Former Essendon captain Tim Watson has responded sternly to Sam Mitchell’s comments defending the state of modern footy.
Mitchell believes the media has completely overblown the debate on the state of the game.
“I would challenge anyone that thinks the game is in a poor state to turn on a random game from a random era that they thought was the best of the game and see which one compares better,” Mitchell told SEN’s Time On.
“I think modern footy stands up pretty well.”
Watson disagrees strongly with the former Hawthorn star, believing it’s the opinion of someone without perspective.
“I think that’s an insight into somebody who’s lived their whole life in a footy bubble and continues to live in a footy bubble,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“That’s not being disrespectful to Mitchell, but to me these guys don’t have perspective on the game because they came into it at 18 and have been in the bubble since.
“You need to get outside the bubble and speak to real people about their concerns.”
Watson points to the 1980s as a time when footy was significantly better than it is now.
“I would like to play to him a game in 1984, Essendon played against Hawthorn in a semi-final,” he said.
“I can just show that as the benchmark the game used to be played and compare it with the game and the way that it’s played today.
“I defy anyone to say that isn’t a better way to play the game than it’s currently being played week in, week out.”
Forget the media, what do YOU think about the state of the modern game?