Barassi's half-time instructions to "handball, handball, handball!" became part of the game's folklore. The game, and Barassi's half time instructions, are sometimes referred to as "the birth of modern football", a label which critical historical analysis views as symbolic, rather than literal. The style of football played in Victoria had been undergoing a clear change through the 1960s and early 1970s: prior to this, football had mostly been a stop-start game, with players kicking forward to teammates who took a mark, stopped and kicked again, with the handball being used mainly as a defensive or last-resort option; but through this period, attacking use of handball and playing on and short kicks, became more common. Carlton's recovery in the 1970 grand final symbolized this transition perfectly: falling 44 points behind in the first half playing "old football", then recovering to win playing "new football" in the second half. Nevertheless, the mythology surrounding the game has perpetuated a myth that Barassi's half-time instructions represented a revolutionary, seminal moment which heralded the transition from the old style of football to the modern style. This literal interpretation does not hold up to any critical assessment: Barassi noted that Carlton had been playing a handball style of game throughout 1970, and credited early 1960s coach Len Smith as being the first coach to encourage attacking use of handball in Victoria. Football historian John Devaney assessed likewise that the transition towards handball and playing on had been gradual through the 1960s, and was already a well established tactic both within and outside Victoria in the years before 1970. Barassi and Devaney both also note that Carlton's recovery couldn't be attributed to handball alone, with Hopkins strong play, better overall discipline and winning a higher proportion of possession also key to the recovery. Sports journalist Jake Niall, writing in 2020 as The Age's chief football writer, argued that the 1970 Grand Final was "the most consequential match in the history of Australian rules football, the game that mattered most". His contention was that the game marked a sliding doors moment in the history of Carlton (who would win a further five VFL premierships in the two decades following) and Collingwood (which over the same time period would endure a period of off-field turbulence and on-field heartache), while also cementing Ron Barassi's status as a coaching genius. Niall also claimed that, to a greater extent, the game also