Eddy's grand idea

Sunbot

Club Legend
Joined
May 7, 2013
Posts
1,052
Likes
1,115
Location
Brisbane
AFL Club
Collingwood
Thread starter #1
From Ed:
www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-fixture-collingwood-president-eddie-mcguire-proposes-radical-change/news-story/ad77a0ab9232601a70a33a943b370eb4
COLLINGWOOD President Eddie McGuire has reignited the fixture debate, calling on the AFL to hand the NAB Challenge premier a ‘wildcard’ finals spot.
The proposal is one of a series of radical suggestions that McGuire expects would deliver equality and fairness back to the AFL schedule.
“We need to get the purity of the game back as much as anything,” McGuire said on Triple M.
“(We need) to get the ‘fix’ out of the ‘fixture.’”
The first of McGuire’s sweeping changes would involve the AFL’s pre-season competition, which he says lacks “zing.”
“So here is where I put a bomb in the water… As soon as this tennis - that we are pretending we are interested in - finishes, we should be ready to go. Whoever wins the NAB Cup, gets a wildcard finals place,” he said.
“The first thing you hear the commentators say when they get on (TV during the NAB Challenge) is ‘this is just a hit and giggle, no one is really caring.
“This was an idea that was put to me buy a man called Peter Scanlon… he is one of the smartest business people I know. Basically he’s a genius.”
McGuire’s other concepts are less radical, but arguably more complicated to implement given commercial imperatives:
- Every team faces each other once up to Round 17
-After this, the league breaks into a top 12 and a bottom six
-The top 12 then plays the last six rounds to determine finals positions
-The bottom six play off for (another) wildcard finals place
-12 teams make finals, with two six-team conferences culminating in a grand final.
McGuire’s proposal for a tiered ‘conference-style’ structure after Round 17 is not the first time the idea has been floated, with AFL CEO Gill McLachlan also an advocate for change.
Currently each team faces each other once and five other teams twice during the home and away season according to the ‘weighted rule.’ Who clubs play twice depends on where they finish the previous year.
For example, premiers Hawthorn will come up against three top six teams, one middle six team and one bottom six team in 2016.
Carlton, who finished 18th last year, will play one top six, one middle six and three bottom six teams this season.
Adelaide has the toughest draw based purely on 2015 finishing positions and will not face a ‘bottom six’ team twice this year. Comparatively, Essendon will not have a return match-up against a ‘top six’ team in 2016.
“Under this (proposed) fixture, it’s fair and every game means something,” McGuire said.
“The good teams will still win the flag. But what it means is more teams are going to make the finals, more games are about something. It means everyone trying right to the very end.
“By Round 12 the bottom five or six (teams) are cooked anyway usually. Nobody jumps up from there. In fact from Round 10 the top eight is just about set most years.”
According to McGuire, the challenges associated with significantly altering the fixture would not outweigh the benefits, which includes removing the incentive to tank, higher attendances and increased TV audiences.
“There is a way around it,” he said.
“You’d have to revolutionise the income structure of football but that’s why you have administrators.”

Thoughts anyone? At least it [mod] starts a conversation...or argument!
 
Last edited:

(Log in to remove this ad.)

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Vicky Park

Premium Platinum
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Posts
11,293
Likes
23,324
Location
Umm...
AFL Club
Collingwood
#12
Sunbot, I have not looked at this in detail, nor put much thought into this post. But if there is a better way to 'make every game mean something' (quoting Ed), then I'm all for it. I'm also for every team playing each other once up to Round 17, but not sure of the best way to go from there.

However...the NAB Cup finals wild card is a bit challenging. Would that discourage clubs in the pre-season competition from experimenting with game plans and positions, and giving guys a run to see how they go (as we are hoping for with Cox)? The AFL could always legislate (which it loves doing) that everyone on the senior list has to play at least one game in the NAB competition.
 

TradeDraft

Premium Gold
Joined
Oct 18, 2009
Posts
117,203
Likes
47,402
Location
Mornington Peninsula
AFL Club
Collingwood
#15
Sunbot, I have not looked at this in detail, nor put much thought into this post. But if there is a better way to 'make every game mean something' (quoting Ed), then I'm all for it. I'm also for every team playing each other once up to Round 17, but not sure of the best way to go from there.

However...the NAB Cup finals wild card is a bit challenging. Would that discourage clubs in the pre-season competition from experimenting with game plans and positions, and giving guys a run to see how they go (as we are hoping for with Cox)? The AFL could always legislate (which it loves doing) that everyone on the senior list has to play at least one game in the NAB competition.
Pre-Season really should be a Under 23 Comp
 
Top Bottom