AFL legend Leigh Matthews says footy is even more dangerous now than it was in the 1970s and 1980s
One of the greatest and most infamous players in AFL history believes the game is now more dangerous than the ‘rough and violent’ times of the 1970s and 1980s.
Four-time premiership winner Leigh Matthews as both coach and player found himself in the middle of an era where high shots, mass brawls and blatant king hits reigned supreme.
But the Hawks superstar, who won eight best and fairest medals with the club before embarking on a coaching and commentary career with stunning success, believes footy is far more dangerous now than it was in its day.
“I believe the game is more dangerous to play in 2022 than it was in the ’70s and ’80s when it had to be really rough and violent,” Hawthorn legend told me. 3AW.
That’s despite the league trying to make the game safer when it comes to dealing with concussions, while also trying to make the game bigger and faster.
AFL legend Leigh Matthews may have played in what many see as the wildest footy period, but he believes the size and speed of today’s players make the game more dangerous than ever
That’s why Matthews believes the game is more dangerous than ever.
‘Are [the game] in a battle with itself and I think the concussion has issues, there’s lawsuits and a class action, as soon as you start talking like a football field like a workplace, you’re on foreign territory,” he said.
“This century, because of the introduction of mass exchange in ’07 – ’09, in that period, I think the game just changed the game.
“Players now know that they rest regularly and play with much more energy, much more contact and more collisions.
“I like the speed and power of the modern game, but [there is] more contact, more collisions, [and] so more blows to the head.’
As exchanges began to skyrocket in recent years and coaches got smarter about implementing defensive structures, the league tinkered with rules to ensure fans got the best possible spectacle.
More speed, more goals – but seemingly more concussions as awareness about the consequences of head injuries continues to grow.
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The AFL continues to crack down on actions that could cause headbutts, and penalizes players who illegally cause them much more harshly — but Matthews says any measures the league is taking to speed up the game are almost counterproductive.
“How can we make it safe enough that we won’t get charged? Because coaches’ tendencies will never change,” he said.
“With the extra tactical substitute coming up, we basically have a 23 vs 23…18 game on the field, but five players ready to attack with maximum energy at any time.
“The game competes with itself… we want to minimize concussions, obviously, eradicate them if we can… but we still want this ballistic, powerful game.”
Concussions did not exist in the minds of football players or medical personnel in the 1970s and 1980s.
Matthews – who played from 1969-1985 – put on some of the dirtiest acts of his generation, with massive king hits on Barrie Cable, Peter Giles and Stuart Trott being among the most notorious.
A king hit that left Geelong’s Neville Bruns with a broken jaw was so bad that he was convicted of assault.
Leigh Matthews, who played for the Hawks between 1969 and 1985, believes the wild days of the 1970s and 1980s have nothing on today’s football field.
Matthews (pictured with wife Deborah in 2019) said attempts to make the current game faster have made it more dangerous than ever
So it’s no surprise to learn that the star striker knew the physicality was just the reality of playing footy.
“When I was playing, you just took it on the chin that it’s a dangerous game and you just hope it doesn’t affect you too much at that point…or later in life,” said Matthews.
“If we said ten years ago that if a player gets a concussion, not necessarily knocked out, he won’t play for 12 days, that was unfathomable.
The game is more dangerous [despite the AFL] try to make it safer, because the athletes are so fit and powerful that they are like gladiators running across the field and crashing into each other at high speed.’
The 2023 AFL season kicks off on Thursday, March 16 with a blockbuster between the Tigers and Blues at the MCG.
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