AFL Fuxturing

[Devilhead]

St Kilda ...... Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, Fremantle & Hawthorn twice each ..... 4 sides currently in the 8

Geelong ..... St Kilda, West Coast, North, Port & Bulldogs twice each ...... not one side in the 8 and only 2 that made the 8 last year

Now yes you can't predict the future but still ... that's hard to swallow

[Killa]

The other aspect of the draw is that we have played Geelong at Geelong (how many sides beat them down there?), Sydney in Sydney, Brisbane in Brisbane and Fremantle in Fremantle

And Hawthorn at the MCG and Docklands

So the draw is doubly hard for St Kilda

We are not playing Melbourne based sides twice - so needing to travel (that compounded by the fact that all of Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle are in the top 6

Yes, you have to beat these sides

But we have beaten both Geelong and Fremantle - and we are yet to play Sydney and Brisbane in Melbourne

What our performances do show is that we are still building but not far off

We need a key forward to take the pressure off King, who is double teamed, blocked and man handled out of the contest (and no free kicks aka the likes of the Geelong forwards who should be playing cricket where you do appeal to the umpire)

And we need a key defender, releasing Wilkie from the need to defend a key forward (and Battle)

Past that a Miller type (Gold Coast)

And continuing improvement - so we can move past lazy butcherers such as Ross who was abysmal last night except for standing the mark when goals were being kicked by his opposite number

Plus a ruck to replace Ryder

And some luck with injuries

[Jacks Back]

We need a key forward to take the pressure off King, who is double teamed, blocked and man handled out of the contest (and no free kicks aka the likes of the Geelong forwards who should be playing cricket where you do appeal to the umpire)

And we need a key defender, releasing Wilkie from the need to defend a key forward (and Battle)

Past that a Miller type (Gold Coast)

And continuing improvement - so we can move past lazy butcherers such as Ross who was abysmal last night except for standing the mark when goals were being kicked by his opposite number

Plus a ruck to replace Ryder

And some luck with injuries

So, luckily, we don't need too much.

[Killa]

IF, fingers crossed, Heath, Adams, Wanganeen-Milera, Windhager, Owens, King and Sharman develop there are the blocks from within

Plus the likes of Coffield and Clark and Paton who have all endured injury interruptions

Plus further drafting and trading

But, back to the subject

The draw has not helped (as described)

[cwrcyn]

Playing west coast and the kangaroos twice in 2022 is the biggest gift any team can have. If we'd had that we'd be sitting in 6th position instead of 9th. It really does make a difference

[Killa]

Then you add those on our List who are established and with skills, so the likes of Steele, Crouch, Hill, Membrey, Marshall, Sinclair

With role players such Howard (because he is a full back$ and Higgins

Add Gresham, Billings, Battle

So there is half a team excluding those mentioned in my prior response

Can Bytel, Byrnes and others make themselves automatic 22 selections

Then Long, McKenzie etc who are handy players

These are who we look to compliment by adding to our List

[Templar]

This is one (of many) reasons why AFL can no longer really be considered a professional sporting code.

The manipulating of the draw is done to increase revenue and create blockbuster events. To maximise audience ratings.

This puts the sport more into the entertainment field like WWE wrestling.

And just like in the WWE sales are much bigger if, for
example, the main event ends up being Cold Stone versus The Undertaker.

Other wrestlers get a go but when it comes down to serious revenue block busters are manufactured for the biggest draw cards.

To be a professional sporting code every measure of fairness should be applied. When fairness is taken out of sport it is usually referred to as cheating. Its a serious issue.

Fairness is actually easy to achieve within the AFL fixture however the commission likes to pretend that it is too hard to do or that we would have to have seperate conferences. (yuk)

But that is all crap. They take us fans as morons. They should just admit it and say yes we tinker with the fuxture to maximise revenue. And yes this means the bigger clubs will keep getting bigger.

I have probably posted this before but a fair and even AFL fixture is a no brainer.

"Teams play each other team once at home and once away."

That's it.

It doesnt matter if it all can't fit into one season. Over a period of two or three years it balances out and continues. So Collingwood would have to play the Eagles in Perth just as many times as we do. Even if it takes 3 years.

And so some typical blockbuster events are potential dead rubbers. So what? It is a sporting code not WWE. Right?

Another part of AFL that pushes it into a WWE type of entertainment is the constant manipulation of the rules. But will leave that for another day.

Apologies to the players as they are truly professional and admirable. But as a code AFL is now more like WWE entertainment than a bona fide professional
sporting code.

[Devilhead]

If a Tassie team gets introduced (2026 or 27) with then 19 teams in the competition then it only makes sense to go to an 18 round H&A season .... and the next Broadcast contract should be changed accordingly

Each team plays each other once .... if home one year then away the next year ..... 9 home fixtures + 9 away fixtures

Change the Finals to a 10 team final fixture

Week 1
7 v 10 & 8 v 9 .... losers eliminated, winners play losers of below games
3 v 6 & 4 v 5 .... losers play winners of above games in 2nd week & winners play 1 & 2 in 2nd week
1 & 2 get the week off

Week 2
5 v 8 & 6 v 7 .... losers eliminated, winners play losers from below games
1 v 4, 2 v 3 ..... and so on like the current system

So with that system we get an extra week of Finals and 1 & 2 get that extra week off at the start before the standard 8 team Finals system kicks in

So in all we lose 3 weeks of footy

[Templar]

I agree but not with a top 10.

As exciting as it might be even a top 8 is rewarding mediocrity.

Should go back to top 5 or top 4

Revenue raising was the only reason for going to 8.

I suppose playing for 8th position prevents a bit of tanking so there is that.

[Templar]

Fill in a mid season fortnight break with return of state of origin?

I'll never forget Dunstall and Lockett wearing the Big V at the G.

The 10 million dollar question all week was which one of them would start in the goal square.

Of course before the ball was bounced at the start of the game they both firmly planted themself in the goal square (ponsford stand end)

found a video: even dermie go it on the festivities