I'm happy with things the way they are, to be honest, but if you were going to address the so-called problems in the AFL draw, this is the only way you could do it...
Premises: We're agreed that the best draw is one where every team must travel the same road to make the finals, right? Instantly, you must throw out this notion that a full H&A roster will magically fix everything. It won't. While ten teams share Victoria, two travel 3500km every fortnight, two live in a state with double the average winter temp of everywhere else, and most players are drafted from one state, you'll never reach this utopian state. It's also unacceptable to axe teams...debate that somewhere else...the current reality is this 18 team comp, and it's not going anywhere in the foreseeable future...additionally, the draw must maximise attendances and revenue...the stupidest opinion currently doing the rounds is that we sacrifice money making opportunities just to level these apparent injustices in the draw...
The divisions: West (WC, Freo, Adel, Port), Qld/NSW (4 current teams), and then two Vic divisions of five teams each. The Vic divisions could change from year to year on a whim...it wouldn't affect the others...
The draw: The two 4 team interstate divisions play internally H&A (6 matches). The other games are played at alternating venues, one against each other team (14 games). The two Vic divisions do the same thing (8 matches and 13 matches). A 22 game season is achieved when the interstaters play 2 extra matches against either their own division rivals or against the other interstate div H&A...you'd think they'd go for derbies...The Vics could make up the shortfall with one extra game against any of the other Vic sides...
A team's journey: West Coast plays 6 matches against its rivals. So do the other teams in the West. WC make a trip to Qld and a trip to NSW. So do the other teams in the West. WC play 7 Vic teams at homw and 7 away...so do the - you get the picture! At the end of the minor round, all four teams have endured almost exactly the same conditions, and they make up the Western Divison ladder. Apply the same logic to the Q/N division. Do the same with the Vics, and you get slightly different numbers, but you can engineer it so that every Vic side plays one game in each capital city outside Victoria, and the rest are all-Vic matchups...
The finals: The top team in each division gets a 1-4 spot, and positions 5-8 in the top 8 are made up of the best of the rest. You might see a top 4 team get a better final spot than a team with a better H&A record, but them's the rules - don't grizzle, just do a better job of winning your division! Otherwise, the top 8 remains as it is...
Expansion: If extra teams appear, you'd think they won't be Victorian. Tassie, Canberra, extra WA/SA...they could fit into either of the 4 team divisions. A 20 team comp, if 4 divisions, makes a roster of 8 intra and 15 inter divisional games...the players association might need a bit of persuading since they are adamant that 22 is long enough...maybe take a match off to even up the home and away game load for each team. You could make 5 Divisions by chopping up the Vics (6+16=22, 5 winners plus best 3-4-5, depending how strong the push is for a ten team final series...!)...there are options...
Revenue: The biggest strength of the NFL, where this model is unashamedly copied from, is the rivalry focus of the draw. The derbies are proven money grabbers, and are the favourite matches of fans. The more the better! If they aren't already, the QvN and WAvSA games will also take on extra significance. The Vic divisions don't have to feature the same teams each time, so you can spread the love for home games against Collingwood, preserve the blockbusters mostly, and let the Vics imagine it's all about the VFL again on the ladder, just like the good old days...at least until the finals...! Sold home games have the potential to disturb this balanced travel system in a minor way...since most of them are in Tassie against two Vic sides, it's not that much of an ask for the travelling interstaters, outside the fact that connect flights from WA aren't overly friendly...!
Final thoughts: It ain't perfect, but it's better than most, and if it's such an issue for everyone it fixes any problems. Some divisions might be strong for a while over others, so we'll hear people grizzle over that (as an NFL Rams fans, I'm used to it personally), but you just wear it, and there wouldn't be much to wear anyway. The cream rises to the top regardless - anyone who wins the flag deserves it.
Premises: We're agreed that the best draw is one where every team must travel the same road to make the finals, right? Instantly, you must throw out this notion that a full H&A roster will magically fix everything. It won't. While ten teams share Victoria, two travel 3500km every fortnight, two live in a state with double the average winter temp of everywhere else, and most players are drafted from one state, you'll never reach this utopian state. It's also unacceptable to axe teams...debate that somewhere else...the current reality is this 18 team comp, and it's not going anywhere in the foreseeable future...additionally, the draw must maximise attendances and revenue...the stupidest opinion currently doing the rounds is that we sacrifice money making opportunities just to level these apparent injustices in the draw...
The divisions: West (WC, Freo, Adel, Port), Qld/NSW (4 current teams), and then two Vic divisions of five teams each. The Vic divisions could change from year to year on a whim...it wouldn't affect the others...
The draw: The two 4 team interstate divisions play internally H&A (6 matches). The other games are played at alternating venues, one against each other team (14 games). The two Vic divisions do the same thing (8 matches and 13 matches). A 22 game season is achieved when the interstaters play 2 extra matches against either their own division rivals or against the other interstate div H&A...you'd think they'd go for derbies...The Vics could make up the shortfall with one extra game against any of the other Vic sides...
A team's journey: West Coast plays 6 matches against its rivals. So do the other teams in the West. WC make a trip to Qld and a trip to NSW. So do the other teams in the West. WC play 7 Vic teams at homw and 7 away...so do the - you get the picture! At the end of the minor round, all four teams have endured almost exactly the same conditions, and they make up the Western Divison ladder. Apply the same logic to the Q/N division. Do the same with the Vics, and you get slightly different numbers, but you can engineer it so that every Vic side plays one game in each capital city outside Victoria, and the rest are all-Vic matchups...
The finals: The top team in each division gets a 1-4 spot, and positions 5-8 in the top 8 are made up of the best of the rest. You might see a top 4 team get a better final spot than a team with a better H&A record, but them's the rules - don't grizzle, just do a better job of winning your division! Otherwise, the top 8 remains as it is...
Expansion: If extra teams appear, you'd think they won't be Victorian. Tassie, Canberra, extra WA/SA...they could fit into either of the 4 team divisions. A 20 team comp, if 4 divisions, makes a roster of 8 intra and 15 inter divisional games...the players association might need a bit of persuading since they are adamant that 22 is long enough...maybe take a match off to even up the home and away game load for each team. You could make 5 Divisions by chopping up the Vics (6+16=22, 5 winners plus best 3-4-5, depending how strong the push is for a ten team final series...!)...there are options...
Revenue: The biggest strength of the NFL, where this model is unashamedly copied from, is the rivalry focus of the draw. The derbies are proven money grabbers, and are the favourite matches of fans. The more the better! If they aren't already, the QvN and WAvSA games will also take on extra significance. The Vic divisions don't have to feature the same teams each time, so you can spread the love for home games against Collingwood, preserve the blockbusters mostly, and let the Vics imagine it's all about the VFL again on the ladder, just like the good old days...at least until the finals...! Sold home games have the potential to disturb this balanced travel system in a minor way...since most of them are in Tassie against two Vic sides, it's not that much of an ask for the travelling interstaters, outside the fact that connect flights from WA aren't overly friendly...!
Final thoughts: It ain't perfect, but it's better than most, and if it's such an issue for everyone it fixes any problems. Some divisions might be strong for a while over others, so we'll hear people grizzle over that (as an NFL Rams fans, I'm used to it personally), but you just wear it, and there wouldn't be much to wear anyway. The cream rises to the top regardless - anyone who wins the flag deserves it.
& in the real world, the FIXture would TRY to address fairness, replaced by a rolling draw where there are not 2 x any game every year, they would occur as the draw resulted.
