The two have decades of playing experience and six VFL premierships between them, with Crosswell also being a Tasmanian hall of famer.

So when they impart some footy wisdom, you'd better listen.

They did this as guests of the South Launceston Football Club AFL Grand Final luncheon last week.

While there's no doubt the game of football has changed drastically since the twain took the field, the former Kangaroos have various opinions about what differentiates today's brand from theirs.

For the Bull, it's all about the growth of the league and its impact on depth.

"I always say with football today compared to yesterday - we used to play in a 12-team competition, there were 20 players to a side," Baker said.

"Everyone in Australia wanted to come and play in those 12 teams.

"Now there's 18 sides with 22 players in a team, so now you've got six extra sides and the same amount of people are trying to get into them - I don't think the depth's there that used to be there.

"The professionalism is certainly there, they're a lot fitter but I'm not sure the depth's there."

Crosswell admitted he had difficulty appreciating the modern game.

"It's not something that sits entirely comfortably with me," he said.

"My view is that the game in the 1970s, '80s and '90s was a better game that had more meaning and was more entertaining."

Crosswell, like Baker showed concern for the continued growth of the league and its impact on rosters.

"The players were more distinctive, you could pick them out. They weren't racing machines; merely facsimiles of each other," he said.

"The game at its best was a Melbourne-based game that was based on tribal inner city rivalries, it was fascinating."

Baker also said the digital era of social media and portable devices had its own impact on the sport.

"Now the pressure on these players is immense just getting the exposure they get from television, social media and all that sort of stuff," Baker said.

"They're a different breed now and I'm not sure the younger kids are coming up, we never see kids kicking the football in the streets like they used to in the '60s and '70s.

"Kids come home from school, they shut the door and get on their iPads ... when I got home from school Mum and Dad would kick me out and say 'don't come in until the sun comes down'."

In terms of the sport itself, Crosswell wasn't a fan of the apparent lack of position football in today's game.

"There were perfect fixed positions - it was a kicking game we played and now it's a handball game," he said.

"It was a game played with one umpire and it wasn't a game where people moved over a place, trainers bringing you water bottles and all that stuff."

Nonetheless, both their view of the game may be skewed by nostalgia.

"It's still a great game and I still love it," Baker said.

"It's difficult for someone of my generation to appreciate," Crosswell added.