we have been having a discussion about the speed of afl and how it compares with the game in previous years.
the discussion is here mixed in with discussion about the brownlow.
worked out that i can attach pdf files here now, never thought i could before. so i have attached the pdf here, and will provide a summary.
Overall summary: the game is harder and faster and free flowing than it ever has been, but the time between these periods of play has increased, making the game more stop-start in nature
Cliff Notes:
- The speed of the game, measured by average ball velocity, is up to twice as fast in 1997 as it was in 1961
Players are taller and heavier now than in the past, but have a better aerobic capacity
Players play on quicker from a free kick or a mark, but take longer for set shots for goal.
there are less free kicks paid now than in the past
there are more stops in play now than in the past
the periods of play are conducted at a much higher intensity
now for some excerpts from the article. the full text pdf can be found at the bottom. (please dont share widely, i am probably breaking the university copyright by posting here anyway)
Australian football has undergone considerable change over the past century. This
evolution seems to have accelerated more recently since the introduction and major
influence of the media, increased professionalism and the start of a national competition.
The results indicate the 'speed' of the game has approximately doubled in
the period 1961 - 1997. The propoIC_ion of the total game which involves 'play' time has
been reduced significantly while breaks in play are more frequent and longer. Despite
this pattern, however, the average game tempo has increased along with player height
and mass and we present a case which suggests these are likely determinants of the
increased incidence of player injuries and lost match time.
it is now faster than in the past. The exact
meaning of 'faster' is usually not explicitly stated although it probably reflects a
general perception that all aspects of the game are conducted at a faster speed.
On the other hand the players themselves appear bigger, stronger, faster and
more skillful.
• there has been an evolution in the game towards less frees and less time spent
taking frees (both individual and total time)
• there has been a decline in the number of Out of bounds situations in the game
with no change in the total Kme spent throwing the ball back into play. This is
due to a significant increase in the average time taken by the boundary umpires
to start the play after the ball has crossed the line
• over the past four decades there has been an increasing number of marks, total
scoring shots, bounce-ups and set shots for goal during the game
• there has been a marked reduction in the time spent in play time, a
corresponding increase in the time spent in taking set shots for goal, in time
taken to restart the game after a goal and bounce-up, and in total non-play
time. There has been no systematic change in the total game time (summation
of the time for the four quarters, not including breaks between quarters).
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