLPA survey has found almost 60 per cent of players fear their career will be shortened by the intensity of the modern game. With quick kick-ins, flooding and fewer stoppages, players feel they have less down-time during battle.
The traditional mark-and-kick player is becoming superseded by fleet-footed athletes who remain fresh with regular bench rotations.
Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley said the intensity of the game was higher than ever, placing unprecedented strain on the body.
"Positional play's gone, so you're probably pushing further up the field and covering more ground than you ever have before," Buckley said.
"You can't ignore the playing group. If they are concerned careers are going to be shortened, it's something that needs to be listened to."
Of 625 players surveyed, 355 -- or 56.8 per cent -- raised fears about their longevity.
AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale said the findings would be raised with the Laws of the Game Committee.
"If that's what the players think -- they're the ones out there -- those views should be respected and taken on board," Gale said. "We'll sit down with the laws committee in the next few months and present this feedback."
But AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said it was no time for panic.
"We have to wait until the end of the year and see the results of what's happened this year with the new rules and interpretations," he said. "We need to educate players, coaches and others in the industry.
"I assume the perception is the game is getting faster and faster. The game's actually slowed down this year."
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said studies had found ball movement had slowed slightly.
A drop in stoppages had meant players were tiring slightly quicker and getting to less contests.
"Play is more continuous and the ball is in play longer," Anderson said. "It is less stop-start. Having the ball in play longer means the ball speed, on average, is slightly lower.
"Play periods are longer. It feels faster, but it is harder to get to every contest. It is now harder to continually flood."
The Bulldogs, Brisbane and Richmond, in particular, have been hit by long-term injuries and the Herald Sun yesterday listed more than 50 players with season-ending injuries.
"We don't react to a recent spate of injuries or unfortunate and unlucky serious injuries," Demetriou said.
Demetriou said a recent annual report on injuries had shown the toll was easing.
Buckley said he felt there was significantly less rest time on the ground this year.
"You just feel more tuckered out more often in a game than perhaps you used to," Buckley said. "The game is slowed, but it doesn't mean it's less intense."
Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews last month called for the quick kick-in rule to be scrapped, claiming the speed of the game was leading to more injuries. "I think the human body is being tested, and fairly regularly," Matthews said. "The human body won't take the test."
AFL-employed exercise expert Kevin Norton, in May, predicted teams could be restricted to a maximum of 30 interchanges a game next year to reduce the game's speed.
