Opinion If you could, would you reward the side who finishes top of the ladder as the grand final host?

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Why?

On both the issues you raised, its taking place in 2020.

A smaller ground and on short notice.

This is the way forward for the AFL if it wants to fully embrace a fair and equitable football competition.

To be fair, this gf at the GABBA has just been announced 7 or 8 weeks out. In a normal season the competing teams aren't known until the week before, logistically it would be a nightmare for fans

I'd prefer it rotated, year on year amongst all 5 major cities, this gives everyone time to prepare. The Brownlow can travel with it too, maybe the All Australian, HoF can be held in the host cities too, make it a real celebration..

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

There is no top ranking side after prelim finals are completed. Going into finals yes but not coming out of prelim finals as top ranking side after home and away has an easier path tbrough to the gf then there opponents. There are just two gf sides equally ranked and its the gf that decides who is ranked number 1.

Who wears what shorts and who gets what rooms? How is that decided?

 

[Inspecta Gadget]

I for one can't wait to see the grand final in all its grandeur played out at Kardinia park

 

[Seeds]

Who wears what shorts and who gets what rooms? How is that decided?

The big important questions

 

[Seeds]

Quite often a non-Victorian club may only play a single h&a game at the MCG in a season and I'm pretty sure that in recent years there are examples of Marvel Stadium tennant club's only playing 1 or 2 there.

Thats still more then every other ground. There are a number of teams each season that play zero games at perth or adelaide oval or gabba and most others play only 1.

we should ensure that all teams in future play atleast 3 games at the mcg each year.

 

[telsor]

Channel 7 get 20,000+ seats? wowsers...

Where did I say they got that many?

After all the cricket fans and tv execs get in - I'm surprised there is room for the fans.

Do the rod laver tennis members get an allocation as well? What about the Melbourne Choir - surely they'd get 10,000 seats. We have to make sure we prioritise other sections of our community.

Excellent about the cricket members also supporting football - so if they are no longer cricket members - they still get to go? My apologies ... oh wait. That's not how it works.

Huh?

So why not hold every final at the MCG? It's the biggest right? I mean - ensuring that 9 teams get an advantage every year, one subset of supporters get an advantage every year.

And of course size was the compelling choice for the Grand Final this year as well......

Because for lesser finals, they don't need to plan the venue so far ahead.

Wah wah wah - that's our football - we wants it.

That does seem to be your argument, yes.

Wah wah wah.. there is literally no other argument other than self indulgence.

It would seem there is no other argument you'll accept.
That doesn't mean there is no other argument though.

 

[telsor]

Thats still more then every other ground. There are a number of teams each season that play zero games at perth or adelaide oval or gabba and most others play only 1.

we should ensure that all teams in future play atleast 3 games at the mcg each year.

2 potential problems with that.

1) The tenant clubs would want compensation for the reduced crowds that would bring. (these 'extra' games would come at the expense of games against other, higher drawing teams after all).

and/or

2) That would bring about more complaints given the tenant clubs would get more games with a genuine home ground advantage.

 

[Underarm]

I'm for rotatating it around every few years, especially to Adelaide and Perth. For the sake of equity that also would mean the occaisonal Brisbane and Sydney GF as well.

Theres just too many reasons why it wont happen. Half the teams, most of the media and AFL operations are in Victoria and they all benefit from it staying in one place too much.

But there are huge logistical issues that Perth and Adelaide have that works against them as well.

Probably not.

If not for the MCC contract (which the AFL keeps extending, can't blame some legacy deal from the 1970s) I would look at moving it around year to year like they do with the Super Bowl and UEFA Champion's League final.

Super Bowl - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Have a look at the selection process. Most of the locations in the NFL have no chance of hosting a Superbowl, over half have been hosted in California, Louisiana and Florida.

Moving major events year on year (let alone with a month's notice) is much more complicated than people think.

 

[Mofra]

I'd like to see the GF head interstate every second year, rotating between Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. It seems the fairest representation between AFL clubs and cities. If that means two Vic clubs head to Brisbane one year, so be it. Every city would get the chance to see a Grand Final parade as well. The AFL needs to start acting like a truly national competition.

 

[Monkey King]

There is no top ranking side after prelim finals are completed.

This x1000. There is no higher ranked team in a GF. That is determined by the result of the day, not what came before.

If the league is going to move away from the romanticism of playing the GF at the birth place of footy, then rotate it around all states.

I think it's a pity the GF isn't being played in WA this year. They were the first footy state to join the league. They deserve the experience IMO.

 

[Seeds]

I'd like to see the GF head interstate every second year, rotating between Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. It seems the fairest representation between AFL clubs and cities. If that means two Vic clubs head to Brisbane one year, so be it. Every city would get the chance to see a Grand Final parade as well. The AFL needs to start acting like a truly national competition.

Should people complain that the FA cup is at Wembly every year?

the afl isnt a truly national competition. More then half the clubs are from Melbourne. The McG holds
50 percent more people then the next best stadium.

 

[Mofra]

Should people complain that the FA cup is at Wembly every year?

the afl isnt a truly national competition. More then half the clubs are from Melbourne. The McG holds
50 percent more people then the next best stadium.

Yes. And the MCG would be getting 50% of the Grand Finals.
If we're looking at other sports, the NFL rotates the SuperBowl every year.

 

[Seeds]

2 potential problems with that.

1) The tenant clubs would want compensation for the reduced crowds that would bring. (these 'extra' games would come at the expense of games against other, higher drawing teams after all).

and/or

2) That would bring about more complaints given the tenant clubs would get more games with a genuine home ground advantage.

1) Makes no sense. Are you telling me melbourne teams would want to play away from the mcg? Where?

Less games at docklands and more at mcg. Afl now owns docklands it controls how many games are there. It doesnt have to meet a docklands quota.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

The big important questions

Maybe not but that's what seedlings / rankings are generally for.

Why did Richmond wear a yellow jumper in 2017 and Adelaide their traditional ones? Because Adelaide went into the game as the highest ranked team. You saying that there are no rankings after the preliminary finals is rubbish.

 

[West Coast 06]

20-25K paying customers.

MCC members? Not sure they should have access to tickets over the competing teams actual fans.

 

[West Coast 06]

Also what does every Australian Rules Footballer (young or old) dream about doing on Grand Final Day? Running out onto Optus stadium, Adelaide oval, SCG, Gabba?

Well if you ask Gil, it’s running out on an almost full, dilapidated GABBA at night. I guess not everyone’s dreams are the same?

 

[Dirty Bird]

No

Share it around but have it pre-determined going into the year.

Im an advocate for DEFENDING premier having it.

 

[Turnover]

Well if you ask Gil, it’s running out on an almost full, dilapidated GABBA at night. I guess not everyone’s dreams are the same?

Australian Rules Footballer. Not a polo player.

 

[telsor]

MCC members? Not sure they should have access to tickets over the competing teams actual fans.

Maybe not, but that's clearly one of the conditions of the ground lease, and they DO put a lot of $$$ into the AFL, directly and indirectly.

At the end of the day, even with that condition (and doubtless others), it's clearly the best option for where to play the game.

 

[mightymouse75]

Thats still more then every other ground. There are a number of teams each season that play zero games at perth or adelaide oval or gabba and most others play only 1.

we should ensure that all teams in future play atleast 3 games at the mcg each year.

That would be a start.
The year we played off we had played at the g once.
Some of the players had never played there before.

 

[mightymouse75]

No

Share it around but have it pre-determined going into the year.

Im an advocate for DEFENDING premier having it.

That's a good argument. It would give all parties 12 months to prepare for it.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Maybe not, but that's clearly one of the conditions of the ground lease, and they DO put a lot of $$$ into the AFL, directly and indirectly.

At the end of the day, even with that condition (and doubtless others), it's clearly the best option for where to play the game.

convince the local government to rip up the athletic track and place down some turf, and I for one would attend a Grand Final at Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

Would be a unique atmosphere, both at the game and around it.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

1) What's the guarantee that the team finishing top of the ladder ends up in the Grand Final? Say Brisbane finish top but the GF ends up being
West Coast vs Fremantle would you want it in Qld?

2) Well, I totally understand the concept that teams playing out of the MCG get some advantage, I think you're kidding if the AFL aren't going to play the game at the stadium which is going to maximise the amount of money they can generate. It's not Vicco bias - it's putting the dollar first which is hardly surprising from the AFL.

3) I still don't understand why all grounds are not the same dimensions. Especially the new and renovated grounds.

4) Home ground advantage would then be more about the amount of support you get - other than last year's GF (my brother in law, a Richmond member got a ticket from the GWS allocation - btw I was totally flamed on this site in 2012 when I suggested if a club couldn't fill their GF allocation then those tickets should go to the members of the competing club, I was right all along), the crowd support is pretty evenly split.

If I was setting up a competition from the get go then I probably would look at rotating the GF but unfortunately that's not how the AFL evolved.

 

[Goomba1973]

No... I would rotate the venue every season. MCG, Optus, Adelaide Oval, Gabba, SCG and so on and so forth

 

[RichLeMonde]

Of course it makes it fairer. It introduces randomness to the venue rather than the same 9-10 teams playing in their home state with their own supporter base sleeping in their own beds living with their own families training at their own facilities with their own match day routine.

As it stands, there are Vic based 19 and 20yos with more experience at the MCG than some non Vic veterans get in their entire careers.

And yet interstate clubs win GFs in which they take part exactly 50% of the time. It’s almost like if you look at the actual evidence there is no GF HGA