Yahoo Finance AFL 2021: why this season will surely be better than the last
The post-Covid-19 era
Australia is not out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic but there is no way the coronavirus could wreak havoc on the nation, on sport, on the AFL, like it did in 2020. At any rate, just as Gillon McLachlan prophesised, the AFL found a way last year and somehow punched out a season, one that ended up going to the best team regardless. It would be wise to prepare for a breakout here and there, and the requisite lockdowns that will follow, but even with some hiccups this campaign will have a far more familiar look about it.
The unprecedented precedent has been set
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Before we park Covid-19, there is one word in 2021 we can awaken in the mornings, free of the shakes, knowing we are unlikely to hear used with such flagrant extravagance: unprecedented. Everything we confronted last year was so new that each resultant scenario became adorned with what became a rapidly ubiquitous prefix: unprecedented season; unprecedented times; unprecedented finals series; unprecedented Brownlow medal! It was an unprecedented annoyance that will not be missed.
More rule interpretations to whine about
AFL fans love a good whinge, especially if their ire can be pointed towards officialdom and lawmakers. This season there will be more grist for the mill, with the new “Player Standing The Mark” rule sure to turn even the calmest supporter into an incandescent wreck. Interpretations of the rule, which permits the player on the mark only “minimal lateral movement”, will likely be all over the place, meaning we will never be short of something to wail about – the added bonus being it will distract us from the bizarre world of the MRO.
Hope scores will be higher
The above mentioned rule has been introduced to stymie defending teams and thus facilitate a better flow of play from one end of the ground to the other. Another tweak in 2021 is the reduction of rotations from 90 per match to 75. This is designed to get players knackered quicker, again with a view to opening up the play and, taken to its natural conclusion, increase scoring rates, which have been on an interminable decline for years now. The return to longer quarters will be a self-evident contributor. Yes, defence wins premierships and we love finals-type footy. But what’s wrong with a 130-125 thriller every now and then?
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The grand final is back where it belongs
Thank you, Gabba. Thank you, night-time. We’ll take it from here. Thank goodness sanity will accompany normality in 2021 and the season decider will return to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In daylight hours. If the sarcasm of these words isn’t screaming from between the lines, let me leave no doubt: I am being sarcastic. It took a global health crisis for the AFL to look like a genuinely national competition. But it was just a glimpse, just a mirage. There will be many, many people who will count the grand final’s requisite return to the MCG as a reason 2021 will be a better season. They are wrong.
Eddie Everywhere will be nowhere
Eddie McGuire might not have been solely responsible for the culture of racism that was allowed to fester at Collingwood, but the Pies simply could not have made meaningful strides forward if he was still their president. The king’s abdication – removal, call it what you will – is the first real sign that the game’s administration has finally grown a conscience. If it leads to where it should – impartiality, mutual respect and a safe workplace for all – then 2021 is already a better place.
Victorian fans will be back in the stands
It’s a softly, softly approach, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Fifty-thousand supporters will be at the MCG for the season opener between Richmond and Carlton, half that will be allowed at Marvel Stadium and fans will get through the turnstiles into GMHBA Stadium. The return of footy to Victoria, where most AFL games are played, is a fantastic thing made even better by the allowance of crowds. Man cannot live on cardboard fans and canned applause alone. There is no substitute for the real thing. One thing 2020 showed us is that supporters are an integral part of the live experience. They are welcomed back with open arms.
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The Under-17 AFLW Championships is here
The addition of an Under-17 competition in 2021 might seem a minor tweak – the AFLW will also hold an Under-19 championships to compensate for last year’s Under-18s no-show – but it is significant in the development of the women’s game. The need to identify and nurture talent at a younger age has rightly been identified by the AFLW and the Under-17s competition adds layers to the pathway of the nation’s most precocious talent. After the issues the AFLW, and female footballers, were confronted with by Covid-19, this is a big step in the right direction.
