AFLW season | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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AFLW season

graystar1

Tiger Legend
Apr 28, 2004
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Does the AFLW season resonate with PRenders?

I did watch a few games last year and was a bit surprised at the lack of skill by the ladies.

Especially when having to pick up from ground level.

Not sure it does anything for me, but each to his or her own I guess.
 

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
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graystar1 said:
Does the AFLW season resonate with PRenders?

I did watch a few games last year and was a bit surprised at the lack of skill by the ladies.

Especially when having to pick up from ground level.

Not sure it does anything for me, but each to his or her own I guess.
Little interest from me. Once Richmond have a team, will start to take an interest. And until that time, my 6yo daughter is forbidden from watching it too. Having her pick another club to barrack for, in Richmond's absence is not an option. ;D.
 

graystar1

Tiger Legend
Apr 28, 2004
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Panthera Tigris said:
Little interest from me. Once Richmond have a team, will start to take an interest. And until that time, my 6yo daughter is forbidden from watching it too. Having her pick another club to barrack for, in Richmond's absence is not an option. ;D.

Good thinking boy wonder.
 

graystar1

Tiger Legend
Apr 28, 2004
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tiger12 said:
I'd rather watch paint dry.

That is exactly how both my wife and I sum it up. Nothing against females in sport, but more that the skill level is just not there.

The ladies golf is just the opposite, very skilled and a joy to watch.
 

cmarkidis

"GO YOU TIGERS!!"
Nov 22, 2004
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graystar1 said:
That is exactly how both my wife and I sum it up. Nothing against females in sport, but more that the skill level is just not there.

The ladies golf is just the opposite, very skilled and a joy to watch.

Yep. I've got nothing against female sport either when they can showcase the sport at its highest level; e.g, swimming, netball, basketball, etc.

I just laugh at the way the sporting media is trying to flog this dead horse. Typical political correctness gone mad - telling the dumb populace what's good for them. Fortunately, some of us can still think for ourselves.
 

T-Shirt Tommy

Have you got the oven on?
Apr 11, 2011
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I think it will improve once the fitness levels of the girls increases. As the level of professionalism goes up, so will the standard.
 

seven

Super Tiger
Apr 20, 2004
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Wonder how many millions they'll pour into it before it folds.
 

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
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tiger12 said:
Yep. I've got nothing against female sport either when they can showcase the sport at its highest level; e.g, swimming, netball, basketball, etc.

I just laugh at the way the sporting media is trying to flog this dead horse. Typical political correctness gone mad - telling the dumb populace what's good for them. Fortunately, some of us can still think for ourselves.
Yes, certainly get where you're coming from 12.

Sports like tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, hockey etc that have (like their male counterparts) years of legacy and tradition, hence decades and decades worth of elite talent pool are genuinely elite sports. Australian rules football for women, in comparison is in it's infancy, and will take many decades to reach that same status. The fact that talented women from a range of other sports, but haven't kicked a footy in their life, can walk onto a team and get a regular senior game at it's 'top level', is indicative of this phenomenon. Rugby sevens at the Olympics is a similar example.

And like you, I don't mean this with any malice. I've coached heaps of girls in athletics with great success, and give their performances equal weight to any of the boys I've coached - in fact, perhaps have had slightly better coach/athlete relationships (in broadly general terms), with the girls than the boys I've coached. My own young daughter has got into tennis and loves it, and I'm really encouraging of it. I play tennis in the driveway of a weekend with her as much as I would play sport with any sons - really love this time together.

But for some bizarre reason, women's AFL has been latched onto and politicised so much by new wave feminists. Some of the voices in the media that highly politicise it - I'm looking at the likes of Clementine Ford and Mia Freedman - who are suddenly massive advocates of female sport. Where were they all these years before the AFLW existed? Were they at the tennis talking up the sublime power and skills of Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, the Williams sisters, Margaret Court etc over the years? Have they been regular attendees of the WNBL, or the national netball league, the W-League screaming from the the rooftops of tabloid and social media how 'brave', 'courageous' and 'empowering' these women are? Or, like most of us, just simply going along to be entertained by the elite skills and/or athleticism on show? No they weren't.
 

graystar1

Tiger Legend
Apr 28, 2004
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Panthera Tigris said:
Yes, certainly get where you're coming from 12.

Sports like tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, hockey etc that have (like their male counterparts) years of legacy and tradition, hence decades and decades worth of elite talent pool are genuinely elite sports. Australian rules football for women, in comparison is in it's infancy, and will take many decades to reach that same status. The fact that talented women from a range of other sports, but haven't kicked a footy in their life, can walk onto a team and get a regular senior game at it's 'top level', is indicative of this phenomenon. Rugby sevens at the Olympics is a similar example.

And like you, I don't mean this with any malice. I've coached heaps of girls in athletics with great success, and give their performances equal weight to any of the boys I've coached - in fact, probably had better relationships in broadly general terms, with the girls than the boys I've coached. My own daughter has got into tennis and loves it, and I'm really encouraging of it, playing tennis in the driveway of a weekend as much as I would play sport with any sons.

But for some bizarre reason, women's AFL has been latched onto and politicised so much by new wave feminists. Some of the voices in the media that highly politicise it - I'm looking at the likes of Clementine Ford and Mia Freedman - who are suddenly massive advocates of female sport. Where were they all these years before the AFLW existed? Were they at the tennis talking up the sublime power and skills of Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, the Williams sisters, Margaret Court etc over the years? Have they been regular attendees of the WNBL, or the national netball , the W-League screaming from the the rooftops of tabloid and social media how 'brave', 'courageous' and 'empowering' these women are? Or, like most of us, just simply going along to be entertained by the elite skills on show? Not they weren't.

Excellent summation PT and you certainly know what you are talking about, especially given your coaching prowess. It is a joy to watch the ladie's golf, tennis. netball. etc.,etc. and see the sublime skills they show to the world.

Not sure a heavy contact sport like AFLW is going to cut the mustard though.
 

tigertim

something funny is written here
Mar 6, 2004
29,892
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Panthera Tigris said:
Yes, certainly get where you're coming from 12.

Sports like tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, hockey etc that have (like their male counterparts) years of legacy and tradition, hence decades and decades worth of elite talent pool are genuinely elite sports. Australian rules football for women, in comparison is in it's infancy, and will take many decades to reach that same status. The fact that talented women from a range of other sports, but haven't kicked a footy in their life, can walk onto a team and get a regular senior game at it's 'top level', is indicative of this phenomenon. Rugby sevens at the Olympics is a similar example.

And like you, I don't mean this with any malice. I've coached heaps of girls in athletics with great success, and give their performances equal weight to any of the boys I've coached - in fact, perhaps have had slightly better coach/athlete relationships (in broadly general terms), with the girls than the boys I've coached. My own young daughter has got into tennis and loves it, and I'm really encouraging of it. I play tennis in the driveway of a weekend with her as much as I would play sport with any sons - really love this time together.

But for some bizarre reason, women's AFL has been latched onto and politicised so much by new wave feminists. Some of the voices in the media that highly politicise it - I'm looking at the likes of Clementine Ford and Mia Freedman - who are suddenly massive advocates of female sport. Where were they all these years before the AFLW existed? Were they at the tennis talking up the sublime power and skills of Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, the Williams sisters, Margaret Court etc over the years? Have they been regular attendees of the WNBL, or the national netball league, the W-League screaming from the the rooftops of tabloid and social media how 'brave', 'courageous' and 'empowering' these women are? Or, like most of us, just simply going along to be entertained by the elite skills and/or athleticism on show? No they weren't.
Yeah, i made similar comment last season. Where were all the lovers ( and media attention ) of VWFL for the past 36 years?
 
Jul 26, 2004
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Panthera Tigris said:
Yes, certainly get where you're coming from 12.

Sports like tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, hockey etc that have (like their male counterparts) years of legacy and tradition, hence decades and decades worth of elite talent pool are genuinely elite sports. Australian rules football for women, in comparison is in it's infancy, and will take many decades to reach that same status. The fact that talented women from a range of other sports, but haven't kicked a footy in their life, can walk onto a team and get a regular senior game at it's 'top level', is indicative of this phenomenon. Rugby sevens at the Olympics is a similar example.

And like you, I don't mean this with any malice. I've coached heaps of girls in athletics with great success, and give their performances equal weight to any of the boys I've coached - in fact, perhaps have had slightly better coach/athlete relationships (in broadly general terms), with the girls than the boys I've coached. My own young daughter has got into tennis and loves it, and I'm really encouraging of it. I play tennis in the driveway of a weekend with her as much as I would play sport with any sons - really love this time together.

But for some bizarre reason, women's AFL has been latched onto and politicised so much by new wave feminists. Some of the voices in the media that highly politicise it - I'm looking at the likes of Clementine Ford and Mia Freedman - who are suddenly massive advocates of female sport. Where were they all these years before the AFLW existed? Were they at the tennis talking up the sublime power and skills of Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, the Williams sisters, Margaret Court etc over the years? Have they been regular attendees of the WNBL, or the national netball league, the W-League screaming from the the rooftops of tabloid and social media how 'brave', 'courageous' and 'empowering' these women are? Or, like most of us, just simply going along to be entertained by the elite skills and/or athleticism on show? No they weren't.

Good post.
I see AFLW as an amateur competition that's trying to be drummed up as being equal to the men's by some quarters.
It may well be eventually but it's got a long, long way to go yet to get to that point. No disrespect but don't try & kid us that it is yet.

That said I actually don't mind watching it as I enjoy watching the one on one contests. The women are committed no doubt despite skills on the whole being very average.
It's a bit like watching male footy in the 1960s. Poor skills but lots of open space. It is the open space that has a fair bit of appeal whilst watching a women''s game.
That's the lesson the men's game could take from it. I absolutely hate seeing 36 footballers in the fwd pocket in the modern men's game.

I'll probably watch the odd game but it will always be a passing fascination for me. Might be a bit different if I had a daughter though.
 

Panthera Tigris

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Apr 27, 2010
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graystar1 said:
Excellent summation PT and you certainly know what you are talking about, especially given your coaching prowess. It is a joy to watch the ladie's golf, tennis. netball. etc.,etc. and see the sublime skills they show to the world.

Not sure a heavy contact sport like AFLW is going to cut the mustard though.
Well interestingly gray. A couple of years ago, when the AFL decided that they wanted to start an official women's league, they admitted openly, there wasn't a large enough talent pool of female players, let alone players of an athletic enough standard to fill a full league and have a reasonable standard. So they went out running screening sessions around the country with the strategy of poaching enough talent from other sports just to get the league off the ground.

Given the girls I coach weren't earning any money from athletics (they were national junior champions and medalists over 400m-3000m), I encouraged one or two to go along to the screening. From purely athletic perspective, they would have torn apart most of the girls I saw playing the game locally - not even a fair contest (particularly one girl I had who ran 55secs for 400m and 2:07 for 800m). And they had played ball sports like soccer quite well growing up. But were not overly keen on the idea of tackling or being tackled, despite me assuring them that they'd be fine and I'd teach them some basics on that before they went along. So you're maybe right, in broadly general terms, the idea of a crash and bash game might not be as appealing to as many athletically talented girls as boys. This is of course not absolute, but from my anecdotal experience, it seems a general trend.
 
Jul 26, 2004
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Just on the physicality. I hope that the 2 sports are always seen as different & not one & the same.
For example if a few girls get seriously injured I hope they don't go about changing the rules for both competitions.
Men's football has already been kneejerk enough in this regard with rules like sliding, bumping, tackling etc.
AR football is a physical game. If you choose to play it then it's likely you'll get hurt doing so. Otherwise choose something less physical but the tail has wagged the dog too much in recent years.
I can sadly see this trend continuing....
 

tigersmk

Tiger Cub
Nov 17, 2004
61
17
Some good posting here. My daughter is 12 and played her first season last year while still playing netball and basketball. Her skills are high standard but was initially intimidated by the physical contact, particularly as there were a few concussions and some very large / rough girls playing. She’s part of the Kangaroos development program, but I’m hoping she’ll go to the Tigers AFLW in 2024.
 

Panthera Tigris

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Tigers of Old said:
Just on the physicality. I hope that the 2 sports are always seen as different & not one & the same.
For example if a few girls get seriously injured I hope they don't go about changing the rules for both competitions.
Men's football has already been kneejerk enough in this regard with rules like sliding, bumping, tackling etc.
AR football is a physical game. If you choose to play it then it's likely you'll get hurt doing so. Otherwise choose something less physical but the tail has wagged the dog too much in recent years.
I can sadly see this trend continuing....
As an extension on that TOO. I do wonder whether the move of abolishing the boundary throw in the women's game, is a sly strategy of preconditioning the footy watching public into accepting it, so it can also be abolished in the men's game. And then, as you suggest, will we see the same trends in other aspects of the rules?

I go back to athletics again as an example. Men and women throw different sized/weighted implements and race over different sized hurdles and steeples, in acknowledgement of the reality that men and women are in fact, different. I wonder how long it will be before such acknowledgement is considered un-PC and it all becomes standardised.
 

Total Tiger

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Apr 13, 2009
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AFLW doesn't do anything much for me but my 10 and 12 year old boys have been counting sleeps until it starts. I'm not sure if they just want to watch football again (they've watched the grand final about 100 times so they're not exactly starved of the game) or if they are genuinely interested. They can certainly name more players that I can. I imagine when Richmond get a team, my interest level might increase.