How to Solve the Interchange Cap - Random Interchanges Each Round

McCrann

Premiership Player
Nov 1, 2007
3,882
822
Australia
AFL Club
St Kilda
Sounds crazy doesn't it - but it isn't.

There is much discussion about what the right interchange cap should be for the AFL.

Well, certainly many icons of the game can't even agree what a good number would be. So what does that tell you? It tells you there is NO RIGHT ANSWER (In particular).

What do we love about our Great Game? UNCERTAINTY.

What do we hate about our Great Game? Being ruined by the coaches exploiting rules to the nth degree and potentially making the game boring.

What's the answer? Diminish the power of the coaches by having NO SET INTERCHANGE CAP. Thereby making it impossible for the coaches to game the interchange on a week-to-week basis.

Having a flexible interchange cap each round (and including finals) will mean teams have to develop greater flexibility to deal with the different circumstances each round. It will be fair for all teams playing in a given round so as not to disadvantage a team the following week.

So what happens?

Each Wednesday night - before teams are named - the AFL will conduct a random draw to determine how many interchanges each team will get for that Round's matches.

It could be 40 per game, 60 per game, 80 per game, 100 per game, 120 per game, or unlimited interchanges. 6 different possibilities.

What do we get? Uncertainty. The coaches will hate it - but - the game is not designed to be easy for the coaches.

This new idea is innovative and unpredictable - exactly what we like about our Great Game.

What else does this do? It gives us a sample size of games each year with which to judge the various different levels of interchange against each other. After a few years we would have an idea about what level works best, or we could just - ideally - keep the unpredictable varying interchange.

It will make our game UNIQUE again, more so than it has appeared in the last few years, and it will be at the cutting edge of innovation which proves our game is able to innovate and stay ahead of the pack.

Truly why our game is the greatest game of all - as we all know.

Discuss.
 
May 2, 2007
78,290
97,503
WA
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Chicago Bears, de Boer, Arsenal
aauntitled.png
 

mike123

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts Pokemon is Life
Sep 13, 2013
31,411
28,203
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Juventus
I'd rather not have a Grandfinal decided by a random draw on Wenseday
 

McCrann

Premiership Player
Nov 1, 2007
3,882
822
Australia
AFL Club
St Kilda
I'd rather not have a Grandfinal decided by a random draw on Wenseday

Get yourself a flexible team good enough to deal with adversity. I'd suggest the current Hawthorn team wouldn't have any problem with such a rule change - and guess what - they're the best team going around.
 

Vintage

Club Legend
Mar 5, 2006
2,614
3,377
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Get yourself a flexible team good enough to deal with adversity. I'd suggest the current Hawthorn team wouldn't have any problem with such a rule change - and guess what - they're the best team going around.
Yep, reckon Clarko would be totally on board :thumbsu:

To paraphrase a great man, you're quite brilliant McCrann
 

mike123

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts Pokemon is Life
Sep 13, 2013
31,411
28,203
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Juventus
Get yourself a flexible team good enough to deal with adversity. I'd suggest the current Hawthorn team wouldn't have any problem with such a rule change - and guess what - they're the best team going around.

So the team selection would also be affected by the draw on Wenseday. Would hate to be the guy left out because of a random draw.
 

McCrann

Premiership Player
Nov 1, 2007
3,882
822
Australia
AFL Club
St Kilda
Who likes uncertainty?

The whole game is based around uncertainty - look at the shape of the ball. The umpire's bounce. Responding to the other team's tactics and strategies.

Uncertainty is what makes the game great. Do you want the favourites to win each week (ala English Premier League?)
 

KropotkinKrow

Team Captain
May 17, 2014
368
548
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Insurrectionary anarchism
Or keep the rule, but clubs have to pick someone from the crowd wearing the jumper to be the sub
 

McCrann

Premiership Player
Nov 1, 2007
3,882
822
Australia
AFL Club
St Kilda
So the team selection would also be affected by the draw on Wenseday. Would hate to be the guy left out because of a random draw.

Train harder, work on your skills, and you'll be in the team. Surely anyone 18-22 on the list would be doing their utmost to improve their skills to have a guaranteed place in the team.
 

McCrann

Premiership Player
Nov 1, 2007
3,882
822
Australia
AFL Club
St Kilda

Interesting - what's your ideal interchange cap then?

Do you support "not changing the rules" and reverting back to no interchange bench, only subs? Or do you support unlimited interchange?

Presumably you're not happy with unlimited interchange? Or perhaps you are? I really don't know given your post.
 
Interesting - what's your ideal interchange cap then?

Do you support "not changing the rules" and reverting back to no interchange bench, only subs? Or do you support unlimited interchange?

Presumably you're not happy with unlimited interchange? Or perhaps you are? I really don't know given your post.
80 per game that is all that is needed.
 

SHLJ

Debutant
Jan 14, 2010
59
33
AFL Club
Melbourne
If there was anything 'wrong' with unlimited interchange, the cap hasn't shown any benefits. Injuries seem at an all time high, plus I'm sure if it wasn't introduced it wouldn't be physically possible for interchanges to increase in the way they did in a 5 year period
 
Teams should nominate two players before each game who have to wear a special golden hat and who have to stay on the ground for all four quarters(The Non-Interchange Cap).

However, if either of these players goal it's worth 12 points instead of 6, and golden coins fall from buckets into the crowd.
 
Back