If every team played each other twice:

[Karbassiyoon]

Here is my end of season ladder for the current 22 round season:

Bris 72
Port 72
St. Kilda 64
Geelong 64
Melbourne 60
Fremantle 52
winner of sydney vs essendon - both on 48

Kangaroos 44
West Coast 44
Collingwood 32
Carlton 28
Adelaide 24
Bulldogs 20
Richmond 20
Hawthorn 12

I used to think that if everybody played each other twice there would be a dramatic difference in who makes the 8 and who doesn't - once again showing that a partially random draw which is manipulated by TV popularity and blockbusters status is the most inequal factor in our game. more than salary caps or the tribunal or anything.

So i put my study to the test,

If everybody played each other twice, the remaining fixtures this season would be:

Round 23
*Essendon vs Adelaide (TD)
Western Bulldogs vs *Richmond (TD)
*Sydney vs West Coast (SCG)
Carlton vs *Brisbane (OO or TD)
Collingwood vs *St. Kilda (MCG or TD)
*Fremantle vs Hawthorn (Sub)
Melbourne vs *Geelong (MCG)
*Port vs Kangaroos (AAMI)

Round 24
*Adelaide vs Collingwood (AAMI)
*Brisbane vs Freo (Gabba)
Kangaroos vs *Melbourne (MCG)
*Essendon vs Geelong (TD)
Richmond vs *Port Adelaide (MCG or TD)
Hawthorn vs *Sydney (MCG)
Western Bulldogs vs *Carlton (TD)
*West Coast vs St. Kilda (Sub)

Round 25
*Fremantle vs Essendon (Sub)
*Adelaide vs Hawthorn (AAMI)
Richmond vs *West Coast (TD or MCG)
*Collingwood vs Kangaroos (TD)
*Sydney vs Bulldogs (SCG)
*Brisbane vs Melbourne (Gabba)
*St. Kilda vs Carlton (TD)
*Geelong vs Port Adelaide (Skilled)

Round 26
*West Coast vs Collingwood (SUB)
*Carlton vs Adelaide (OO)
*Essendon vs Hawthorn (MCG)
*Port vs Brisbane (AAMI)
Richmond vs *Kangaroos (MCG or TD)
*St. Kilda vs Sydney (TD)
*Geelong vs Bulldogs (TD or Skilled)
*Melbourne vs Freo (MCG)

Round 27
Hawthorn vs *Carlton (MCG)
*St. Kilda vs Bulldogs (TD)
Adelaide vs *West Coast (AAMI)
*Brisbane vs Essendon (Gabba)
Sydney vs *Port Adelaide (SCG)
Kangaroos vs *Geelong (TD)
*Fremantle vs Richmond (Sub)
Collingwood vs *Melbourne (MCG)

Round 28
Hawthorn vs *St. Kilda (TD or MCG)
*Brisbane vs Geelong (Gabba)
*Port vs Fremantle (AAMI)
*Carlton vs Richmond (MCG or TD)
*West Coast vs Kangaroos (Sub)
*Bulldogs vs Adelaide (TD)
*Melbourne vs Essendon (MCG)
Collingwood vs *Sydney (TD)

Round 29
Kangaroos vs *Essendon (TD)
*Sydney vs Carlton (SCG)
Hawthorn vs *Collingwood (MCG)
*Geelong vs West Coast (Skilled)
Richmond vs *Brisbane (TD or MCG)
*Port vs St. Kilda (AAMI)
*Fremantle vs Bulldogs (Sub)
*Melbourne vs Adelaide (MCG)

Round 30
*Geelong vs Collingwood (TD)
*West Coast vs Hawthorn (Sub)
*Essendon vs Richmond (MCG)
*Kangaroos vs Fremantle (TD)
*Adelaide vs Sydney (AAMI)
Bulldogs vs *Brisbane (TD)
*St. Kilda vs Melbourne (TD)
Carlton vs *Port (OO)

Leaving a ladder to the tune of:
Bris 100
Port 100
St. Kilda 88
Geelong 88
Melbourne 76
Fremantle 68
Sydney 68
Essendon 68

West Coast 68
Kangaroos 52
Carlton 44
Collingwood 40
Adelaide 36
Bulldogs 24
Richmond 24
Hawthorn 16


As you can see - practically no difference. The two teams that stand to win the most out of everybody playing each other twice are quite clearly the interstate sides with thier home ground advantage. Even though it would probably damage the victorian clubs even more by giving non-vic sides more home games, i still am of the opinion the AFL should be a 14 team competition with a 26 round H&A season.

But now when people complain about the draw - they can see that it really isn't that unfair at the end of the day!

 

[dan warna]

Im all for playing each team twice, but I'd hate to lose any of the victorian teams.

secondly AFL is far more physical most sports PLUS requires a tremendous amount of aerobic fitness.

players dont recover as fast, and many are finished by the time they are 30, due to the extreme physical nature of the game, guys like lynch, braddley, tuck and bartlett are exceptions rather than the rule.

a longer season would prematurely end more careers I believe.

 

[leonmagic]

Originally posted by dan warna
Im all for playing each team twice, but I'd hate to lose any of the victorian teams.

secondly AFL is far more physical most sports PLUS requires a tremendous amount of aerobic fitness.

players dont recover as fast, and many are finished by the time they are 30, due to the extreme physical nature of the game, guys like lynch, braddley, tuck and bartlett are exceptions rather than the rule.

a longer season would prematurely end more careers I believe.

You could always introduce squads of 52 players.

 

[VANDA]

play once a fortnight (rotational) & let the comp run all bloody year!

 

[MadRyan]

I'm all for it but 30 rounds is a little much.

 

[Fullarton Power]

Originally posted by Ted Pellitts
*Port vs Kangaroos (AAMI)
*Port vs St. Kilda (AAMI)

Your theory and post is wasted on account of the fact that there is some arrangement in force that these two fixtures may only be programmed once every 4 years...they'd have to be moved to an alternative venue.

 

[FuManchu]

It would be a very long season

 

[Rocket23]

Originally posted by FuManchu
It would be a very long season

Not if we gave the Pre Season Cup the arse!!

 

[T.W. Wills]

Collingwood would beat the saints at the MCG anyday.

 

[stokesy]

Once finals come around it will be the middle of summer...

I'll pass.

22 rounds is fine and it will never change... Maybe to 24 rounds.

 

[arrowman]

Originally posted by Ted Pellitts
The two teams that stand to win the most out of everybody playing each other twice are quite clearly the interstate sides with thier home ground advantage.

Er, yeah - that would be a big gain for the non-Victorian sides (that's "non-Victorian", not "interstate", you narrow-minded little parochial Vic, you) compared to the current completely fair and balanced system whereby (e.g.) Collingwood play 18 games in Victoria, St Kilda and Essendon play most of their games at the Sheltered Workshop, etc etc.

Glad to see you recognise the idea that 30 rounds would be ideal, even if it would be such a big gain for the barbarians.

 

[MarkT]

Ideally everyone would play twice. I just don't think the players could perform come the finals though. I doubt there is a more demanding team sport in the world. By most standards we have a very hard hitting, athletic, aerobic sport which requires a large variety of skills plus speed, strength and endurance. The intensity is constant during play which is almost constant while the games last a relatively long time.

30 rounds is too many IMO. I have heard calls to axe the pre season comp but that just won't work. Teams will want proper practice so they will play as many semi serious games anyway to prepare.

I have heard calls to increase the bench. That won't work either. The elite players won't be benched much if at all so they will carry a proportionally higher load.

IMO the only way to bring any equity to the draw and end all the bitching is to make it random. You cop your draw and in the long term it will even out. All teams will have equal opponents and scheduling advantages and disadvantages.

The extension is to then remove the CBF and perhaps even the equalisation fund since all teams have equal opportunities that will be of their own making. That is probably another debate but if you want equity in the draw for all the reasons always brought up then clubs should have to make their own way in the AFL world. If you want the chance you have to do without the security blanket. Of course the TV deal is the big issue and the reason it won’t happen.

 

[FuManchu]

Originally posted by Rocket23
Not if we gave the Pre Season Cup the arse!!

It would still be 4 weeks longer than the current season and then with practice matches etc, it becomes way too long for what would have to be on of the most demanding and taxing football codes.

Eventually, the league will find that a 12 or 14 team comp is best with teams having less mediocre talent on their lists and more of the dollar to go around and a far more equitable draw could be initiated.

 

[arrowman]

I think the best we can hope for is to get 26 rounds with a 14-team comp, once the inevitable happens and a couple of surplus Vic clubs drop out.

Meantime, I think we can tolerate it as long as there is a final 8. Having half the competition in the finals is pretty silly but as long as the draw is uneven, it (the minor round) is just a handicapping prelude to the finals. Go to "everyone plays everyone twice" and you can afford to drop it back to a top 6, say (money considerations for the finals aside).