Opinion Has this season made you reconsider the standard 23 Round Model?

[ep2018]

We need a 12 team, 22 round season where everyone plays each other twice.

 

[Guido]

26 week, 34 round season. Multiple footy frenzies to squeeze in additional 8 rounds into 26 weeks (and allow for a couple of byes).

Retain shortened quarters.

7 v 10 and 8 v 9 playoffs for last 2 spots in the 8. This keeps 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th & maybe 16th invested and fighting until the end. Almost every coach/team is arrogant enough to think they, given the right circumstances, can be the first ones to win a flag from 10th, though the chances that would have happened at any time in the last hundred years (or will happen in the next 100) is effectively zero.

Lack of any hope whatsoever kills general interest and also the spectacle for late season rounds when games involve teams that have clearly given up.

Adding 9th and 10th maintains deep interest until the final round for 90% of the clubs and their supporters, and also adds another layer of teams not only clamering for top 4, but also top 6 to avoid the playoff spot.

For those who'll inevitably complain about giving 9th and 10th a shot at playing finals, if 5 consecutive teams (including multiple top 4 finishing teams) aren't good enough to beat 10th, that sits on the quality of the teams, not the finals structure.

 

[btdg]

As much as this idea (as well as the 17-5 idea) has merit.
I am yet to see someone show me that it can be done logistically to ensure all teams get 11 home games.

All teams don’t get 11 home games?

Play the reverse fixture back the other direction to the first meeting and share revenue if you have to. Provide a more entertaining product and everyone is better off, even if some teams only get 9 home games

 

[Damon_3388]

I was already in favour of a 17-round H&A season, but now I'm even more in favour of it.

2021 season

18 teams, 17 games each, over 17 weekly rounds (Thursday to Monday), no bye weeks or 'split rounds'
18 minute quarters (straight up, no time-on)
Top 6 make finals

Round 1 - Thursday, 13/05/2021 - Monday, 17/05/2021
....
Round 17 - Thursday, 26/08/2021 - Monday, 30/08/2021

1 week break for 'Awards Week' (Brownlow, AA, etc.)

Elimination Finals - 3 vs. 6 (Friday 10/09/2021), and 4 vs. 5 (Saturday, 11/09/2021)
Semi Finals - 1 vs. (3 or 6) (Friday 17/09/2021), and 2 vs. (4 or 5) (Saturday, 18/09/2021)
Grand Final - Saturday, 25/09/2021

If you want 22 H&A games, start the H&A season on Thursday, 08/04/2021.
If you want 22 H&A games and the regular top 8 finals system, start the H&A season on Thursday, 01/04/2021.

Simple. Easy.

 

[benji21]

I like 17 rounds, I think 22/23 is too long. If we keep 22/23 I would like to see a finals overhaul. For teams in the bottom 6 22 rounds you normally know by about round 10 you aren't making it. The last 6 rounds basically only the top 10 can make it but the top 8 is mostly settled. Think make it shorter or have finals increased to 10 teams.

If 17 rounds, revamp preseason. I think preseason has been lacking due to there not really being enough time to cram it all in. Wouldn't mind seeing another cup version preseason. Shorter games, later start. No need for clubs to be fully back training till January. New players/Draftees have a bit more development.

Don't mind the 16 min quarters either, think there's been teething problems, but think over a few years would have drafts being filled with talented freakish players instead of players that can just get fit enough and tackle hard enough to hold a zone.

 

[Underarm]

We need a 12 team, 22 round season where everyone plays each other twice.

It would be sad to see West Coast fold, but if that's what it takes for a full home/away structure then so be it.

 

[SurreyBlue]

Happy with 17 but prefer 34. Everyone plays each other twice. Fair and fair.

 

[Dark Avenger]

I'm all for the shortened season but I believe the following rule changes will help enhance the game even more.

• Games consist of two 10-minute halves with a two-minute break at half-time
• Played on a rectangular field with dimensions similar to that of a soccer field
• Eight players on the field per team, with six players on the bench and no limit to rotations
• Last touch out-of-bounds rule introduced (team that had last touch loses possession)
• The field umpire will throw the ball up to begin play at the start of each half and after a supergoal is scored
• 10-point super goals are registered for goals kicked from outside the 40m arc
• No marks paid for backwards kicks (except for kicks/marks inside the forward 40m arc)
• Free shot from inside the 40m arc to the opposite team in the event of a rushed behind.
• Players can run 20m without taking a bounce or touching the ball on the ground.

 

[Tjblues]

I was already in favour of a 17-round H&A season, but now I'm even more in favour of it.

2021 season

18 teams, 17 games each, over 17 weekly rounds (Thursday to Monday), no bye weeks or 'split rounds'
18 minute quarters (straight up, no time-on)
Top 6 make finals

Round 1 - Thursday, 13/05/2021 - Monday, 17/05/2021
....
Round 17 - Thursday, 26/08/2021 - Monday, 30/08/2021

1 week break for 'Awards Week' (Brownlow, AA, etc.)

Elimination Finals - 3 vs. 6 (Friday 10/09/2021), and 4 vs. 5 (Saturday, 11/09/2021)
Semi Finals - 1 vs. (3 or 6) (Friday 17/09/2021), and 2 vs. (4 or 5) (Saturday, 18/09/2021)
Grand Final - Saturday, 25/09/2021

If you want 22 H&A games, start the H&A season on Thursday, 08/04/2021.
If you want 22 H&A games and the regular top 8 finals system, start the H&A season on Thursday, 01/04/2021.

Simple. Easy.

You have no idea how short 18 minutes with no time on will be.

Quarters last year with time on went for around 30 minutes, so teams played roughly 2640 minutes of footy.

Your plan would see teams play 1224 minutes of footy in the regular season

You have more than halved the product, plus with no time on you can’t keep the long breaks between goals for advertising, so there’s some more revenue gone.

Tv rights money through the floor, advertising the same. What about crowds? Would you come from over an hour away to watch 72 minutes of footy, INCLUDING the time the ball is out of bounds?

Not a chance

 

[deck]

It's got me moving more towards a 27 game season where you would play every team 3 times over 2 years. The extra game gives you a rivalry game double up every year to cater for the Derby, Showdown & Ect.

Although I'm not that caught up in the unevenness of the fixture as it isn't first past the post, we have a final series.

 

[harty1221]

More games I think!! This festival of footy has been great!!


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Damon_3388]

You have no idea how short 18 minutes with no time on will be.

Quarters last year with time on went for around 30 minutes, so teams played roughly 2640 minutes of footy.

Your plan would see teams play 1224 minutes of footy in the regular season

You have more than halved the product, plus with no time on you can’t keep the long breaks between goals for advertising, so there’s some more revenue gone.

Tv rights money through the floor, advertising the same. What about crowds? Would you come from over an hour away to watch 72 minutes of footy, INCLUDING the time the ball is out of bounds?

Not a chance

It's not my job to care about the financial side of it. Is it yours?

The clock would stop when the ball is out of bounds too, like it does now. We'd just be completely doing away with the continuous "counting up" clock at the grounds, and having a countdown clock, like on TV.

 

[Billy ray]

20 rounds

only 3 double ups played in last three rounds (ie play everyone once first).

the 3 double ups are one each from 1-6,7-12,13-18 from prior year’s ladder (after round 17). These are randomly chosen.

 

[Gunf]

17 rounds with quarters back to normal

34 rounds with 16 min quarters and a mandatory max games played for any player. Example Danger/Dusty etc can only play say 28 games Make teams actually manage lists and would allow clubs not to have to lower list sizes which is being floated.

The AFL will love the extra money as will players, will also mean less training during the year which players hate, most would rather just play and recover with light sessions for tactical stuff between each game.

Will also mean less players are recruited for having a huge tank and more will be recruited for actual skills.

 

[branedotorg]

i do like the idea of 2-3 conferences, play everyone in your conference twice, everyone else once.

either previous ladder position or randomisation for choice. or odds and evens, don't care.

keep these shortened games if that's what it takes to get done.

Marquee games are s**t but no reason that they can't be figured in to this model.

 

[branedotorg]

I'm all for the shortened season but I believe the following rule changes will help enhance the game even more.

• Games consist of two 10-minute halves with a two-minute break at half-time
• Played on a rectangular field with dimensions similar to that of a soccer field
• Eight players on the field per team, with six players on the bench and no limit to rotations
• Last touch out-of-bounds rule introduced (team that had last touch loses possession)
• The field umpire will throw the ball up to begin play at the start of each half and after a supergoal is scored
• 10-point super goals are registered for goals kicked from outside the 40m arc
• No marks paid for backwards kicks (except for kicks/marks inside the forward 40m arc)
• Free shot from inside the 40m arc to the opposite team in the event of a rushed behind.
• Players can run 20m without taking a bounce or touching the ball on the ground.

Xciting

 

[swanssince2002]

As much as it would take a toll on the players, 34 rounds might be possible. More Wednesday night games. Load management will be a thing however, but it will give young and fringe players a chance to play AFL games. Similar to how baseball players don't play the next day. Coaches can make a decision whether or not it would be a scheduled loss etc.

 

[Walshawk]

2021. 17 - 5 with a difference. 18m quarters as we will still be dealing with COVID.
You split off the bottom 6 clubs and they play each other. Can finish higher than 13th. The top 12 play five games against each other. Top 12 ladder as normal. Keeps things fair and even. Allows more chance of derbies and even home games than splitting into three group.
Once COVID is over, I would move to 24 games. Makes the split more difficult though.

 

[magpiemaniac44]

I like 17 games but I don’t think it is quite enough. I’m not sure if many of youse are NBA fans but the end of this season has been really entertaining (the bottom 8 teams were not invited to the bubble). I think after 17 games the bottom 6 teams should be eliminated. 12 teams are then left and they play 3 extra matches one in each group 1-4, 5-8, 9-12. 3 additional games will also mean teams in contention will play 10 home and 10 away games. I think it means there are less dud games at the end of the season and all of the games could be finals previews

 

[WCEforeverman]

The AFL aren't going to want less games. Less games means less TV revenue.

I also don't think they want to change the fixturing too much. If they try to make it more equitable (ie rolling fixture) then they can't control when the 'show piece' games are held (Anzac day, Queens birthday).

 

[iameviljez]

I think that one thing we have to be wary of is that midweek games might work when we can't even have a crowd on weekends, but once we can have crowds again, it'll look bad playing to 1980s suburban-era crowds on a Wednesday night.

I'm also wary of a 17-game season, because home ground advantage is pretty severe in footy. You'd hate to cop all the interstate sides away but all the Vic sides at home.

 

[PP34]

Nope. Season has felt gimmicky to me.

16 minute quarters are too short to see many amazing individual performances and before you know it a quarter is over.

Heaps of footy works this year because the entire country has been starved of live sport and are bored out of their minds at home. But you are absolutely delusional if you think long term people are going to sit there and watch footy every night in normal times. We’ve seen before the failure that was Monday night footy with some poor attendance and TV numbers.

Weekend footy is what makes the game great.

 

[Coolangatta]

We need a 12 team, 22 round season where everyone plays each other twice.

Yeah.

That, or everyone plays each other once, but reverse fixtures the following season, with even spread of interstate travel. For example, if Collingwood plays Port over in Adelaide in 2021, they don't play Adelaide in Adelaide until 2022. If the Eagles play Sydney at the SCG in 2021, they don't play GWS in Sydney until 2022.

 

[Coolangatta]

I think that one thing we have to be wary of is that midweek games might work when we can't even have a crowd on weekends, but once we can have crowds again, it'll look bad playing to 1980s suburban-era crowds on a Wednesday night.

I'm also wary of a 17-game season, because home ground advantage is pretty severe in footy. You'd hate to cop all the interstate sides away but all the Vic sides at home.

They'd have to be smart about it.

For example:

Adelaide vs. Brisbane 2021
Gold Coast vs. Adelaide 2021
Brisbane vs. Adelaide 2022
Adelaide vs. Gold Coast 2022
Collingwood vs. West Coast 2021
Fremantle vs. Collingwood 2021
West Coast vs. Collingwood 2022
Collingwood vs. Fremantle 2022

It shouldn't be too hard to create a rather even distribution of home/away travel in reverse fixturing.

 

[Lsta062]

As strange as it is, yes. I was against it before, but this season has warmed me up to it.

It has also warmed me up to the 17-5 model as others mentioned. Play each other once and sort out the double-ups based on the ladder position at the end of round 17 (or round 18 if each team had a bye). Dividing the ladder into thirds then is much more relevant than using the previous season’s ladder as you’d inadvertently get top teams who have an easier fixture or bottom teams who end up playing only top 10 teams twice in the current system.

I don’t think I want to see top 6 sides only playing top 6 sides in the 17-5 model though. What if the gap between 6 and 7 was so narrow to the point that 7 ended up finishing higher than 6 due to playing only middle 6 teams and hosting 6 away in a final because of it? The current distribution of double-ups is fine. It’s just the time that it occurs that needs tweaking IMO (i.e. in the last 5 rounds after round 17 instead of fixturing it at the end of the previous season).