Best & Fairest Counts In Local Footy Clubs

[WRFL Indentity]

League B&F is based on the H&A Season and I assume that clubs base their B&F on this factor.

 

[Thommo 42]

whcih makes absolutely no sense

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

League B&F is based on the H&A Season and I assume that clubs base their B&F on this factor.

Not all the clubs get to play finals though so it makes sense to close off after the minor round

 

[Goosecat]

I think this is a bit of a hangover from a lot of historical ideals. It's actually really common throughout AFL at all levels. I believe it all started long ago to ensure players who only came in towards the end of a season to play the last half dozen games or less and finals didn't win club B&Fs over those that had committed their time and efforts every week, all year, finals bound or not. You solved that issue by not including finals in B&F votes. Once upon a time in leagues all around the country, finding guys to commit all year was an issue, in some country leagues it still is obviously.
Personally I think there should just be a blanket club rule that in order to win any B&F you must play a set minimum of total games (say one third minimum) and then count all votes for every game played, including finals should the team make it.
I also believe there should still be a separate player of the finals award. If that happens to be a player who's played all year; great, there could even be the ultimate recognition of a player deserving both awards that year. If it's a player who could only get away from the farm duties for the last block of games and finals but everyone knows is a jet and they kill it during finals; sweet, recognise that player as the player of the finals and they can celebrate the year alongside the clubs B&F which will come from those who played the majority of the season.

 

[Shane Heard]

It’s a tricky one

up there with should the hotdog rolls at the canteen be toasted or not toasted

I ran a relentless campaign for 10 years at my local to have the buns toasted

I didn’t get much support for it but the ones who were with me on it were equally passionate

 

[WRFL Indentity]

Not all the clubs get to play finals though so it makes sense to close off after the minor round

Whilst true, it is still likely the rational used.

 

[windyhill]

Any coach ,from where i come from, favouring their own kids , are soon called out. Most I know are as hard as nails on their own. It is an absolute minefield. When I vote, my boy would have had to been an absolute standout to even figure in the votes. As I said, minefield.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Any coach ,from where i come from, favouring their own kids , are soon called out. Most I know are as hard as nails on their own. It is an absolute minefield. When I vote, my boy would have had to been an absolute standout to even figure in the votes. As I said, minefield.

Parent coaches tend to either over reward or under reward their own child in terms of team awards, playing time, positions, nominations for higher squads etc.

Would be an interesting level of analysis of AFL draftees vs non-draftees. How many had their dad as their team coach at junior level? And for how long?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

It’s a tricky one

up there with should the hotdog rolls at the canteen be toasted or not toasted

I ran a relentless campaign for 10 years at my local to have the buns toasted

I didn’t get much support for it but the ones who were with me on it were equally passionate

You, sir, are a monster.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

I was at a club and they would have three people vote each week for the B&F with 5 to 1 votes. In the U17’s one player got votes in every single game from one voter (virtually all 5’s) and in over half the other games got no votes from the other two. Turns out the team manager who always had a voting card was his Mum.
I’ve actually never seen a parent coach who gave preferential treatment/awards/encouragement to their son, only ever the opposite

 

[Blackhawk42]

I had a "disagreement" with my club a few years back about how they conducted their B&F counts. The problem was that they ended the count in each grade at the end of the H&A games - in other words, finals matches weren't included.

In one grade in a certain year, this meant that 4 matches were excluded from the B & F count.

I eventually got it changed, but there are still people in the club who think including finals matches is weird.

I don't understand the logic in excluding finals matches. Surely your Best and Fairest count in each grade is for that grade's entire "official" season - ie from first official match to last official match.

It's not like association awards, where it has to be cut off at the end of the H&A season for the sake of fairness (as some clubs make the finals and others don't), at club level each grade is a separate stand alone count. So if first grade plays 3 finals matches and reserve grade none, it doesn't matter.

I had people also suggest that you have a "best in finals" award to compensate. But what's the point of having yet another award to compensate for an avoidable problem? And what if a grade only plays one finals match?

I know of at least one other club I was involved with doesn't include finals matches either. Does this happen at the local club of people here? To me it doesn't make sense, I can't think of one single reason why you would do it this way.

Couldn't agree more. My club does it and I've never understood it.

My first year there we played all 4 weeks of finals and I'd performed pretty well. Was very keen on seeing how it eventuated but was surprised to find the award presented after round 18.

PS. My previous club used a rating system where every player would be rated from 1-5 depending on how well they performed their role. An ex AFL player coached us at the time and I believe they used that system at his previous club.
Didn't mind it. Kept it interesting because generally the difference between a good game and a poor game was only about 2 points. Plus it rewarded durability. The more games you played, the better your chances.

 

[Thommo 42]

We had done it for the full season for the first 2 years I was 'in charge' for lack of a better term.

In those 2 years, it had no impact as there were runaway winners, although it dramatically changed the result of the Colts as one kid in particular had a standout finals campaign and polled in the top 2 players in all 3 finals.

Last year, it had no impact a the guy who was the runaway winner of the Senior count, was awarded the medal at end of H&A, then was best on in all 3 finals to win best in finals as well.

I'm just looking to work out the best way to do it, and I think including finals makes the most sense.

 

[caveman72]

Off topic, however it astounds me how rigged some of the Junior B&F awards are across local leagues. So often I've seen my brother and his mate's overlooked for crucial votes because the coaches son was 'most efficient' with his three kicks.

Had a kid in my son's team that played on sundays who's brother coached he would always pump him up and say how good he was and that he had played a game or two on the saturday. Was always getting weekly awards. When it came to Best and fairest night where it had been voted by different parents each week he wasn't in the top few. But got best utility an award I've never seen the club hand out in all the time my son played and hasn't since

 

[just_kick_it]

When I played juniors/was involved at a certain local club there was a coach who had 2 sons, and they were both in different age groups. He coached both at different stages The eldest one moved on to different sport and when the younger one was playing u/16s I went along to the B&F count to watch and the youngest one didnt win the B&F or even come runner up so there was an award created and given to him for being the best utility or 1%er getter or some BS like that!

 

[Walshawk]

We had done it for the full season for the first 2 years I was 'in charge' for lack of a better term.

In those 2 years, it had no impact as there were runaway winners, although it dramatically changed the result of the Colts as one kid in particular had a standout finals campaign and polled in the top 2 players in all 3 finals.

Last year, it had no impact a the guy who was the runaway winner of the Senior count, was awarded the medal at end of H&A, then was best on in all 3 finals to win best in finals as well.

I'm just looking to work out the best way to do it, and I think including finals makes the most sense.

Finals are the most important games. If anything, should be worth double, not zero.