The Bombers-Bulldogs matchup on Friday night produced only three goals.
Jones claims the women’s football competition is currently at a ‘crisis stage’.
Tony Jones, host of Channel Nine’s Footy Show, has advocated for significant reforms to women’s football, dubbing several AFLW games over the weekend as ‘diabolical and virtually unwatchable’.
The contest between Essendon and the Western Bulldogs on Friday night was a disappointing spectacle for fans and drew much criticism.
In an error-filled encounter, the Dogs became the first AFLW side to be held goalless three times in a season and achieved their lowest-ever score for the second straight game, after registering only four points against the Kangaroos last Saturday.
It comes on top of other low-scoring games in the league, which Jones claims has reached a ‘crisis point’.
‘The AFL is at a crisis point; they need to act and prove they’re serious about supporting the AFLW,’ he said on 3AW Mornings.
‘Some of the matches over the weekend, especially with the Western Bulldogs, have been awful and nearly unwatchable.’
Jones went on to say that the Bulldogs coach had made no apologies for his team’s performance in the match, which drew a healthy 4000 spectators.
Jones and 3AW host Tom Elliott went on to address the short fixture calendar, which has seen each side play 11 games in only 10 weeks, leaving players mentally and physically weary.
The compressed schedule also makes it difficult for fans to predict where and when their favorite club will play next.
Other football commentators have also criticized the poor performance on Friday night.
Eliza Reilly, a sports journalist, said on X: “AFLW diehards and prospective fans want to see the players at their best.” Two-thirds of a game’s goals come from 50-metre penalties. That was a difficult game to watch, whether due to the condensed fixture, defensive tactics, or a combination of the two.
Lauren Wood of News Corp said: ‘Both teams came off the back of their condensed fixture period, but now that we’re finally at the end of it, let’s not do it again, please and thanks.
‘Four games in 14ish days equals this during prime time. Extras are behind, and the players are fatigued. A big no thanks.
Ronny Lerner, an AFL reporter, described the spectacle as ‘utterly awful’.
‘Essendon coach Natalie Wood and Bulldogs coach Tamara Hyatt owe an apologize to their club’s supporters, the AFLW, and women’s football in general for these practices,’ Lerner wrote.
‘This is a serious setback for the sport. A truly awful spectacle.
Read more news on:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply