Geelong coach Chris Scott says he would not fight against more rule changes to fix the game as a spectacle, but insists the product is better to watch now than at any other stage during his time in football.
With some of the game's legends, including Scott’s former premiership coach Leigh Matthews, proposing radical measures to ease congestion, the Cats coach said he felt the game actually appeared to be more open this year than in previous seasons.
Scott said trends that have developed over the first five rounds are a result of rule changes made during the past few seasons, and his general advice to the league would be to ''move forward slowly when it comes to changing the game''.
''I might be a little bit different to some people, but the footy I’m watching – especially the good games – I think it’s a little bit more spread than it has been in previous seasons,'' Scott said. ''I see forwards ahead of the ball a lot more than we had say two years ago. I see some teams trying to posses the ball a little bit more, which I’m sure is a response to the lower interchange numbers. It’s just common sense that, if you change something, there will be a reaction.''
Making it clear that he is ''open minded'' to change and would only give his detailed opinion if asked by the league to do so, Scott did express dismay at people who claim to love the game but are ''trying to talk it down''.
The Cats' 2011 premiership coach said the AFL should consult with coaches about what the most likely tactical response would be to any new rule or restriction they devised for the future. But he said it was wrong to assume coaches had a total disregard for the game's aesthetics.
''Without sounding completely altruistic, I feel like I’ve got a responsibility to coach a football team that plays an attractive brand of footy,'' Scott said. ''And, sure, we want to win. But we think the two things go hand-in-hand.
''I sense there is a little bit too much focus on the poor games at the moment. Most of the games I’m watching, particularly with the good teams, are fantastic spectacles. And I might have the blinkers on, but when I watch footy from 15 years ago, I’d take today’s footy anytime.
''I’ve never been more intrigued by AFL football than I am now. Even tuning into games that were played five years ago – the old replays on Fox Footy – they are nowhere near as good to watch for me.''
