AFL Introduces Wild Card Round

[hr_23]

AFL fans finding out about Wildcard weekend

 

[joe444]

Complain all you want but when the time comes, an overwhelming majority of you complainers will be watching the wildcard games.

Of course, because there rarely is ever one single thing which causes a fan to fall out of love with the game. It happens in steady stages which can occur over decades.

I'll be watching because there is nothing better on, not because of my deep attachment to the game, and with hardly much emotional investment.

I can see plenty of scenarios where a fan of a 10th placed team will watch their team lose a wildcard game (or lose a game to get them into a wilcard game), and just shrug: the team had a crappy year anyway.

 

[joe444]

It is extremely likely StKilda end up in that 7-10th spot where in the final round they can’t go up or down on the ladder.

What’s Ross Lyon going to do in the final round? Rest everyone again?

Only have to look at last year.

Sydney entered round 23 completely locked into 10th spot. After the year they'd had, they would surely have rested the entire side. Hence, the entire reason for the pre-finals bye evaporates.

 

[Whiskers]

Quelle surprise Andrew.

Of course, because it’s a final. Not a wildcard.
Top 10 finals series.

 

[OhhhhhCyril]

Essendon supporters popping the champagne this morning now they are a chance to break the hoodoo..

 

[dean33]

Think about

Complain all you want but when the time comes, an overwhelming majority of you complainers will be watching the wildcard games.

Of course we will and if your team is playing you'll be going however that doesn't mean it's right. If they played the grand final at 11pm on a Monday night you'd still get 100k there and millions watching but that doesn't mean it's good for the game.

 

[BrutThough]

Of course, because there rarely is ever one single thing which causes a fan to fall out of love with the game. It happens in steady stages which can occur over decades.

I'll be watching because there is nothing better on, not because of my deep attachment to the game, and with hardly much emotional investment.

I can see plenty of scenarios where a fan of a 10th placed team will watch their team lose a wildcard game (or lose a game to get them into a wilcard game), and just shrug: the team had a crappy year anyway.

And the AFL is okay with that. As long as you are watching, they dont care about your reason why.

The fact there is nothing better on is exactly why filling that empty weekend with more games is a good decision for the league.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

So now you've just got to be in the top 60% of teams to make finals.
Are the other 8 teams going to play off for a merit certificate?

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Lose more games than you win...yay, we made finals!

9th and 10th this season won more games than lost

 

[joe444]

And the AFL is okay with that. As long as you are watching, they dont care about your reason why.

The fact there is nothing better on is exactly why filling that empty weekend with more games is a good decision for the league.

An empty weekend which didn't exist until they created it in the first place, of course.

Bring in a bye to prevent teams resting players.
Defend retaining it as it leads to rested teams and "whets the appetitie"
Get rid of it, partially, because who the **** put this gap here?

 

[Ambrosia]

We know why they're doing it. More money.
In the NBA, fans hate it. Players hate it.
But more broadcasting and advertising money.

Think it's actually alright in the NBA.

Terrible idea for the AFL.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

So 7th and 8th have to qualify for finals twice?

And sides that will finish between 7-10 will rest players in the last round. It wont matter if they win or lose to finish inside the 8.

It'll probably be close enough that there will be the possibility of finishing 5-6 or losing the home final and finishing 9-10

 

[Bostonian]

9th and 10th this season won more games than lost

And they were still both bog ordinary and didn't deserve to play finals.

 

[JuniorWatch]

Think it's actually alright in the NBA.

Terrible idea for the AFL.

The NBA is so saturated with pointless games of basketball that the play-in stands out more.
However surveys of the players overwhelmingly say that they don't like it.
Considering they play 82 games during the season, that's well enough of a sample to decide who deserves playoffs and who doesn't.
Each AFL Round game has enough at stake to engage the fans. You don't need this.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

No side finishing 7-10 in this system will have any chance of winning a flag.

What's the point besides money?

Guess I answered my own question.

Finals experience. Look at how Adelaide did without it..

 

[Obeanie1]

So what happens to the bye round before finals?

Do 6 teams have two weeks off?

 

[Dinsdale]

 

[Obeanie1]

Pretty sure Bulldogs voted for it.

And Richmond.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

So what happens to the bye round before finals?

Do 6 teams have two weeks off?

7-10 have no weeks off

 

[Bulldog Brent]

So we're not going to do a bye before the GF (AKA the Tom Stewart Bye) any more?

 

[Foxx]

It'll probably be close enough that there will be the possibility of finishing 5-6 or losing the home final and finishing 9-10

A lot of the time yes, but there will be times where a clubs position will mean it wont matter if it wins or loses the last round.

They will determine they are better off resting players for the "pre final" game.

 

[kirky]

9th and 10th this season won more games than lost

And that has occurred for 11 of the past 15 seasons. 9th has always won more than they lost over the past 15 seasons, 10th has only lost more on 4 occasions.

Just take have a look at the last 3 seasons - all the 9th and 10th sides were more than competitive.

In 2023, Crows finished 10th with a % of 116 and 11-12 season record (should have been 12-11) and the league’s highest scoring team. You think in a final they wouldn’t have been competitive?

Same goes for Collingwood in 2024 and Bulldogs this year (both finished 9th).

We have a compromised fixture already so this in a way evens it out.

 

[MightyFightings]

Heard it here first, and not related exactly to the Wild Card Round, but the next change will be the removal of Draws, and sending the game into "overtime" or "extra time", depending on which way the AFL wheel of decisions lands.

This will all happen after a team misses out on a Wild Card spot and finishes 11th by 2 Premiership points.

 

[Foxx]

Heard it here first, and not related exactly to the Wild Card Round, but the next change will be the removal of Draws, and sending the game into "overtime" or "extra time", depending on which way the AFL wheel of decisions lands.

This will all happen after a team misses out on a Wild Card spot and finishes 11th by 2 Premiership points.

Of course that will happen at some point.

 

[basashi]

Club that attract or retain players by organising inducements outside the salary cap should be restricted to the wildcard slots for the following 6 seasons, regardless of how high they finish on the ladder.