Malcolm Blight warns AFL and players will lose out if league doesn’t introduce changes
AS some of the game’s biggest names have their say on footy’s hottest topic, AFL Legend Malcolm Blight says change is coming — and those resistant should consider doing something else.
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HALL of Fame Legend Malcolm Blight says congestion is turning football into a “tainted product”, urging coaches resistant to change to resign from their posts.
Blight told the Herald Sun that football was “choking”, adamant it was time for the introduction of starting points.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said the starting points requiring three pairs inside 50 at a stoppage would be a “blight” on football.
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It put him in direction opposition with AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield and dual Norm Smith Medallist Luke Hodge, who have strongly backed starting points.
But premiership player and coach Blight said the AFL’s lawmakers had continually made positive changes to the game, believing AFL football is on the nose.
He forecast a dramatic drop in the AFL’s TV rights value if the malaise continued, which would then see players taking pay cuts and rival sports flourishing.
“The game has got to change. It is a tainted product right now,” said Blight, who was consulted by the AFL on the state of the game earlier this year.
“Change is coming and it must come. The game is being choked. When people like Nathan Jones say they can’t watch the game, I thought that was honest and open.
“Millions of TV viewers are turning off. When the next TV rights comes out, coaches and players earn a living from it.
“If they want to accept 25 to 50 per cent reductions in their salaries because the game can’t be sold, then that’s fine.
“And for those who don’t like it, resign and go and join the unemployment queue.
“Have the debate, but if you don’t like footy this way go and do something else in your life.”
The AFL has been criticised for the small sample size of trial games, which will run to four 20-minute AFL trials and one or more state-league games.
VFL football operations manager John Hook said Coburg had already volunteered to trial starting points this season.
They are on the bottom of the VFL ladder but are happy to be a rules guinea pig, with an August 11 clash against the 13th-placed Northern Blues one potential fixture.
“We have trialled rules before, like automatic play on if a ball is kicked backwards. We are happy to do that before, that’s what our competition can do it if’s going to better football,’’ Hook said.
“Coburg emailed out of the blue this morning so clubs are willing to do that if it didn’t mean anything for the results at the end of the year.”
The AFL has canvassed 10 clubs and shown them footage of trials ahead of next Wednesday’s competition committee meetings.
Buckley is joined by Luke Beveridge in opposing starting points, but many players are coming around to their decongesting properties.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott believes the AFL has an obligation to attempt to unclutter football and give players more room to move.
“I don’t like it. I think it will be a blight on the game,” Buckley said on SEN.
“I think if we go to zones we’re going to be waiting for players to get back into zones. How often do you want to do that?
“It’s going to happen say every time there’s a stoppage in a forward 50 that we’re waiting for three pairs of players to go and get back in the opposite 50.”
Said AFLPA president Dangerfield: “I still think the aesthetic of footy isn’t as good as it once was and it needs help to improve.
“I think there’s the potential for starting positions to help that.
“Having seen the vision and having seen no one coach against that play — the game is always going to evolve, coaches are always going to find a way to nullify how you would manufacture those starting positions — I really like the look of it.
“It reminded me of sort of 2005 where you’d see a stoppage and then see (Chris) Judd surging out of the pack and you’d have 20 metres of space to run into before he was confronted with any numbers.”
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