FOOTY has changed and continues to change. In my day, all that a forward-line player thought about was kicking goals and taking marks. As a centre half-forward, eight marks and two goals a game was a handy return. Life was simple.

Dumb backmen did as the were told, and if they were told to play tight and stick on their man, as they usually were, then that is what they did. I liked that because it meant you controlled your defender, because wherever you went, he would follow.

It doesn't happen now. As soon as there is a turnover, players all over the field will bolt from their opponent in the hope of being used. So now, forwards are expected to chase, harass and pressure. Glad it didn't work like that in my day. Back in the '70s, we always played six-man forward lines. We flew for pack marks against each other, we never thought about blocking a teammate's opponent, and heaven forbid should we sacrifice our own game to make dummy leads to create space for a teammate.

And desperate, run-down tackles from behind? No. If a coat-hanger didn't stop an opponent, then let him go, because Bruce Doull or Geoff Southby would soon send it back anyway.

My, how things have changed. The emphasis on how hard you work when you haven't got the ball has never been greater. And one of the biggest changes in recent seasons has been the tackling pressure put on by teams inside their forward 50 areas. And the leaders in this have very much been the super-quick indigenous players.

It was four years ago that Aaron Davey made his debut for the Demons. Fans across the country were taken by the desperation, speed and intent with which he laid tackles. He set a standard that other teams strove for. Winning free kicks and locking the ball inside a team's attacking zone was inspirational and team-lifting.

Coaches highlighted it to their players. Players who could perform the deed were praised on the ground and at team meetings by their peers. The fans quickly appreciated it, too. Soon it became a badge of honour to be your team's leading tackler. Players who could perform the desperate tackle were recruited to add bite to forward structures.

Think of the Aboriginal youngsters at North Melbourne, Matt Campbell and Lindsay Thomas. The Essendon pair, Alwyn Davey and Leroy Jetta. Carlton's Eddie Betts, Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli and Cameron Stokes, and the Geelong pair, Matthew Stokes and Travis Varcoe. Indigenous players make up 12% of the total AFL population. They do, however, make up 50% of the top 20 tacklers inside the forward 50 area. It is a skill that they are extremely competent at.

The best forward-line tackler played yesterday at the MCG. He is Collingwood's Leon Davis, and his is a great story. Leon played very poorly in the Pies' 2002 and '03 grand final appearances. In fact, his first grand final was a shocker. He didn't touch the ball. No kicks, no handballs. He ran over the top of the ball and past opponents. His future in the game was questioned. Now, five years on, he has answered his demons. He is a respected and accomplished senior player who, along with Alan Didak, Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury and Travis Cloke, combined to be the best tackling forward line in 2007. A look at last year's "tackles in the forward 50" list shows that six of the top seven teams played finals football.

The bottom team was St Kilda. The Saints have taken, and are taking, steps to rectify the situation. They won't always play with three tall forwards. It is a dangerously slow situation when Fraser Gehrig and Justin Koschitzke play alongside each other, so Gehrig has been recently dropped. Adam Schneider, one of the game's best tacklers, has been recruited from Sydney and Luke Ball, who is strong in this area, has been spending more time forward. And the little buzz box, Stephen Milne, knows that if he can't improve his tackling output, then his days are numbered.

And a great example for all, and a massive coaching point for all coaches to all players, is the fact that the game's most exciting player, Lance "Buddy" Franklin, is also one of the game's hardest-working tacklers.