How will the AFL decide who gets two byes next year?

[Lavy_Panther]

Let me prefix this with saying that the search function is too frustrating to use, so apologies that this will no doubt be a duplicate.

Now, as we all know, having a week off to freshen up is a huge advantage, and it becomes even bigger if you're awarded a bonus four points for it.

So on what basis will the AFL decide which six teams should get an extra bye? Will there be a criteria set? Should the bottom five teams from this year + Gold Coast get two byes, using the same rationale as the priority pick? Should the top six teams get an extra bye? Or should they draw names out of a hat?

 

[stkildathunda]

Every team gets two byes, there will be multiple weeks where more then 1 team will have a bye.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

is this a joke?

 

[liz]

Every team gets two byes, there will be multiple weeks where more then 1 team will have a bye.

Would have thought that was pretty obvious, unless teams were going to be playing a different number of matches.

 

[beez]

19 rounds where 1 team has a bye
5 rounds where 3 teams have a bye

 

[Lavy_Panther]

Every team gets two byes, there will be multiple weeks where more then 1 team will have a bye.

Appreciated. Assumed as much, but was convinced to the contrary today.

 

[Clay Davis]

is this a joke?

Man, if it was, it would have to be the worst joke in history.

 

[Haydos]

prity gud thred

 

[Harry Yorkie]

I thought this thread was going to be about who plays the Gold Coast twice next year

 

[Mosca]

Assuming each bye counts as a win, what kind of percentage boost does the team get, If any?

 

[stkildathunda]

Appreciated. Assumed as much, but was convinced to the contrary today.

No worries. From memory i think i remember the AFL saying some weeks could have upto 5 teams having the bye the same week. At least we only have to put up with it for one season only,then back to normal.

 

[Mazza44]

I want to see how the AFL figure out when each team gets their bye. A team who gets a bye in the first 4 rounds of the season will be at a fairy big disadvantage to a team who can rest some players mid season and/or at the end of the season.

 

[aneale]

i expect it to be a complete cluster**** that makes no sense much like it is here in the SANFL with our 9 team comp, some weeks we have more teams with the bye than there are playing. 2 games, 5 teams with the bye.

 

[True Blue Saint]

I want to see how the AFL figure out when each team gets their bye. A team who gets a bye in the first 4 rounds of the season will be at a fairy big disadvantage to a team who can rest some players mid season and/or at the end of the season.

Maybe they should do it like the NRL whereby the team with the bye receives an automatic 2 points (would obviously be 4 points in the AFL). Surely this would fix any potential issues that arise from the resting players issue that you bring up?

 

[slidetribe]

This has been a hilarious read

 

[Furn]

Maybe they should do it like the NRL whereby the team with the bye receives an automatic 2 points (would obviously be 4 points in the AFL). Surely this would fix any potential issues that arise from the resting players issue that you bring up?

It doesnt, his point is that its much better to have byes in round 10 and 20 than round 2 and 11 because you get to go into finals fresher. I guess it will be the luck of the "draw"

 

[kosifantutti]

Assuming each bye counts as a win, what kind of percentage boost does the team get, If any?

You get to nominate a team at the start of the year as your bunnies. You take your average scores for and against that team for the year and use them for your victories in the bye.

It's all on the AFL site somewhere.

 

[True Blue Saint]

It doesnt, his point is that its much better to have byes in round 10 and 20 than round 2 and 11 because you get to go into finals fresher. I guess it will be the luck of the "draw"

Thanks mate. I noticed straight after I wrote my post I misinterpreted what he said...

I guess there's not really much you can do? Maybe they could have a "floating" system whereby teams are allocated byes in the last few rounds according to their ladder position at a certain point in time?

Randomness might just be the way to go.

 

[Amber Guzzler]

Maybe they should do it like the NRL whereby the team with the bye receives an automatic 2 points (would obviously be 4 points in the AFL). Surely this would fix any potential issues that arise from the resting players issue that you bring up?

How? One doesn't in any way relate to the other. If you give every team 4 point for a bye, then at the end of the season, you haven't achieved a thing. All you've done is given 8 points to every team. Not only would that have absolutely no effect on ladder positions, but it would do nothing to counter the advantage a team gets for having a bye in the last few rounds of the season, allowing them to rest players at the end of the season.

Problem: My car wont start.
Solution: Empty the ash tray.

 

[Gizza]

Why hell didn't they just wait until 2012 and bring both new teams in at the same time?

 

[Mosca]

Why hell didn't they just wait until 2012 and bring both new teams in at the same time?

 

[Rob]

Nothing to do with money, it's because it's 5 times harder to build a list when there's another club trying to do the same thing at the same time. They'd both be fighting over the same group of draftees, uncontracted players etc.

IMO I reckon there should be 2 years between new teams, 1 year isn't long enough.

 

[PowerForGood]

How? One doesn't in any way relate to the other. If you give every team 4 point for a bye, then at the end of the season, you haven't achieved a thing. All you've done is given 8 points to every team. Not only would that have absolutely no effect on ladder positions, but it would do nothing to counter the advantage a team gets for having a bye in the last few rounds of the season, allowing them to rest players at the end of the season.

But maybe if you get your four points earlier in the season, then you are higher on the ladder if you have your byes earlier in the season, thereby skewing the ladder differently to having your byes later in the season.

Won't make any difference for the final ladder or to whether to rest players prior to finals, but it does have an effect on ladder positions during the year.

Problem: My car wont start.
Solution: Empty the ash tray.

Tried that - doesn't work.

 

[red+black]

Believe it or not, but in 1942 with 11 teams and a 16 round season, some teams played 14 games and had 2 byes (Ca, Co, No, Fo, St) while the others played 15 games and had just 1 bye (Ha, Es, So, Me, Ri, Fi).

In case anyone is concerned about their side having a bye in the last round next year, of the 12 sides to have had a bye leading into finals, 4 returned from the week off with a win, 4 returned with a loss and the other 4 didn't make finals.

But back to the OP and the fixturing for 2012, this is how things were done in recent times. In 1991, there were 15 teams and 24 rounds, thus 30 byes were required. Seven sides had a bye in Round 1 and one side each week thereafter. That formula was repeated in 1992. In 1994, "the mass bye week" was Round 6.

In 1993, there were 15 teams and 22 rounds, and again 30 byes were required. That time, three sides had byes in Rounds 4, 5, 19 and 20, while one side had a bye in the other weeks.

Next year is a little different in that we will have 17 teams, or 34 byes to fit into 24 weeks. They could have 11 teams with a bye in Round 1 then one every week after that, but that's ridiculous. A more sensible approach would be something akin to 1993, say have 3 sides have a bye in each of weeks 13 to 17.