Opinion Is this the worst AFL season ever?

[banzai]

How good is this fixturing? Every game is basically a blowout.

The fixturing couldnt actually be worse, the overlapping of games, the worst games in prime time. Then the fact that they play double up games way too close together for no reason. Richmond v Essendon for example was a horrific game on dreamtime, so they played again 5 weeks later or something and it was even worse.

Geelong just played Richmond a few weeks ago and it was over at quarter time and Geelong put the cue in the rack 2nd half, so they play again in a few weeks. Likewise Geelong v Essendon twice in quick succession, no one wanted to watch it the first time, why do we need it again so soon?

 

[banzai]

Free Agency compo is one of the bigger problems outside of the draft. It encourages teams down the bottom to give their prime age players to the top teams for nothing. Obviously the Tom Lynch example helped my team win 2 more flags.

Why should GC get offered pick 3 to let Richmond get Tom Lynch for free? How does that help the comp even up? One of the top teams get GC's captain and every other team gets shuffled down the order for a deal that had nothing to do with them.

Remove all compo, this will then force the bottom teams with all the cap space to match these bids and the deals may well still happen, but at least the top teams are giving something up and it doesn't effect all the other teams.

 

[Cyclops]

Or maybe some Uno-style Skip/Reverse/Draft 4 cards

Get all the head recruiters in an area with these bad boys

View attachment 2379833

"It's time to d...d...d...match pick four for Thomas McGuane!"

 

[Cyclops]

Pretty awesome effort to screw up an organisation/competition that basically runs itself, everyone wants to be big noted for putting their stamp on a game that was never ultimately broken. That runs from game day experience for fans, ticketing right through to the over umpiring and pea hearted players given 1 Mill a season for sfa performances

I fear that you're on the mark.

Footy is well supported from fans attending and watching, and so draws vote seeking politicians and corporations to provide even more wealth, but if Dillon screws the pooch and drives away the supporters, the political influence and sponsorship will drain away fast.

Tassie is a test case. If the league stuffs that move up it will be decades before anyone there is silly enough to back them again.

 

[SC_Power]

Free Agency compo is one of the bigger problems outside of the draft. It encourages teams down the bottom to give their prime age players to the top teams for nothing. Obviously the Tom Lynch example helped my team win 2 more flags.

Why should GC get offered pick 3 to let Richmond get Tom Lynch for free? How does that help the comp even up? One of the top teams get GC's captain and every other team gets shuffled down the order for a deal that had nothing to do with them.

Remove all compo, this will then force the bottom teams with all the cap space to match these bids and the deals may well still happen, but at least the top teams are giving something up and it doesn't effect all the other teams.

So so true.

Saying to lower teams that you don’t have to keep your best players because you get a shot at another one, just kicks the can down the road, makes the top teams better.
And everyone else pays for it.
And even worse, the top teams kick off fringe players to lower teams on good contracts, and the top teams get compo that they use for NGA and F/S elite talent.

It’s a farce.

 

[Whiskers]

lol at our easy draw complaint.
We’ve had the hardest so far and are top 4 with it.
Our double ups were our bogey teams. Can’t beat lions or GWS, haven’t beaten saints in ages at marvel. Port was a top 8 team last year.

The end to our season is extremely soft now yes but that’s a disadvantage just as Chris Fagan said after our prelim last year.
Would much rather a soft start to the season rather than a soft finish.

 

[WillHayward]

probably spoilt by a great 2024....looking at margins stats, last year's number of games with a 0-5 points margin was a record 41 games, most ever (36 in 2023)..so far we're on 18 this year

2024.

Yes such a great year that Port made a prelim and the Swans made a GF.

 

[Dark Eagle 9]

Free Agency compo is one of the bigger problems outside of the draft. It encourages teams down the bottom to give their prime age players to the top teams for nothing. Obviously the Tom Lynch example helped my team win 2 more flags.

Why should GC get offered pick 3 to let Richmond get Tom Lynch for free? How does that help the comp even up? One of the top teams get GC's captain and every other team gets shuffled down the order for a deal that had nothing to do with them.

Remove all compo, this will then force the bottom teams with all the cap space to match these bids and the deals may well still happen, but at least the top teams are giving something up and it doesn't effect all the other teams.

Best Tiger post i've read. Respect.

 

[Faz 2000]

If not for NAS on Sunday we just certainly had the worst round in a long time.

Blues-Hawks was “the close one” despite Carlton never, ever being in it. Blegh.

 

[Handsuper47]

I wouldn't say the worst but the lack of FTA Saturday games is really hurting the game, too much has been shoved into Thursday. I'm bloody sick of Thursday footy games.

 

[Gavin Excell]

I wouldn't say the worst but the lack of FTA Saturday games is really hurting the game, too much has been shoved into Thursday. I'm bloody sick of Thursday footy games.

Unfortunately the AFL/ch7 think they can only schedule Thursday games that feature a big Melb club. Hence Carlton and Essendon on repeat

 

[HairyO]

8-9 teams effectively out of finals race by mid to late July = half the players effectively having the cue in the rack and more focussed on Bali

And coaches deciding whether to get experience into the players or give up and go for better draft picks. Not to mention 3 months of talk about which coaches are getting sacked.

The more the AFL meddle, the more they **** it up. Every year they manipulate the draw and the game slots and get it wrong. If they went back to an actual draw we would be 50/50 for a good season.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Teams getting smashed, Geelong having an easy draw and the gap between top 4 and bottom 4

The gap between the top 4 and bottom 4 were larger in the late 00's than it is now imo, and back then from memory there were a lot more 10 goal or 100 point thumpings.

Going from memory of Richmond being a caller dweller back then compared to now. Richmond were so bad back then I remember thinking it would be considered good game if we lose by less than 40 points. While there has been some blow outs this season for Richmond, it isn't as many as back then.

 

[Threadkilla]

lol at our easy draw complaint.
We’ve had the hardest so far and are top 4 with it.
Our double ups were our bogey teams. Can’t beat lions or GWS, haven’t beaten saints in ages at marvel. Port was a top 8 team last year.

The end to our season is extremely soft now yes but that’s a disadvantage just as Chris Fagan said after our prelim last year.
Would much rather a soft start to the season rather than a soft finish.

Yeah, Saints double-up, what a nightmare. Must be the first thing on every club's 'do not want list' each year.

 

[kickazz]

There is no clear premiership favourite.

This bit.

I think all teams in the top 9 look vulnerable at times. I look at my team Geelong and think "no, not quite good enough this year" but that's probably the same with all teams - it is genuinely up for grabs and week 1 of the finals will be greatly anticipated.

 

[kickazz]

Yeah, Saints double-up, what a nightmare. Must be the first thing on every club's 'do not want list' each year.

They said bogey teams pretty clearly. So the 'every club' comment is a bit irrelevant.

 

[Sttew]

Geelong having an easy draw

Funny how at the beginning of the season Geelong's draw was unanimously rated 5th hardest. You can't help how a season unfolds, how teams expected to do well, bombed...

 

[kickazz]

I think if the Vic media were less focused on Vic sides we'd have a better perception of this season.

Bris, GC, Freo, Adel, GWS all playing good footy this year. But Carl, Ess and Rich are shit = shit season?

 

[Threadkilla]

He said bogey teams pretty clearly. So the 'every club' comment is a bit irrelevant.

So you reckon the clubs ask to avoid their bogey club each year? Brisbane might claim that North is their bogey team, doesn't mean their fixture is hard because they play them twice. Pretty much every club would've loved to get the Saints twice this year.

 

[kickazz]

So you reckon the clubs ask to avoid their bogey club each year? Brisbane might claim that North is their bogey team, doesn't mean their fixture is hard because they play them twice. Pretty much every club would've loved to get the Saints twice this year.

I doubt any club explicitly asks to avoid games against any particular club.

 

[Threadkilla]

I doubt any club explicitly asks to avoid games against any particular club.

Exactly. Just to circle back, your fixture isn't harder because the team that currently sits 14th has beaten you a couple of times in recent years. Every club would love to play the 14th-ranked team twice. Adds to a very soft run home.

 

[kickazz]

Exactly. Just to circle back, your fixture isn't harder because the team that currently sits 14th has beaten you a couple of times in recent years.

But it is, if you match up poorly for some reason against a side that most others do well against, then that game is harder for you.

Anyway, the AFL supporter world has their goldfish memory, and as Sttew said, by objective measures (ie counting STK as an easier game) at the beginning of the season, Cats had fifth hardest. It was acknowledged that the second half of the year was easier and now everyone is melting over that.

Subjectively, when I saw the draw, I thought:

Rich, Ess twice - good.
Freo at KP and WCE in Perth - prefer the other way around.
Carlton game - too early in the season, usually better to get them and Suns later on when the wheels usually fall off.
GWS twice - no good.
Bris twice - even though reigning premier I thought we'd do a bit better there.
Port twice - Prelim finalist, kind of have the wood over them though so happy enough there
Saints twice - some pretty poor losses of late, as well as only scraping over the line at KP. Was a bit wary there.

 

[Mr Meow]

Exactly. Just to circle back, your fixture isn't harder because the team that currently sits 14th has beaten you a couple of times in recent years. Every club would love to play the 14th-ranked team twice. Adds to a very soft run home.

It was the 5th most difficult fixture when it was created. In reality it has panned out as an incredibly difficult first half of the season, then a very soft run home. A middling draw overall.

Not that it even matters, but of the good teams we did double up against, we got the ones who match up best against us (GWS and Brisbane). Getting our bunnies Hawthorn twice would've been a significant downgrade on difficulty.

 

[Threadkilla]

But it is, if you match up poorly for some reason against a side that most others do well against, then that game is harder for you.

Anyway, the AFL supporter world has their goldfish memory, and as Sttew said, by objective measures (ie counting STK as an easier game) at the beginning of the season, Cats had fifth hardest. It was acknowledged that the second half of the year was easier and now everyone is melting over that.

Subjectively, when I saw the draw, I thought:

Rich, Ess twice - good.
Freo at KP and WCE in Perth - prefer the other way around.
Carlton game - too early in the season, usually better to get them and Suns later on when the wheels usually fall off.
GWS twice - no good.
Bris twice - even though reigning premier I thought we'd do a bit better there.
Port twice - Prelim finalist, kind of have the wood over them though so happy enough there
Saints twice - some pretty poor losses of late, as well as only scraping over the line at KP. Was a bit wary there.

I am not referring to the fixture in the early season. I was commenting about the soft run home. I will concede Port, they were prelim finalists last year. Hawks have historically had trouble with Richmond. Having said that, I am sure they would've loved to have played the Tigers in the run home, especially now seeing how tight it is.

 

[Threadkilla]

It was the 5th most difficult fixture when it was created. In reality it has panned out as an incredibly difficult first half of the season, then a very soft run home. A middling draw overall.

Not that it even matters, but of the good teams we did double up against, we got the ones who match up best against us (GWS and Brisbane). Getting our bunnies Hawthorn twice would've been a significant downgrade on difficulty.

I seem to recall the handbaggers getting a soft run in last year and defecating the bed in another prelim. Would love to get another crack at the handbaggers again this year but don’t think we might be good enough to get the opportunity.