2023 McClelland Trophy (Countdown to the Million-Dollar Match)

[Teen Wolf]

New system for 2023 ICYMI: 4 points for an AFL H&A win, 8 points for an AFLW H&A win. Club with the most points at the end of the year wins the McClelland Trophy, and $1 million shared between players and club.

Looking like it's down to a four-horse race:

• Collingwood way out in front early, big chance of getting mowed down (should have a pretty tough AFLW fixture as top-6 finishers last year, even if Davey and Bonnici play well upon return).
• Adelaide doing just enough to hang on to the lead pack, will come storming home. Marked down to lose all three of those key matches below, so the final standings could all hinge on whether they can pull off one big upset.
• Expect Brisbane to still be (at worst) solid AFLW performers. But none of the Crows, Dees or North should lose to them.
• Melbourne favourites.

It's conceivable that, with the help of a favourable fixture and injuries to other teams, Port Adelaide win 5 AFLW games. Even so, it's highly unlikely they'll be far enough clear of Brisbane and Melbourne on the men's ladder.


2023 McClelland Trophy Projections

Club	Men's wins	Men's points	Women's wins	Women's points	Total points
Collingwood	20	80	6	48	128
Brisbane	18	72	7	56	128
Melbourne	17	68	9	72	140
Adelaide	12	48	9	72	120

Million-dollar match
Expect to see a bunch of matches fixtured toward the end of the AFLW season featuring some combo of the above clubs, in the hopes of building up one clear trophy-deciding game. On the other hand, the decider might happen without anybody realising it at the time.


Key men's fixtures
Tomorrow: Collingwood defeated Adelaide
Round 18: Melbourne defeated Brisbane
Round 19: Melbourne defeated Adelaide
Round 22: Brisbane vs Adelaide
Round 23: Collingwood vs Brisbane


Key women's fixtures
Round 1: Melbourne vs Collingwood
Round 10: Brisbane vs Melbourne

Spoiler: McClelland Trophy if points were allocated in 2022

McClelland Trophy if points were allocated in 2022

Club	Men's wins	Men's points	Women's wins	Women's points	Total points
Melbourne	16	64	9	72	136
Brisbane	15	60	9	72	132
Geelong	18	72	7	56	128
Collingwood	16	64	7	56	120

 

[Toump Ass]

Go Dees.

 

[ibd77]

Ahh the trophy you serve a cheese platter on. Not exactly a prized trophy and we have a few.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Adelaide doing just enough to hang on to the lead pack, will come storming home. Marked down to lose all three of those key matches below, so the final standings could all hinge on whether they can pull off one big upset.

And oh so close to pulling off that upset today, but not to be. On the other hand it was a vital win for Collingwood's chances, as they can likely only afford to drop one game, maybe two, down the home stretch of the men's season.

---

Given Geelong and Fremantle finished in the 7th-12th bracket last AFLW season, I was perhaps too quick to rule them out of contention. With soft draws, both should be aiming for 7 wins minimum this year. Should turn that into 9 wins if they have the great fortune of playing at home against injury-hit Adelaide and Melbourne teams.

But even so the Cats and Dockers probably need to win 6 of their last 9 AFL games, including beating a few teams currently above them on ladder. For Geelong, their best bet would be wins against Essendon, St Kilda and the Bulldogs. For Fremantle, it'd definitely be wins against the Bulldogs (their next match) and I suppose at home against Brisbane.

---

Even if the Bulldogs get their act together in the men's (which would result in winning 7 of their last 9), I can't see the women's team winning enough (would need to be more than 7). Lost to a Prespakis-less Geelong last season, so it's not really worth entertaining the "if Melbourne and Adelaide have injuries" scenario.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Couple of vital wins for Melbourne in the past fortnight keeps them as the favourite, but Collingwood improved their chances with last night's defeat of Port Adelaide (had it projected as a loss for the Pies in the OP).

Probably rule out both SA teams now, if you haven't already. A series of heartbreakers for the Crows since this thread started. They'd be just about in pole position if they got over the line in those.

Put Geelong back in the mix, if you haven't already, because during the week they were given perhaps the softest draw of the decent AFLW teams. After yesterday's loss for da boyz though, take them out of the mix again, since they've got both Port and Collingwood down the home stretch.

At this stage it still seems most likely that the "Million-Dollar Match" will prove to be either the AFLW season opener between Melbourne and Collingwood, or the Round 10 AFLW clash between Brisbane and Melbourne (largely depends on result of R23 Coll v BL). Worth noting that while neither of those games are at the Dees' stronghold of Casey Fields, they are at the grounds where they won their prelim and the grand final last season.

 

[rapidfire7]

I hate how they have combined it with the AFLW. It is two completely different leagues. A totally ridiuclous and nonsensical idea. A woke joke!

 

[Teen Wolf]

I hate how they have combined it with the AFLW. It is two completely different leagues. A totally ridiuclous and nonsensical idea. A woke joke!

Then you don't know much about football history. Club performance across multiple competitions is the original (and longest lasting) concept of the award.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Hayuuuge win for Brisbane tonight. Can't see them finishing worse than 2nd in the MT now (even though they did get chopped up a bit in the women's match sim v Adelaide last week). And if the Melbourne boys drop one of their last two matches, neither a gimme, this thing will definitely go down to the wire!

Collingwood did so well to improve their chances with that win away vs Port Adelaide, but their legit shot at the million may have been dashed with the 2 recent losses on their home turf.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Taken just one AFLW round for Collingwood to surrender their lead, but they should stay in touch this weekend with a win at home against Fremantle.



Not only are Port Adelaide and Brisbane meeting in a men's final this weekend, but also play each other in the women's for 8 MT points, with the winner to open up a gap between the top 3 and the rest. But the Lions had potentially a million-dollar loss to Richmond yesterday.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Something I'd like to see from the clubs and players is a pledge that they'll tip the prizemoney from this club award back into the club.

Raffle it off to the members, for example. Or buy a million dollars worth of chairs, if the winner is one of those lame clubs with no seating at their training/AFLW ground.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

I hate how they have combined it with the AFLW. It is two completely different leagues. A totally ridiuclous and nonsensical idea. A woke joke!

It used to be for the seniors, men's. And under 19s, so not really new, just a rejig.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Hundred's up for the top 2. Adelaide either need to beat Melbourne this week or lose to Brisbane in a fortnight, otherwise the Dees will most likely have it sewn up before facing the Lions in the final round.

West Coast picked up their first AFLW win of 2023 on the weekend, but still need at least 2 more to have a chance of avoiding the Most Disgraceful Club trophy.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Stand by.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Situation heading into this weekend:



And with today's results, Melbourne can't be overtaken on points now. Collingwood could potentially equal them, but realistically they won't be able to make up the % differential.

Came very close to a winner-takes-all match in R10 between Brisbane and Melbourne. Instead, the Million-Dollar game proved to be a Lions' loss to the Saints, handing the cheque to the Dees.

 

[Rob R]

Then you don't know much about football history. Club performance across multiple competitions is the original (and longest lasting) concept of the award.

Is this actually serious? I thought the thread was a hypothetical given how idiotic the idea is, the men's competition is worth a million times more than AFLW. You can't knock the AFLW effort and there is improvement but if it is added in, we may as well add in some junior leagues as any comp from U16 onwards is faster and more watchable than the AFLW at present.

On SM-A125F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Oscarman]

Pies would have to make up around 300 points?

 

[Teen Wolf]

Is this actually serious? I thought the thread was a hypothetical given how idiotic the idea is, the men's competition is worth a million times more than AFLW. You can't knock the AFLW effort and there is improvement but if it is added in, we may as well add in some junior leagues as any comp from U16 onwards is faster and more watchable than the AFLW at present.

Your post is idiotic. "May as well add in some junior leagues"? That's what the original version of the award was. For 40 years.

It only changed when the Under 19s teams stopped being aligned to the VFL/AFL clubs. If there was a fully aligned juniors competition, that would be included in the award too.

 

[old55]

Kulcha!

 

[Sentinel]

One of the more ridiculous awards when roughly 45% of it is decided on 10 games (being AFLW) and the other 55% is decided on 23 games (being AFL). Even more ridiculous when AFLW teams don't even play 41% of the teams in the competition.

The impact of the fixture in both AFL and AFLW essentially makes this competition redundant.

 

[Teen Wolf]

One of the more ridiculous awards when roughly 45% of it is decided on 10 games (being AFLW) and the other 55% is decided on 23 games (being AFL). Even more ridiculous when AFLW teams don't even play 41% of the teams in the competition.

The weighting of different games and the fixture is just silly between AFLW and AFL

Melbourne would be much further in front if every AFLW team played each other.

 

[old55]

One of the more ridiculous awards when roughly 45% of it is decided on 10 games (being AFLW) and the other 55% is decided on 23 games (being AFL). Even more ridiculous when AFLW teams don't even play 41% of the teams in the competition.

The impact of the fixture in both AFL and AFLW essentially makes this competition redundant.

That would be another 36% of the competition for the Dogs to lose to.

 

[Sentinel]

Melbourne would be much further in front if every AFLW team played each other.

Probably, but that's not really the point though is it?

The whole competition is completely uneven when AFLW games are worth double that of AFL games, at the same time as AFL games having 6 double-ups and AFLW teams playing only 10 of 17 opposition. The point system as it is only works if AFL had all teams playing exactly twice and the AFLW playing all teams exactly once.

There's a very good reason why we need a finals system in the AFL rather than it being like the EPL.

 

[Sentinel]

That would be another 36% of the competition for the Dogs to lose to.

The Bulldogs were never a chance for this award, sham format (as it is) or not, so I really don't care about that

 

[Teen Wolf]

Probably, but that's not really the point though is it?

The point is to reward the strongest club across the two H&A seasons. That's what has happened.

There's a very good reason why we need a finals system in the AFL rather than it being like the EPL.

Yes we need a series of additional knockout matches because they're a money spinner for the governing body. Soccer in England has the FA Cup which performs the same function.

 

[Sentinel]

The point is to reward the strongest club across the two H&A seasons. That's what has happened.


Yes we need a series of additional knockout matches because they're a money spinner for the governing body. Soccer in England has the FA Cup which performs the same function.

And you missed my point. The criteria for determining the McClelland trophy is trash, in my opinion, for the reasons I stated above. Melbourne probably would win it regardless, I couldn't care less, but the system itself isn't good.

You're completely wrong about the finals series too. Money doesn't hurt, but the specific reason why we need it because every team does not play all others exactly once/twice (like they do in the EPL). For the same reasons why the McClelland Trophy system is rubbish, as would the AFL be if there were no finals series.