GEORGIE PARKER: Why I agree with Tom Morris’ criticism of AFLW coverage

Tom Morris recently suggested AFLW media is missing former players willing to go hard in the opinion space, arguing there are too many current players providing analysis who simply cannot say what they think.

And say what you will about Tom, I think he has a point. But I also think the problem runs deeper than who’s holding the microphone.

In the men’s game, we have the luxury of hearing from former champions questioning everything from selection decisions to individual performances. Brownlow medallists, premiership captains and club legends regularly tell us when a player isn’t up to standard, and we gobble it up like seagulls do hot chips.

The AFLW doesn’t have that same luxury. It’s a competition barely a decade old, without generations of retired champions ready to step into the commentary box. Many of its biggest names are still playing, and it’s understandable that broadcasters want their knowledge and personalities involved when there aren’t many established names to draw from who have already hung up their boots.

But I completely agree with Tom: asking current players to critically assess their teammates, opponents and friends is incredibly difficult. There’s a difference between explaining what’s happening on the field and being willing to say something uncomfortable about the people playing on it.

But here’s where I think it gets tricky. Even if we had more former players in those roles, I wonder whether they’d feel entirely comfortable being as critical as their male counterparts. Because here’s something many super W fans will find uncomfortable in me saying: I think there are players in the AFLW who, in an ideal world with a deeper talent pool, probably wouldn’t be playing at the highest level.

That’s not a criticism of their effort or commitment, they still put in all the work. It’s a reflection of a competition that expanded to 18 teams extraordinarily quickly, perhaps before the depth of talent was ready.

Earlier this year, watching Australia’s best AFLW players take on Ireland, it was a clear reminder of just how good women’s football can be. It was fast, skilful, physical and so entertaining. Anyone watching that game would have struggled to argue there isn’t extraordinary talent in women’s football.

But a few months later, watching St Kilda manage just a solitary point in a 31-1 loss to the Western Bulldogs, we were all reminded just how far the competition still has to go.

And for me that’s one of the AFLW’s biggest problems. While of course a bad match doesn’t mean a bad competition, it did show that while the ceiling of AFLW is incredibly high, the floor sits an awfully long way beneath it.

That Australia v Ireland game featured the very best Australian players taking on some exceptional Irish talent. Concentrate that level of ability in one place and look at the product you get.

Yet spread the available talent across 18 AFLW teams, and the gap between the best and the rest becomes difficult to ignore. I felt that personally during my time at Collingwood, with me - a total battler - lining up next to Chloe Molloy, who is a freak on the field.

It’s something I think about in the men’s game, too, if I’m being honest. Imagine the standard of the AFL if the best players were spread across 16 teams instead of 18. The difference is that the women’s competition has had far less time to build the talent depth required.

And perhaps that’s part of the reason we’re so reluctant to criticise individual AFLW players, whether it’s a host, a current player or a former one doing the talking. These players are absolutely good enough to be playing in the AFLW as it exists today. They’ve earned their spots in the format we play.

But in an ideal world, with a deeper talent pool or fewer teams, the standard required to play at the highest level would be higher. And maybe then we’d feel more comfortable being critical, knowing we were judging players against a consistently elite standard rather than one the competition is still working towards.

I’ve spent years arguing that women’s football deserves to be watched, respected and taken seriously and I wont sway from that. But taking a competition seriously doesn’t mean pretending everything about it is perfect.

As a former athlete, I know how much work goes into reaching the highest level. I also know that you can be doing absolutely everything right, making every sacrifice and giving everything you’ve got, and still not be good enough. That’s just elite sport.

I think that’s where AFLW commentary finds itself in a difficult position. We want to champion a competition that’s still developing, but we also need to be prepared to question its standard, its structure and its players.

Tom Morris is absolutely right in saying the AFLW needs more independent voices. But finding those voices is only half the challenge. The other half is making sure they feel comfortable saying what they actually think.

Because if we want women’s football to be treated with the same respect as the men’s game, we have to be willing to scrutinise it with the same honesty.