AFL - Time for 2 divisions?

[The Swert]

If anything this round brought the competition closer.

We now have four teams on 4-4 with only percentage separating 8th to 11th. Even Collingwood and Gold Coast are only a game and percentage from the 8.

 

[MightyTiger]

I nominate Sydney as the face of this second division league.

 

[Glorious couch life]

If it went some way to evening out the bumps in a hopelessly compromised draw, then I think it could be worth considering.

And it might facilitate the reintroduction of a final five, the system that best rewards the minor premier (who would always be deserving of the position when each team plays each other twice. Once at home, once away).

 

[Yellow Feathers]

We don't have enough talent to fill one division as is.

Some poor bastard will take a few years to develop - and go from spud to gun whilst stuck in division two. Then what?

 

[B4Bear]

Yes, anyone that lost this weekend, off to division 2 you go.

 

[burningdwarf]

Liking because I like the dog in the pizza outfit, not because I want divisions.

 

[CotchNCo]

This isnt the epl

The EPL is one league.

 

[1990crow]

Team gets downgraded. Player wants to play div one. Changes teams. Team therefore never gets back into div 1. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[M Malice]

no!

 

[PumpyChowdown]

Shut up OP.

Your proposal is bad and you should feel bad.

 

[The Final Word]

not this american sports bullshit again

What American sports have divisions with promotion and relegation?

 

[Biggy_Boy]

So if we applied OP's idea to this season, it would mean Geelong and GWS would be playing in div 2 while Fremantle and Richmond play in div 1. So you'd still see wide discrepancies in quality of teams, because teams can decline and improve drastically from year to year in the AFL.

And you're telling half of the sides' supporters that their team isn't going to be relevant for at least a year, and if they're a struggling, then they'll likely remained mired in division 2 for years, which will kill all interest in the club and then probably the club itself. Then you have those examples of teams who make inroads from being a bottom side to top side within a year, and that year of improvement is wasted in a second-tier league.

So the competition, its clubs, supporters and broadcasters would lose money, their would be widespread loss of interest in the game, all for the benefit of reducing the season (which many parties would also consider a negative) and trying to reduce the frequency of thrashings. But I don't know if you would even accomplish the latter; I think what you'd just see is those sides in div 1 who do deteriorate in a year, like Richmond and Freo this year, getting smashed most weeks, much to the chagrin of their fans, and in div 2, you'd have those teams who have improved smashing other teams most weeks

 

[Stevi_Tigers]

What American sports have divisions with promotion and relegation?

yeah i realize after i read it properly i ****ed up. but we dont have enough talent for promotion relegation. the vfl/wafl/sanfl sides don't have the funds training facilities to work like over in europe

 

[Furn2]

So if we applied OP's idea to this season, it would mean Geelong and GWS would be playing in div 2 while Fremantle and Richmond play in div 1. So you'd still see wide discrepancies in quality of teams, because teams can decline and improve drastically from year to year in the AFL.

And you're telling half of the sides' supporters that their team isn't going to be relevant for at least a year, and if they're a struggling, then they'll likely remained mired in division 2 for years, which will kill all interest in the club and then probably the club itself. Then you have those examples of teams who make inroads from being a bottom side to top side within a year, and that year of improvement is wasted in a second-tier league.

So the competition, its clubs, supporters and broadcasters would lose money, their would be widespread loss of interest in the game, all for the benefit of reducing the season (which many parties would also consider a negative) and trying to reduce the frequency of thrashings. But I don't know if you would even accomplish the latter; I think what you'd just see is those sides in div 1 who do deteriorate in a year, like Richmond and Freo this year, getting smashed most weeks, much to the chagrin of their fans, and in div 2, you'd have those teams who have improved smashing other teams most weeks

Half the teams know they can't win the flag now. Teams get stuck down the bottom for years now.


div 2 teams won't be irrelevant.
They will be fighting it out for promotion, that generates huge interest a lot more than we see now if you follow a rebuilding side.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Half the teams know they can't win the flag now. Teams get stuck down the bottom for years now.


div 2 teams won't be irrelevant.
They will be fighting it out for promotion, that generates huge interest a lot more than we see now if you follow a rebuilding side.

Some have reason to be more optimistic than others, but everyone goes into round 1 with a chance, which helps generate interest in the competition. This year, supporters of Collingwood, Geelong, GWS, Gold Coast, Saints etc. would have gone into the season knowing they're no chance to play for a real AFL premiership.

And teams get stuck down the bottom for years, but supporters of those sides hold out hope that their side will jump back up the table at some point, which we know can happen very quickly. This type of system would have cost Geelong the 44-year drought-breaking 2007 premiership. Imagine a St. Kilda side in div 2 comes out one year and annihilates everyone in the div 2 competition - maybe that was the year they were actually good enough to win a real flag, but we'd never know.

 

[Power Raid]

no thanks

soccer is shit because it HAS divisions

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

How do division 2 sides hold on to their players if they come out of contract in a year in which they are relegated? Players don't want to waste a year playing only for a chance of promotion.

 

[Blackas87]

no thanks

soccer is shit because it HAS divisions

That's not the reason why soccer is shit

 

[Bunk Moreland]

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11371998

There ya go - nearly happened in 1944.

Fell over because they couldn't agree on promotion system. Div 2 (VFA) wanted automatic promotion for their top 2. Div 1 (VFL) wanted them to play playoffs against their bottom 2.

So they pushed away from the table and that was that - sliding doors moment I guess.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Yes. Its time for 2 Divs.

The clearest and fairest way to create the divisions is alphabetically.

SO, the first 9 clubs alphabetically form the 1st Division.

Then starting from Hawthorn the - The Second Tier Division, The Reserves, Class Two, The Rest, - whatever you want to call it - is formed.

 

[my name was taken]

 

[Taylor]

Can you imagine a Melbourne club getting stuck in a division with both Perth clubs, both Adelaide clubs, both NSW clubs, they would have to leave the state almost every second week.

They will be drummed out of that group very quickly.

 

[NathanMX]

Thrashings every week?

Bar Essendon and Fremantle every team has had a go more then once this season. Heck Brisbane almost knocked off Sydney, and probably would have if not for that stretcher crap. We almost knocked off North and the Hawks, Melbourne beat Collingwood and Carlton knocked off Collingwood also.
Reckon Gold Coast will claim a big scalp this season too, and even with 2 divisions you can never guarantee less thrashings. Heck would think the 2 best teams make the grand final, didnt stop Port and Sydney getting thrashed did it?

 

[SBYM]

Seems to be a pretty unanimous no.

Since this particular premise has bombed, get on over to my thread where voting is open for an issue that actually matters, and which has never been discussed;

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/who-won-the-judd-kennedy-trade.1132828/

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Can you imagine a Melbourne club getting stuck in a division with both Perth clubs, both Adelaide clubs, both NSW clubs, they would have to leave the state almost every second week.

They will be drummed out of that group very quickly.

Actually it would be 2 out of every 3 weeks in the above scenario.

I have a solution for your travel issues though. Freo can relocate to Melbourne or we can add 8 more WA sides to share the breeding grounds.