Double Ups…. 2022 draw in hindsight

[Timmy from Thomastown]

So Collingwood playing Melbourne, Sydney & Carlton this year is also ludicrous?
I think not.

At least There’s an element of luck of the draw with the current system .

Embedding the top six play each other in the run home guarantees it.

Maybe take your 17 round idea and then spread the last 5 double ups across the ladder…. Eg 1 plays 2, 6, 10, 14, 18. 2 plays 1, 5, 9, 13, 17. Etc etc.

Not sure how practical but at least the double ups would be fair.

 

[Aussie pie]

Personally I’d play each team once and to satisfy the broadcasters and us have state of origin games in between the bye rounds. The good players still play close to the same amount of games as now and we get to smash the south Australia’s again.

 

[Doc1763]

It wasn’t my intention to start a thread on the alternatives but to force the top six sides to crash and bash each other in the last five rounds in a fake finals series is ludicrous . You’d be aiming for 7th place… knowing 50 percent of teams above you are guaranteed to lose and you get to play five teams below you to take advantage.

Good point!! Maybe it can be used as the basis for the following seasons fixture.

 

[rdangelo]

Simple solution:
Play 17 rounds (play everyone once).
Last 5 rounds split into 3 seeded groupings.
Ladder positions end round 17.
1-6
7-12
13-18

Top 6 player each other once again.
Middle 6 same, bottom 6 same.
This ensures a level playing field for all..no soft draws.
Teams finishing 7-8th would have a softer draw than teams just above them….

Challenges to overcome:
No firm fixture in place for last 5 rounds until completion of round 17.
Availability of grounds on short notice?
Need to balance out home games v away games (could present some fixturing/ground clashes).

Could have the bye round after round 17 (for all teams), 1 week rest, then commence the the final 5 rounds (which I will name the Super 6’s).
Then, pre finals bye…then standard 4 weeks Finals

The problem here is the team 7th gets to play the last 5 rounds against teams 8-12 and the team 6th has to play teams 1-5. Yeah a real "level playing field for all"

 

[MyManLynch]

The problem here is the team 7th gets to play the last 5 rounds against teams 8-12 and the team 6th has to play teams 1-5. Yeah a real "level playing field for all"

Yes…we all know that.
Is there a better solution?

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Yes…we all know that.
Is there a better solution?

Is there a worse one?

 

[MyManLynch]

Is there a worse one?

I don’t know…what to you think?

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I don’t know…what to you think?

Probably not.

 

[Markfs]

Isnt the central question, how many games to be played for how much money? The way the games are scheduled is secondary. Ask rupert how many games he wants and how much he is willing to pay and ask the afl how much it wants coming in..... then we can talk about who plays who.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Isnt the central question, how many games to be played for how much money? The way the games are scheduled is secondary. Ask rupert how many games he wants and how much he is willing to pay and ask the afl how much it wants coming in..... then we can talk about who plays who.

Oh for sure… you’re dead right.

The thread was however never meant to be about the right or wrong way to manage the draw. That topic has been raised so many times it could have its own board!!!!!!In many ways what they do now is let them have the best of both worlds with clubs who finished higher on the ladder getting tougher draws and clubs finishing lower getting better draws….. and still maximise their blockbusters. But it’s based on the ladder at the end of the season. Teams go up and down.

This year Geelong was a massive beneficiary.

 

[Markfs]

Oh for sure… you’re dead right.

The thread was however never meant to be about the right or wrong way to manage the draw. That topic has been raised so many times it could have its own board!!!!!!In many ways what they do now is let them have the best of both worlds with clubs who finished higher on the ladder getting tougher draws and clubs finishing lower getting better draws….. and still maximise their blockbusters. But it’s based on the ladder at the end of the season. Teams go up and down.

This year Geelong was a massive beneficiary.

timothy thats all too complicated for me... i am a simple man. I just know that there are a lot of things complicating fairness and in the end, whoever wins it, wins it. Living in WA, i've always thought a half decent team from WA finds it relatively easy to make the finals because of all the home games, but the final one is played in melbourne which levels it out a bit or a lot or by whatever amount you think. I think the same is true to some extent to Geelong who play on a narrow oval in front of 30K countrified aliens...but then have to play finals in melbourne.. I think what opponents that teams play is important but there are other factors. Hopefully, the competence of the winners will win through

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

timothy thats all too complicated for me... i am a simple man. I just know that there are a lot of things complicating fairness and in the end, whoever wins it, wins it. Living in WA, i've always thought a half decent team from WA finds it relatively easy to make the finals because of all the home games, but the final one is played in melbourne which levels it out a bit or a lot or by whatever amount you think. I think the same is true to some extent to Geelong who play on a narrow oval in front of 30K countrified aliens...but then have to play finals in melbourne.. I think what opponents that teams play is important but there are other factors. Hopefully, the competence of the winners will win through

Agree with that too.

Doesn’t make my observations any less correct. All usually comes out in the wash in finals but easier draws/harder draws can sometimes be the difference between winning double chance or a home final.

It is what it is at the end of the day.

 

[76woodenspooners]

This year Geelong was a massive beneficiary.

… or maybe they’re setting themselves up for another finals exit in straight sets?

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

… or maybe they’re setting themselves up for another finals exit in straight sets?

We can only hope! We do know they probably won’t be playing their five “ repeat” teams in finals. Without looking at their record over the year to verify…. Those five teams probably account for ten of their sixteen wins this year.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Average ladder position of the double ups....

Top of the ladder Sydney with Richmond and Geelong not far behind. The average ladder position of the five teams they played twice was 13.4.

Stkilda got the short end of the stick.

Syd	13.4​
Rich	13.2​
Geelong	12.8​
Adel	11.8​
GC	11.6​
bris	11​
Haw	11​
Freo	10.8​
Coll	10.4​
Carlton	9.4​
NM	8.6​
PA	7.8​
WC	7.8​
WB	7.2​
Melbourne	6.8​
Ess	6.2​
GWS	6.2​
StK	5.6​

 

[FromTheBoundaryLine]

I actually prefer a tough draw. It allows you to test yourself against the best and tweak things if you have double ups against the competition benchmarks. Also leaves less doubt about where you stand come finals time.