Paul Roos' HUGE call on the depth of current AFL footy compared to the 80s

V/AFL icon Paul Roos is certain that the depth at the top level of footy was far better in the 1980s than it is now.

Roos played 356 games in a storied career - 269 for Fitzroy between 1982 and 1994 before moving to Sydney where he played 87 from 1995 to 1998.

Across his playing career, Roos was awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy for MVP in 1986, was a seven-time All-Autralian, five-time Fitzroy best and fairest winner and Fitzroy Team of the Century member.

Having experienced 80s and 90s footy first-hand as one of the best players of the era, before coaching Sydney from 2002 to 2010 and Melbourne from 2014 to 2016, there are not many in the footy world with a better understanding of the top level than Roos.

With all of that knowledge and experience, Roos says he’s seen a drop-off in depth from the time when the V/AFL had just 12 teams instead of the 18 currently playing and even suggested that Carlton’s reserves in the 1980s would beat current-day North Melbourne who sit 18th on the AFL ladder so far in 2024.

Roos made the statement while reminiscing on his senior debut for Fitzroy where he couldn’t have imagined playing 356 games over the next 17 years.

“Yeah, I do (remember my VFL debut),” Roos told SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“We actually got belted, I played full-forward. I kicked a couple of goals late and I got dropped the next week.

“So, I thought my career was not going to go 356 games, but one game.

“Without sounding (like old timers), well I suppose we can sound like them because that’s what we’re here for, but there was certainly a lot more depth (in the ‘80s).

“There was a lot more depth in V/AFL, we only had 12 teams and our seconds teams (were strong).

“I say this, Carlton's seconds team in the early ‘80s would beat North Melbourne right now, there's no question about that.

“I thought I'd played a reasonable first game, but I was dropped the next week and I think I got back in the week after that.

“You had to play at a pretty high standard to get to keep getting a game because some of the guys that were running around the seconds had played 50, 100 or 150 games of V/AFL football.

“But I certainly remember the first game at the SCG, but I thought it was going to be my last.”

Damningly for the Kangaroos, the V/AFL great saw the club close up in a consultancy role across 2020, 2021 and 2022.