Opinion What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? - Part 2

[DangerSloane]

No I am not saying throw the rules out the window.

If I can use your (poor) line of argument, what you're saying is throw the rules out the window because we don't to video reviews of tackles, and other free kicks.

It's not a one or the other thing, we find a balance in the middle. And I think we are wasting time and effort for little return when it comes to touched off the boot reviews. And don't get me started on the inconsistency of available footage/angles/close ups for those - and the potential for non-officials (cameramen, producers) to compromise the integrity of the game's officiating.

The time wasting is on the behind vs out on the full ones.
The goal reviews where its touched need to be looked at. For decades we have had the wrong calls made because of not using technology. Id rather it be right and delayed a few seconds.

You sound like the same people that complained when DRS came in for cricket. Its proven to be a huge positive to the game.

 

[Quivorir]

Im of the opinion there is 100 mistakes every game. We don't review all of them so shouldn't review any of them. Take the good with the bad and **** the arc off all together.

 

[Scotland]

Im of the opinion there is 100 mistakes every game. We don't review all of them so shouldn't review any of them. Take the good with the bad and **** the arc off all together.

Or do what the NBA do and mostly just let it go until the last few minutes.

If my team is kicking for goal late in a close GF (ha) and it's touched close to the line I don't want to lose because the goal umpire didn't have a clear line of sight or got it wrong and TV clearly shows it was a goal.

If my team is getting pumped by 10 goals (bit more realistic) I really couldn't give a **** if a ball crossed the behind line or not. It just adds or subtracts one point to/from the score and slows the game down for 2 minutes.

 

[LeeCarvallo]

Jack Billings

14

Jack Billings

Age

30

Ht

185cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.3

3star

D

19.7

5star

K

11.7

5star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.7

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

2.3

4star

D

13.8

4star

K

9.2

4star

HB

4.6

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.0

1star

would have been an unbelievable player had he gone to a team with a better player development record.

in his first few seasons put together some unreal games and basically just got worse each year after his first few seasons.

25 touches, 8 marks, 3 goals, 1 goal assist
22 touches, 7 marks, 4 goals, 2 goal assists, 13 score involvements
30 touches, 5 marks, 2 goals, 1 goal assist, 10 score involvements
30 touches, 12 marks, 5 goals, 11 score involvements
28 touches, 10 marks, 1 goal, 4 behinds, 11 score involvements
30 touches, 8 marks, 1 goal, 3 goal assists, 12 score involvements
25 touches, 7 marks, 2 goals, 3 behinds, 5 goal assists, 11 score involvements
30 touches, 9 marks, 1 goal, 3 behinds, 2 goal assists, 11 score involvements

Absolutely torched us one time in his early years and I thought he was going to be so good

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Fans from all clubs that get angry when they see their players after a game smiling or laughing with the opposition after a loss is the most irrational thing to get annoyed at.

The game is over, nothing they can do can change the outcome.
Review and recovery from the game doesn't start until at least the next day.

A smile or laugh post-game... Big whoop. Who cares.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Nasiah has gone past Nick Daicos as the best player in the comp.

 

[Shipping Report]

Fans from all clubs that get angry when they see their players after a game smiling or laughing with the opposition after a loss is the most irrational thing to get annoyed at.

The game is over, nothing they can do can change the outcome.
Review and recovery from the game doesn't start until at least the next day.

A smile or laugh post-game... Big whoop. Who cares.

Yeah nurses and doctors should be giggling about that new And Just Like That episode after someone dies on the operating bed.

 

[Supercoach Bargain]

We should be shrinking the AFL, not expanding the number of teams.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Yeah nurses and doctors should be giggling about that new And Just Like That episode after someone dies on the operating bed.

Comparing football to life and death is not the win you think it is.

 

[Coolangatta]

We should be shrinking the AFL, not expanding the number of teams.

I’ve been told on numerous occasions it’s impossible to do that.

 

[Supercoach Bargain]

I’ve been told on numerous occasions it’s impossible to do that.

Anything is possible.

Hypothetically, IF we stay at 22 rounds, 12 teams. 14 teams would be 26 rounds etc.

2 WA, 2 SA, 2 Q, 2 NSW, 3 Vic, 1 TAS. (+1 NT and 1 ACT for 14)

Home and away every team. No more compromised draw.

The missing out teams play in a state league, ie statewide, not just metro. also 12 teams.

For example (hypothetically) in WA it would be Perth metro North, Perth metro South, Peel, Bunbury, Albany, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Perth Metro West, Esperance, Northam, Manjimup and Carnarvon.

And each region has 12 teams etc.

If the AFL ladder has a WA team finish last, then they play the WA state league premier in a promotion/relegation game.

By the same token, if the Lions finish last, they play the Qld state league winner ie Southport Sharks. etc

They state league side will likely not win, but no-one will ever tank, as there is the chance of being relegated.

This keeps the player pool less diluted and the travel is all intra state, so cheaper than a nation reserves.

The state sides could play for promotion or develop players. They AFL players would come from the state league teams. They would be paid a clearance fee to keep the lower leagues viable.

The option is to play an FA cup style comp as well with the state league teams added to the AFL teams.


Or something like that.

 

[Coolangatta]

Anything is possible.

Hypothetically, IF we stay at 22 rounds, 12 teams. 14 teams would be 26 rounds etc.

2 WA, 2 SA, 2 Q, 2 NSW, 3 Vic, 1 TAS. (+1 NT and 1 ACT for 14)

Home and away every team. No more compromised draw.

The missing out teams play in a state league, ie statewide, not just metro. also 12 teams.

For example (hypothetically) in WA it would be Perth metro North, Perth metro South, Peel, Bunbury, Albany, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Perth Metro West, Esperance, Northam, Manjimup and Carnarvon.

And each region has 12 teams etc.

If the AFL ladder has a WA team finish last, then they play the WA state league premier in a promotion/relegation game.

By the same token, if the Lions finish last, they play the Qld state league winner ie Southport Sharks. etc

They state league side will likely not win, but no-one will ever tank, as there is the chance of being relegated.

This keeps the player pool less diluted and the travel is all intra state, so cheaper than a nation reserves.

The state sides could play for promotion or develop players. They AFL players would come from the state league teams. They would be paid a clearance fee to keep the lower leagues viable.

The option is to play an FA cup style comp as well with the state league teams added to the AFL teams.


Or something like that.

As has been explained to me, though, no club would agree to potentially being relegated.

The broadcasters wouldn’t like going back down to six or seven games per week, either.

You can’t relegate, fold, merge, or relocate clubs against their will.

We are stuck with what we’ve got. If the stadium is built, we’ll have Tasmania and then a 20th club.

IMO, we might as well go the other way towards a 24 team competition where everyone plays each other once. Reverse the fixture the following year.

Not overnight, but a 50 year plan. With 24 clubs, do a final 16.

Final 16:

Wk 1:
1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, 4 v 5 QF
9 v 16, 10 v 15, 11 v 14, 12 v 13 EF

Wk 2:
QF losers v EF winners

Wk 3:
QF winners v wk 2 winners

Wk 4:
Wk 3 winners play off

Bye

Wk 5:
GF

Rotate GF, Melbourne get it every 3 years, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth every 6 years.

Expansion sides after Tasmania would be Canberra, Moreton Bay, South West WA, Northern Territory and North Queensland.

No SA3, they get Gather Round. Perth, Sydney, Adelaide remain strong two team cities, Brisbane also goes up to two teams eventually.

It’s probably going to look radically different in 50 years to what I’ve laid out. I hope I’m around long enough to see, it will be intriguing.

I do know that every Vic club will fight tooth and nail to stay put, though.

 

[Supercoach Bargain]

You can’t relegate, fold, merge, or relocate clubs against their will.

Ask Fitzroy how that worked out for them.

 

[Roylion]

Ask Fitzroy how that worked out for them.

Fitzroy weren't merged, relocated or relegated. The administrator of Fitzroy voluntarily surrendered their AFL licence. And why that happened was due to a unique set of circumstances.

 

[windyhill]

Don't let Essendons injury toll fool you, the list even at full strength is rubbish.

 

[Soggy2112]

As has been explained to me, though, no club would agree to potentially being relegated.

The broadcasters wouldn’t like going back down to six or seven games per week, either.

You can’t relegate, fold, merge, or relocate clubs against their will.

We are stuck with what we’ve got. If the stadium is built, we’ll have Tasmania and then a 20th club.

IMO, we might as well go the other way towards a 24 team competition where everyone plays each other once. Reverse the fixture the following year.

Not overnight, but a 50 year plan. With 24 clubs, do a final 16.

Final 16:

Wk 1:
1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, 4 v 5 QF
9 v 16, 10 v 15, 11 v 14, 12 v 13 EF

Wk 2:
QF losers v EF winners

Wk 3:
QF winners v wk 2 winners

Wk 4:
Wk 3 winners play off

Bye

Wk 5:
GF

Rotate GF, Melbourne get it every 3 years, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth every 6 years.

Expansion sides after Tasmania would be Canberra, Moreton Bay, South West WA, Northern Territory and North Queensland.

No SA3, they get Gather Round. Perth, Sydney, Adelaide remain strong two team cities, Brisbane also goes up to two teams eventually.

It’s probably going to look radically different in 50 years to what I’ve laid out. I hope I’m around long enough to see, it will be intriguing.

I do know that every Vic club will fight tooth and nail to stay put, though.

I’ve seen the argument that we have to increase the number of teams in finals as we increase the league size but I don’t really buy that argument.

Yes, it will be a lot harder to make the 8, but isn’t that a good thing? When there was 16 teams you could have a pretty mediocre season and scrape in to the finals. Now, you have to be a genuinely good side to make it. Most of the time now there’s a realistic chance that every team in the 8 could be good enough to win it all, which was rarely the case 25 years ago.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

A 28-round season would work well with 20 teams.

Two equally balanced Divisions (let's call them Barassi and Cazaly just for the moment) and with separate ladders so teams are only being compared against other teams with exactly the same fixtures. These could be permanent allocations (ala NBA, NFL etc) or reconstituted after each season based on previous season outcome or whatever "magical algorithm" the AFL construct (eg. might need to pair up home state teams to facilitate more derbies?)

Division Barassi all play each other twice and all of Division Cazaly teams once in home and away, and vice versa - 14 home, 14 away. Making a point of avoiding the word "conferences" to prevent inevitable "Americanism" conniptions.

Finals
Week 1
Divisional Elim/Qual Finals - Top 4 teams in Division Barassi play in traditional pre-1972, and ditto for Division Cazaly. 3rd v 4th Elimination finals, and 1st v 2nd Qualification Finals. Highest positioned team home ground etc.

Week 2
Divisional Semi-Finals - winners of Elimination Finals v - losers of Qualification Finals - losers eliminated and winner proceed to Preliminary Finals. Winners of Qualifying Finals from previous week have the week's rest and proceed into Preliminary Finals.

Week 3
Preliminary Finals
Crossover, so Barassi winner (Week 1 Qual Final) vs Cazaly winner (Week 2 2nd Semi) so we don't just get a repeat of Week 1 Qual Finals.

Week 4
Grand Final
Winners of the two Preliminary Finals.

 

[Dan26]

19 teams is way too many, and the ridiculous talk of adding a "20th" team, is even more so. People wanting 20 teams are insane individuals.

 

[Roylion]

We are stuck with what we’ve got. If the stadium is built, we’ll have Tasmania and then a 20th club.

Once the 19th club comes in, then a 20th club is inevitable. Just a matter of when, not if.

I do know that every Vic club will fight tooth and nail to stay put, though.

They will. Trying to relocate or merge a club against that's club will is virtually impossible. Previous attempts failed in 1989, 1996 and 2007.

 

[Scotland]

West Coast had an injury list of just 5 prior to the weekend. 7 if you include McGovern and Sheed who are still on the list but retired. North lost by 101. Essendon lost by 93. Even Port lost by 98 now their season is done. I don't know why people think that there is enough talent to support another list of 40-45 players let alone two. Tassie will be another GC/GWS that are not competitive for 2-3 years.

 

[L_W_P]

My 'hot' take is that 19 teams is actually perfect.

Everyone plays once - 9 home, 9 away.

Rotating byes for the players means more rest: No need to manage players through the season.

Also means more flexibility with the schedule.

One time games would be selling for an absolute premium. The only Carlton v Collingwood Tix, the only Showdown, the only Derby... All would rate highly and draw huge crowds.

Id also drop to 16 on the field and have 8 on the bench. Bench rotations capped at 20 per qtr which is 1 per playing minute. So the full bench on and off, then half on again.

 

[Pistol Night]

My 'hot' take is that 19 teams is actually perfect.

Everyone plays once - 9 home, 9 away.

Rotating byes for the players means more rest: No need to manage players through the season.

Also means more flexibility with the schedule.

One time games would be selling for an absolute premium. The only Carlton v Collingwood Tix, the only Showdown, the only Derby... All would rate highly and draw huge crowds.

Id also drop to 16 on the field and have 8 on the bench. Bench rotations capped at 20 per qtr which is 1 per playing minute. So the full bench on and off, then half on again.

Carlton V Collingwood premium? Do you blokes wanna sub in for them. They're shit

 

[Scotland]

I don't mind the 19 team 9 home, 9 away game thing.

Fairer than the system we have now, which means the AFL will never go for it. Collingwood playing Essendon once a year? North and WB flying to Perth on average once a year? Lol.

 

[Coolangatta]

I’ve seen the argument that we have to increase the number of teams in finals as we increase the league size but I don’t really buy that argument.

Yes, it will be a lot harder to make the 8, but isn’t that a good thing? When there was 16 teams you could have a pretty mediocre season and scrape in to the finals. Now, you have to be a genuinely good side to make it. Most of the time now there’s a realistic chance that every team in the 8 could be good enough to win it all, which was rarely the case 25 years ago.

Only problem is, with more teams, you’re going to have more dead rubbers leading up to the finals.

Yes, you have to be better to make it, and less finalists ensures more quality teams make it, but the cutoff will happen sooner.

We already saw it this year. You could tell even three weeks ago that only 9 teams were still in finals contention.

I get what you’re saying and it wouldn’t bother me if they kept the 8, but the AFL would probably prefer more dead rubber finals over dead rubber home and away games because finals will make money, regardless.

 

[Coolangatta]

19 teams is way too many, and the ridiculous talk of adding a "20th" team, is even more so. People wanting 20 teams are insane individuals.

Disagree. Not having Tasmania and Canberra in the AFL is insane.

Want to reduce the number of teams? Well, too bad, you can’t.

None of them are going anywhere, including the Suns and Giants.

You could definitely make an argument to limit the number of teams, though.

I’d consider capping it at 22, with the NT and NQ to be the last two teams ever added.

Everyone plays each other once + two rivals = 23 games.

Vic v each other
Tas/SA clubs
NT/WA clubs
QLD clubs
NSW/ACT

I can’t see the AFL giving up the 2x showdowns, derbies, and a couple big vic blockbusters.

I’d love to see our game become truly national.

For many people, that just means having the NT but without ACT it’s not truly national IMO.

Let’s put the A in AFL.