Geelong sending players for surgery early and impacting GWS finals chances

[ioppolo]

We were robbed a spot in 2017 when Adelaide rested the whole team for the game in Perth v WC

WC Needed the win by a certain amount and they did so

All you had to do was beat a Collingwood team with nothing to play for the day before. 2017 is on you.

 

[Nicho50]

The simple solution for everything equality in the competition is every time plays each other once and you make it so in 2024 Adelaide play Geelong at the Adelaide Oval, in 2025 they play the fixture at Geelong etc.

Extend the finals series, history shows if you don’t make top 4 you don’t really have a chance of winning a flag so why bother even trying to make the final 8 if your going to finish no higher than 6. All you do is lose draft position in the end.

Like the NBA has done bring in some form of play in fixture meaning there are more live games for the season which is better for spectators at the ground and at home.

If they keep it as it is there is no way you can ever make the draw fair for anyone. For arguments sake Gold Coast finish bottom 4 but they have 3 good academy kids come in, they land a Dusty and Prestia for argument sake and on the flip side North lose McKay, Logue is out for most of next year and they don’t manage to bring in any decent players from other clubs.

The draw comes out and Port get Gold Coast twice and North once and Carlton get North twice and Gold Coast once that could be the difference between a top 4 spot or not. It can directly impact the shape of of finalist finishing position. I have never liked the fact they try and split the draw up into oh you finished 6th so you have to play these teams twice but you finished 10th and missed 6th spot by 2 wins so you get to play the bottom sides twice. It just doesn’t make sense.

I don’t think there’s any other sport in the world that has a fixture system that is bad as our games is.

 

[Crow till I die]

Oh no the course of elimination finals losers history will be changed forever

The Crows are 1-8 away from home.

That’s why you’re not playing finals.

And even if you were - you would lose week 1 anyway.

thats totally irrelevant - you now have a completely compromised R24 and then top 8 because of something the AFL had the technology to make sure didn't happen - its really that simple

 

[HTPunter]

Don’t be a caveman all your life. Try to evolve.

Retirements =/= surgery.

So Jack Riewoldt is in your best 22 all year and isn’t for the last round - not due to injury, but simply due to wanting to play his last game in Melbourne not Adelaide? And that somehow is more important than guys with crook shoulders and hammys not putting themselves through games for no reason other than to make it “fairer” on another club?

Don’t be a caveman, try to be less one-eyed.

If anything, injury is a way better excuse than retirements because of send offs at home.

What EXACTLY is stopping Jack from playing this week?

 

[HTPunter]

thats totally irrelevant - you now have a completely compromised R24 and then top 8 because of something the AFL had the technology to make sure didn't happen - its really that simple

They made a mistake - and now Sydney/GWS/Dogs will lose in the elimination final to Carlton instead of Adelaide.

Oh the compromise!

Will we ever recover?

 

[HTPunter]

I'm not suggesting they're tanking - but I am saying that if the Roos or West Coast did the same thing, they would be accused of tanking. (LDU example above)

I am more so calling out the integrity of the comp though, where teams play weakened sides towards the end of the season, which impacts other teams and their position on the ladder. Yes, everyone is correct in saying that the team should have already secured their spot etc etc. - but every season there will be a few teams battling for a final spot in the 8. It greatly makes a difference to them if some of the teams have already checked out vs teams that are actively fighting for something.

It also benefits the team playing weakened sides as they gain a few spots on the draft ladder. All the focus is on pick 1 and pick 2, which is a big difference, but I'd argue the difference between pick 6 and pick 10 is also pretty significant depending on the draft year. I just don't understand how it's accepted if you're in the middle of the table, but not acceptable if you're at the bottom.

I don't know what the solution is, and I don't think forcing teams like Geelong to keep their players 'active' for the last round is the answer either. I think something needs to change with the fixturing to try and mitigate this - whether they fixture the last few rounds later to try reduce active teams playing dead teams, or some other way to try mitigate.

Teams don’t generally rush senior players back for round 1 either if not fit.

So if you get a recovering finals team with a few round 1 injuries, you get a decent leg up too.

*s sake the complaining is ridiculous. There will always be s**t.

What happens when you play a team
With the flu?

 

[coryne]

Didn't Port rest 7 players against Carlton so they would be stronger against Collingwood, and lost both ..... How is this any different??? .....

 

[Crow till I die]

They made a mistake - and now Sydney/GWS/Dogs will lose in the elimination final to Carlton instead of Adelaide.

Oh the compromise!

Will we ever recover?

lol - what about player match payments that would be due for making finals - are you going to pay that if it should have been Adelaide OR geelong that made it based on R24? How about the coach of those clubs with performance clauses in their contracts? are you going to compensate them for lost income etc. What about the players (especially Adelaide0 who might have got to play a final and get finals experience - that they are now absolutely denied of regardless of R24 results - how are you going to compensate them for that

But yeah..'they made a mistake'

 

[Chat Pile]

What EXACTLY is stopping Jack from playing this week?

Outside of being retired, his form. I was happy for him to play on next year but he is pretty cooked.

I don't disagree with you on your points though.

 

[BF Tiger]

Surgery= repairing injury not playing to prevent further injury. Not playing last game of season because retiring with no injury = CBF, one would think CBF is not putting your best team on the ground. Could be seen as a form of tanking I would think

Interesting take.

If a player CBF do you really think he’s best 22?

If a player retires how is that on the club?

Anyway, I’m not too bothered by Geelong doing this. Some reasonable arguments have been put forward. My concern lies with more extreme cases that might arise (e.g. a team sitting 14th after round 20 and putting players in for surgery then).

 

[STPer18]

It's been done, the biggest crime in Australian sport, and no one can do anything about it.

 

[iameviljez]

Yep i do get that.

Doesn't change my view though.

There is still plenty of "* around" time for players over the next 12 weeks. I certainly dont buy they are 100% perfectly efficient robots all doing perfect rehab over the next 12 weeks.

I seriously doubt a week makes much difference. Some players will do rehab better than others.

It still makes a difference - especially in terms of team cohesion, getting everyone the best possible chance to start at the same place in pre-season.

Why would Geelong not put their players in for surgery? What's the incentive?

 

[iameviljez]

It's been done, the biggest crime in Australian sport, and no one can do anything about it.

View attachment 1784404

Trevor Chappell must be very relieved

 

[Roby]

Geelong want to win this game, or they will hold the record for the worst premiership defence in history. They could finish as low as 13th. Was last year a Bradbury?

 

[Footy Smarts]

Looks like Essendon and Richmond have done the same thing.

 

[The Hobo]

Looks like Essendon and Richmond have done the same thing.

As I said, all clubs do it - Geelong was just an example.

 

[STPer18]

Geelong want to win this game, or they will hold the record for the worst premiership defence in history. They could finish as low as 13th. Was last year a Bradbury?

Was winning 16 games in a row and the Grand Final by 81 points a fluke? Don't reckon you'll need a mathematical model to work that one out!

 

[Checksider]

Must be nice being the Cats - Trading in players and getting too 10 draft picks thrown in ticked off by the league, having the rules bent regarding trading of draft picks, countless champion father son players for free, pay outside the cap, throw the last game of the season care free once you can’t make finals…

Meanwhile the AFL will accuse us of tanking if we lose to an Eagles side away that being the Bulldogs on their home deck and take our draft picks away again.

 

[STPer18]

Must be nice being the Cats - Trading in players and getting too 10 draft picks thrown in ticked off by the league, having the rules bent regarding trading of draft picks, countless champion father son players for free, pay outside the cap, throw the last game of the season care free once you can’t make finals…

Meanwhile the AFL will accuse us of tanking if we lose to an Eagles side away that being the Bulldogs on their home deck and take our draft picks away again.

Just forgot the house and land packages and the Cotton-On sponsorships, but yeah it's pretty nice.

 

[Checksider]

Just forgot the house and land packages and the Cotton-On sponsorships, but yeah it's pretty nice.

Thought I covered that in paying outside the cap, but yeah. Lots of land going strangely cheap in the right parts of regional Victoria if you play for the Cats.

 

[Danw0w]

Why would Geelong have an obligation to help GWS' finals chances? Their only concern is getting their players fit and firing for next season.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Geelong should be fined or go down the draft order for manipulating match results imo.
They're basically tanking to get better draft picks.
If they win they get draft picks 9, 27 and 45,
If they lose they could get picks 6, 24 and 42.
That's a huge difference.
It should be investigated. It's no different to tanking for pick 1.

 

[iameviljez]

Geelong should be fined or go down the draft order for manipulating match results imo.
They're basically tanking to get better draft picks.
If they win they get draft picks 9, 27 and 45,
If they lose they could get picks 6, 24 and 42.
That's a huge difference.
It should be investigated. It's no different to tanking for pick 1.

I mean, this isn’t the worst thing about your take, but we don’t even have a R2 or R3 pick left

 

[Xtreme]

What about if Collingwood were the team with the incorrect goal call thereby kicking them out of finals contention, would that be just a brief simple apology from the AFL and all forgotten?

Yes
Although if Eddie was still president, LOOK OUT.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Makes me laugh how North will be watched closely this weekend, and the Eagles were wrongly accused of tanking recently.
Yet sides like Geelong can put the cue in the rack compromising the comp and you can back it in no way Melbourne are beating Sydney deliberately this weekend.
Why would they?