Is the game too long?

[Muddiemoose]

Well under a shorter game time all players will definitely be playing less game time. So shorter work time for all involved.

Only if you only see gameday as the only work time for players but players would still be required to spend the same amount of time at the club
It really wouldn’t make a difference in terms of time working

 

[SC_Power]

Only if you only see gameday as the only work time for players but players would still be required to spend the same amount of time at the club
It really wouldn’t make a difference in terms of time working

The revenue is almost exclusively dependent on the game time though.

So even though the club revenue will almost certainly be less (less tv time, less advertising, less game day revenue), do you think the players should still be paid the same because they work the same out of game?

Look at the revenue drop due to Covid and how that related to workloads. Coaches are working harder and earning less.

 

[nick1408]

Also means we can’t complain about congestion if we have more rotations fitter/fresher players can run more and be more defensively accountable

I'm in the minority here but I didn't think congestion was the issue the AFL blew it up to be.

Fwiw I think the season starting earlier this year has potentially contributed to more soft tissue injuries

That few weeks makes a difference in terms of harder playing surface’s and it’s a possibility that the MCG’s turf wasn’t in the best condition given how close it was to the Taylor Swift concert being close to the start of the season

Just having a look at the teams that played that week (from AFL injuries list today):

• Brisbane - eight injuries, six long term (6+ weeks)
• Sydney - ten injuries, none longer than six weeks
• Melbourne - eight injuries, one suspension - three 4-6 week injuries
• Carlton - 14 injuries, two longer than six weeks
• Gold Coast - Three injuries, one longer than six weeks
• Richmond - eighteen injuries, seven longer than six weeks
• Greater Western Sydney - eleven injuries, five longer than six weeks
• Collingwood - fourteen injuries, one longer than six weeks but three 'TBC'

Average of 10.75 per club


The other clubs:

• Adelaide - eight
• Essendon - eight
• Fremantle - eight
• Geelong - six
• Hawthorn - eight
• North Melbourne - eight
• Port Adelaide - six
• St Kilda - two
• West Coast - eight
• Western Bulldogs - six

Average of 6.8 per club

It probably shows that staying at 22 rounds in pretty important going forward if your thoughts are accurate.

 

[Muddiemoose]

The revenue is almost exclusively dependent on the game time though.

So even though the club revenue will almost certainly be less (less tv time, less advertising, less game day revenue), do you think the players should still be paid the same because they work the same out of game?

Look at the revenue drop due to Covid and how that related to workloads. Coaches are working harder and earning less.

Covid would be seen as an outlier in terms of revenue due to advertising also taking an overall hit

The tv networks would just increase the cost of game time advertising and make up the difference

It’s just shrinkflation at work, just how companies will sell you a smaller product but still charge the same price so they take no revenue hit for the higher cost of overheads

Do you think the afl will be charging any less for gameday tickets or memberships?

 

[SC_Power]

Covid would be seen as an outlier in terms of revenue due to advertising also taking an overall hit

The tv networks would just increase the cost of game time advertising and make up the difference

It’s just shrinkflation at work, just how companies will sell you a smaller product but still charge the same price so they take no revenue hit for the higher cost of overheads

Maybe, but I can’t see TV / advertising / game day revenue being the same for a 64 min plus time-on game as it would be for an 80 min plus time-on game. I’m not the expert though.

 

[TP86]

No. This is the most footy journalist-driven in-the-tent topic. You're always going to get them during the grind of the season. All it takes is for someone with a short attention span like Gary Lyon to get stuck on a game between two non-contenders and then all of a sudden the season/games are too long.

Same way it's almost exclusively media rather than fans that will complain about games on too many days (Thursdays, Mondays) and that there's no "break" from the game. It's the sort of thing you'll only ever hear from someone covering the entire league rather than only following the team they barrack for.

Get ready for complaining about bye staggering and split rounds - the laziest/least attentive members of the media will start campaigning for a full weekend off.

 

[Muddiemoose]

Maybe, but I can’t see TV / advertising / game day revenue being the same for a 64 min plus time-on game as it would be for an 80 min plus time-on game. I’m not the expert though.

Possibly but even with the potential decrease the afl won’t pass that shortfall on to the players it’s simply not how things work and know the afl and working in advertising myself they will just monetise other aspects

Especially if overall we are heading towards a recession where advertising spending tends to stay the same if not increase due to the retail sector wanting to keep customers spending and competition increasing with less people spending overall

They might make it up on the backend with the next eba and less of an overall increase for the players but we won’t see pays go backwards

 

[00Stinger]

I want more money

Less work

More holidays

Less attention

More adoration

Less critical feedback

Welcome to 2024!!!

 

[JackFlash]

18 minutes might be the best answer, 16 is too short, maybe go 6 interchange?

 

[ibd77]

Do we get extra games for shorter matches?

 

[Macca19]

20 min quarters is fine.

If they change the rule back so that time off for bounce downs is at the umpires discretion, as opposed to automatic for each stoppage, then that would likely save 3+ mins of time off per quarter

 

[Corn Cobbers]

McRae just needs to stfu. His team is coping just fine with injuries and all teams have the same issues, all to varying degrees. Rather than shorten quarters, they can get rid of the sub and increased the interchange to 5 players. Or increase playing list sizes.

Have to agree, embarrassing stuff from McRae

On SM-A225F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Cyclops]

If McRae says games are too long I believe him. Sensible bloke, seems to care for players.

We do seem to be getting loads of injuries. With the increased attention to brain injuries well be losing more and more players.

I believe the season is too long, and the fixture has been horribly unbalanced for ages.

If we can have 18 teams and it's economically viable, we should have 17 rounds plus finals.

 

[Toump Ass]

Just shorten the season. Everyone plays each-other once, then finals.

 

[burge13]

Get rid of the sub and just have 5 on the bench

If you want to reduce injuries maybe look at the ridiculous length of preseason. No other sport in the world has 4-5 month preseason trainings. Madness

Also, you have 44 (?) on a list, use them. A few injuries shouldn't matter or are they worried guys arent good enough. They're collecting a cheque, they can be used.

Shortening the game is duck as rocks

 

[Muddiemoose]

Just shorten the season. Everyone plays each-other once, then finals.

Only potential issue is home games although easiest solution would be just have it swap each year, might take a little bit of working out to ensure the travel is kind of balanced each year but having two clubs in all the northern states you could travel once to each state ever year just against the different sides

 

[carlton_99]

Is there any evidence out there that shows any sort of significant reduction in injuries during the Covid year compared to any other year?

 

[smish]

I have this sinking feeling that the AFL is directing the media to push this more and more so if it happens, it will soften the blow.

Shorter quarters = more games = more broadcasting = more revenue = more you know what for the bosses.

Many would agree a source of beauty the sport is how physically demanding it is and the challenge to manage your players throughout the long grueling season. Once again, however, the AFL is pushing the American agenda, they want to run this league like the NBA.

 

[carlton_99]

Shorter quarters = more games = more broadcasting = more revenue = more you know what for the bosses.

Would the players association ever agree to more games - not sure how much later you can really end the season and unless you just remove pre-season games you might only get one or two extra weeks at the start of the year (i.e., late Feb start).

 

[smasha]

Richmond list decimated.
AFL,no rule change.................

 

[jackster83]

Maybe we need to look at not having concerts at all the major grounds just days out from start of the season. The Pink and Taylor Swift concerts completely trashed the turf at several grounds.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

I love Fly, but I strongly disagree with him on wanting to shorten quarters.

 

[SC_Power]

Miscellaneous disjointed thoughts below.

So has anyone got the analysis on when in games injuries are occurring, are they impact or endurance or sprint related, time in each quarter injuries are occurring? I'm sure the clubs do, not questioning that.

Only that it's a little hard to argue the injury toll this year vs the seasons are too long, when we're not halfway yet and teams have had one bye, with a second over the coming month, and a third before finals.

My personal opinion is that the length of the season or the games doesn't matter, its the training levels that coaches and players will go to in order to be perfectly placed to win?

If seasons are reduced then endurance and overwork type injuries would drop, but won't we then push players harder again, up to the threshold of injury, like we do now?
The games could be shorter, wouldnt then the training will be changed to suit explosive sprint type games, and the associated injury types will follow suit?

And if a season is shorter, wouldnt that magnify the impacts on injuries in a teams season? Miss 3 weeks with a hamstring in a 18 game season is a 20% increase in impact to missing 3 in a 22 game season.

One good reason to shorten the season is to get out of the sheer greed of moving the start date of the season back further and further into March and before the change in season.

I understand we shouldn't be beholden to 22 games just because it's always been 22, but I don't know if injuries are the reason to change it. Sports scientists will know better.

 

[Demon13304]

I can't think of an example where that's proven to be true.

Changes to tennis (serve clock, shortening the 5th set) hasn't hurt AO attendance. Likewise the pitch clocks for major league baseball. And I don't believe anybody would avoid a movie on the basis of a 135-minute runtime being too short.

Then there's T20 cricket, which itself seemingly isn't hurt by being shortened, as seen in the case of England's 100-ball competition... all it has done is make people more inclined to hang around and/or turn up early for the women's match.

T20 cricket is still longer than an AFL match

Tennis varies but is still often longer than an AFL match

 

[Demon13304]

Footy in 2020 was flipping garbage for the most part.
The reality is is that people want to see free flowing footy, higher scores and forwards getting off the chain and kicking bags. You get way less of that with shortened quarters.

Because of less game time, they were doing a lot more highly physically taxing defensive footy because they can do it pretty much for the whole game.

I really can't stress how much I hate this idea, there's got to be another way to manage player injuries and what not