Kane Cornes: AFL must learn from State of Origin rivalry as League becomes too sanitised

What has happened to Australian football, and when did it become so friendly? The take no prisoners approach from West Coast hero John Worsfold, Fremantle blanket Ryan Crowley and niggler Hayden Ballantyne is gone.

When did the AFL become the place for nice guys?

Is my discontent a hangover from being a tagger trying to get under everyone’s skin? Or is it confirmed envy from another code having the ultimate grudge match in Australian sport?

The NRL State-of-Origin shield is back in Queensland after the Maroons won the best-of-three series 2-1 with a remarkable 22-12 triumph over New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium last Wednesday. There was pure mayhem in the contest.

The fans were treated to frantic attacking forays, desperate tackles, verbal barbs, multiple players were sent to the sin bin and a brutal all-in brawl made it one of the greatest matches in Origin history.

The fall-out to the match extended to the post-match presentation and was just as severe, it reaffirms how the Queensland – New South Wales rivalry is still fiercest in Australian sport.

Blues legend Andrew Johns could not hide his disgust in the loss.

“You won the big moments,” Johns said while standing next to Queensland greats Cameron Smith and Paul Vautin. “Now we have to listen to all the bulls**t from you (Queenslanders) in the next 12 months. It drives you mad.”

When you contrast this brutality and sporting hatred with what we witnessed during round 18 of the AFL season, you quickly realise how sanitised the AFL has become.

On Saturday at Adelaide Oval, Collingwood first-year sensation Nick Daicos racked up 40 disposals and kicked a game-high three goals against Adelaide. The freedom granted to him by Crows coach Matthew Nicks and his players was stunning.

Daicos, who just turned 19 and has played only 18 games, was a prime candidate to be targeted and tagged by the Crows. He is an outside player, does not have the experience of being tagged and has a slight frame that would be vulnerable to physical intimidation.

Yet Adelaide hardly laid a finger on him. This undoubtedly cost them the four points. It was not until post-game that Adelaide’s match committee admitted it gave Daicos too much space. Nicks must have been asked tough questions from Adelaide’s management as to how this obvious tactical error was not rectified mid-game.

Before the start of Sunday’s game between Port Adelaide and Melbourne in Alice Springs, both clubs’ indigenous players and the captains met to greet each other as a sign of respect. These meetings have historically been saved for the post-match handshakes, but are becoming more common across the league.

This ceremony was as close as any Port Adelaide player came to laying a glove on Melbourne small forward Kysaiah Pickett through the entire game.

Pickett had kicked just six goals from his previous six games. He booted a career-best six goals against Port Adelaide. The Power did not do anything to curtail his influence. No player was assigned responsibility for him. He was allowed to roam free inside Melbourne’s forward 50.

Like Adelaide, this tactical error cost Port Adelaide the game and dashed its top-eight hopes.

If Daicos and Pickett were playing in an NRL Origin match, there would have been a target on their heads.

Unlike the NRL, AFL rivalries have been diluted. Even the once fierce Showdowns in Adelaide are becoming weakened by gimmicks.

Adelaide legend and board member Mark Ricciuto was captured sporting a Port Adelaide beanie during his commentary commitments at the Power’s home game against GWS in round 17.

Most considered Ricciuto’s fashion statement as a joke. But it would have been unthinkable 15 years ago when he was Crows captain. Even as a board member he should have thought twice. This is another example of how the competition has become too friendly.

And what has happened to the once feared Giants?

Greater Western Sydney, led by its polarising star Toby Greene, was a team that thrived on having a hard edge and being difficult to play against.

Its barbaric encounters, most notably the 2016 preliminary final with fierce rival, the Western Bulldogs, were captivating.

Two years ago, GWS sent hard-nosed defender Nick Hayes to toss the coin with Dogs captain Marcus Bontempelli instead of its official captain Stephen Coniglio. Haynes fractured his larynx in a previous clash with Bontempelli, leading many to suggest that was the reason for the face-off.

Gamesmanship such as this would never happen today.

The Giants sacked its coach Leon Cameron mid-year and have slumped to 15th on the ladder. Power forward Jesse Hogan labelled his side “uncompetitive” on radio this week, a far cry from the intimidating unit they were just a few seasons ago.

Sydney coach John Longmire is one of the few current coaches who believes in targeting the opposition’s strengths by eliminating its key players.

Longmire has used negating forward Ryan Clarke with great impact during the past month. Clarke has completely blanketed St Kilda’s Jack Sinclair, Bulldogs half-back Bailey Dale and Fremantle runner Jordan Clarke.

Clarke was targeted by the Swans and was repeatedly harassed off the ball by various Sydney players. It worked. Clarke was kept to just seven kicks and had zero influence in Fremantle’s 17-point loss.

Longmire has created an edge for his side that the rest of the competition is neglecting.

The majority of players, coaches and clubs are too scared to upset the opposition, and the rivalries are being diluted.

Unlike Origin, our game is poorer for it.