This week, Jake Niall, Caroline Wilson and Sam McClure talk about the state of the game today and how it compares to footy from decades past. Plus: discussion of the looming pay war between the AFL and its players, including the letter that has left the AFL unhappy and why there could be pressure on the league to allow third-party deals going forward.

Footy might be on hold, but this podcast is not. Make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to get every episode as it drops.

Get in touch! - We'd love to hear from you. Why not email us here, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.

Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/