Opinion Draws, do we want them?

[maskmcgee]

Ironic that freos last draw was vs the swans at the MCG.

MCG?

And try vs. Richmond at Marvel in 2022.

 

[Back One Out]

Penlty shootout is a faulty concept when used in soccer so we should learn their lesson and not implement it.

When I was a kid, I used to love the penalty shootouts in the World Cup tournament. Seeing the sickly-nervous faces of the penalty takers, watching them choke and put it over the cross bar... or drop to their knees in relief and cross themselves & praise god if it went in. Such drama!

But the older I got, the more I realised how terrible it was to decide such important games between the world's best teams in such a moronic, random way and so removed from the previous 2 hours of actual football. Always feels inadequate. Like a great movie with an awful ending.

They could just as easily have a coin flip, or play rock-paper-scissors and it would leave the exact same ripped off, cheated feeling that the game was decided like that.

 

[Back One Out]

I am all for extra time and draws suck arse. Play till we have a winner /end thread. It is not like draws happen often and the average would be less than 3-4 in a whole season.

You've inadvertently added to the argument why we should keep the draw and not have overtime.

In America, 16% of NBA games go to overtime and about 15% of NFL games go to overtime.
Even higher in the NHL - more than 23% of games. (World Cup soccer: 12% of matches go to extra time)

There is nothing quirky or novel about tied scores at the end of regulation time in these sports. They occur with such frequency in an already packed, loaded schedule that you can understand why they feel the need to determine a winner for each and every game.

It's often in the back of the minds of NFL & NHL coaches and players towards the end of regulation that this particular game probably WILL go to the overtime and they plan accordingly.

Not so with draws in AFL footy... It's only 3 or 4 draws each season... Less than 2% of AFL home and away games.
It's actually, more like 2 per season (or 1% of games)

Nobody thinks the draw will occur until it does... We always think one team will prevail. One of the excited commentators might shout with 60 secs left "This could end in a draw!"

Draws are so infrequent that settling on a tie seems to be the fairest result, especially so if one of the teams busted a gut to equal the scores (or managed to hang on with a series of desperate defensive efforts.) Players are generally out on their feet and have nothing left. But now you're asking them to get up and play ANOTHER game of footy of two 5 minute halves just to satisfy your American-influenced view that we must have a winner..

Why? What's wrong with with settling on a tie and splitting the premiership points when it's only 2 or 3 times per season?
It just adds an extra interesting dimension to the AFL's home & away season and league ladder.

 

[blitzer]

I like the draws in H&A. If you aren't good enough to win during the full game then you don't deserve 4 points.
Also I find it interesting the impact that winning 2 points has on your ladder position and percentage etc.
So firmly in the not broke don't fix it camp for mine.

 

[Quinz]

I like the draws if I want to see both sets of fans unhappy. Cracking draw last night.

 

[Freomaniac]

MCG?

And try vs. Richmond at Marvel in 2022.

I already edited my post but thanks for correcting me.

 

[SC_Power]

Don’t like extra time or other such scenarios to resolve a regular H&A game.
We are in the middle of complaint about length of games or reduced days between games, imagine playing an extra 10 minutes when you are going to back up for another game in 5 games, or if you’ve only got one fit player on the bench.

Maybe have a tie breaker that’s related to the game play.

Most goals
Most inside 50s
Etc
Etc

 

[Bunk Moreland]

When I was a kid, I used to love the penalty shootouts in the World Cup tournament. Seeing the sickly-nervous faces of the penalty takers, watching them choke and put it over the cross bar... or drop to their knees in relief and cross themselves & praise god if it went in. Such drama!

But the older I got, the more I realised how terrible it was to decide such important games between the world's best teams in such a moronic, random way and so removed from the previous 2 hours of actual football. Always feels inadequate. Like a great movie with an awful ending.

They could just as easily have a coin flip, or play rock-paper-scissors and it would leave the exact same ripped off, cheated feeling that the game was decided like that.

For all the drama, as you say, when you think about them they really are shit.

Hate individual acts to finish a team sport.

But there’s really no options in soccer, too low scoring. Eventually they just have to do it.

 

[joe444]

Fascinating new topic. Never occurred to me before.

In the next exciting installment: The fixture. Is it fair?

 

[JackFlash]

Draws are great, Collingwood had the game sewn up and Freo scrambled something out of nothing. A good result.

 

[emuboy]

AFL draws are sort of a wild card and I find them an exciting X-factor. They don't come up very often - although admittedly there have been 3 so far this year - but who knows, we may not see another one until the final round of 2026 when 12th vs. 14th who are playing out time on their season happen to tie their match.

For those calling for extra time, the above hypothetical scenario of two non-finalists with nothing to gain and nothing to lose having to play extra time in a meaningless final round game is a very good argument against it. There's also really bad games that are drawn, say for example North Melbourne and St Kilda slogged it out in Hobart in one of the worst standard games ever seen played on a wet, windy and cold day, with just 8000 in attendance but over half the crowd gone by three quarter time deciding they have better things to do with their lives. The match ends with a 5.12-42 each draw in teeming rain, does anyone - players, officials, spectators and the media - really want to drag out this sorry spectacle another 10 minutes to decide a winner?

And if there's complaining about draws now, imagine what's going to happen in a scenario where a drawn game lost in extra time causes a team to lose the minor premiership, a top 4 position, a home final, a spot in the finals or even lands them the wooden spoon. Or if a star player suffers a season ending injury like a broken leg or ACL sustained in extra time?

Keep the draw and be done with it.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

If you cancel the draw you might as well then take out the British flag from the Australian flag and replace it with American.

Think only American sports have cancelled the draw in home and away (like Ice Hockey).

And what about all the no results in test cricket?

If you really need to hear a club song maybe they can blare both songs out at the same time? And in the dressing rooms players only sing half the song….

Not only American sports, T20 has done away with the tie (a draw is a different thing in cricket, although calling T20 "cricket" is a stretch).

 

[Godzke]

Draws are fine for the regular season
Extra time obviously for finals

 

[Rotayjay]

I'd like to see a 'ladder' of which clubs have been involved in the most draws in the AFL era (I think that would be a good cut-off because it's the 'modern era', with a national competition, and every team in place except Adelaide, Port, Gold Coast and GWS). I'm sure there's a history and statistics buff who could furnish that.

 

[ibd77]

Fascinating new topic. Never occurred to me before.

In the next exciting installment: The fixture. Is it fair?

Sensible discussion on BF that doesn't desend into troll fest is a win in my book.

 

[wilsonmatic]

Another week of nuff nuffs in the media and talk back caller bozos wanting to scrap the draw.. Great.

 

[Blue1980]

Extra time from draws seems counter productive from wanting shorter matches.

I can see if it got introduced you’d either get players injured and/or lose the week after and people blaming the “emotional and physical fatigue” of the extra time.

 

[sherb]

Taking 1 seasons results from nearly 30 years ago to justify keeping the draw?

I am all for extra time and draws suck arse. Play till we have a winner /end thread. It is not like draws happen often and the average would be less than 3-4 in a whole season.

People talking about Soccer is crap and they have 90mins of play and sometimes fail to even score a single goal so draws are way more common. NBA / NFL / MLB and most other big sports all have extra time or OT etc to get a result.

We are all after a result at the end of the day and if you lose in extra time you lose and it is quite simple but getting the result should be first and foremost IMO.

It is such an AFL thing to just say oh you guys did well and have 2 points each!

If draws don't happen that often then I don't see the problem.

And a draw is a result - not just a win or a loss qualifies as such.

 

[Blue1980]

We have that in the SANFL - seems more logical to me. 4 premiership points for a win and 2 for a draw is exactly the same as 2 for a win and 1 for a draw - what's the purpose of the extra points?

Cos 4 quarters, idk.

 

[Obeanie1]

Pefect example last night why the draw must stay.

Pies crawling to full time with multiple injuries playing an away game.

Home team kicks the last 6 goals with the home crowd lifting them.

Pies corrageous to hold on by their fingernails.

Freo not good enough to win at home against an injured opposition.

Extra time Freo would have won.

Would that be fair? No.

Correct result. Well played both teams, great finish, great live sports TV drama.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

If draws don't happen that often then I don't see the problem.

And a draw is a result - just not a win or a loss qualifies as such.

And if draws happen more often, its even less of a problem as they get normalised.

It isn't as though anyone can park the bus for a nil-all in the AFL (or Australian Football in general), as happens in Association Football.
The prospect of a draw isn't resulting in a more dour game, there's nothing to be gained (except for media operators) from getting rid of it - other than finals, where its already been removed, because fixturing demands.

 

[Jugada]

They're still shit. No contest should feel like a friendly exhibition post match if you can help it

 

[kyiv]

Personally love the draw on the rare occasion it happens; an amusing juxtaposition of emotions for players & fans, and adds an interesting twist to ladder permutations throughout the H&A season. Agree with a previous poster who mentioned the impulse to declare a clear winner in a drawn game is antithetical to the AFL's apparent desire to shorten the game - not that I think that should altered either...

 

[Greasyrhys]

Keep it as it is

 

[Blue1980]

Last night actually seemed a rare occurrence where both sides were relatively happy with the draw.