New structure to the league fixture

[slashin_velvet]

Hi guys - what are everyones thoughts on this suggestion to improve the afl fixture:

Total teams: 18
Each team plays each other once = 17 rounds
1 Week off for a break for the players (or conversely a split round so all teams have a break)
The first 17 rounds determine a ladder: Top 6, Middle 6 and Bottom 6 play each other again to determine the finals playoffs = 5 rounds in "mini leagues" to determine a ladder:

Top 6: Make the finals in order of how they finish over the last 5 rounds
Middle 6: Team who finishes 1st in the middle 6 makes the finals, Team who finishes 2nd plays the leader of the bottom 6 in a playoff for the finals.
Bottom 6: Team who finishes 1st plays the team who finished 2nd in the Middle 6.
Total rounds = 22 and the last 5 rounds of the season are kept interesting for teams at the bottom
Total breaks = 1 week over the first 22 rounds (be it split round or break) and one week at end of 22 rounds (unless 2nd in Middle 6 or 1st in Bottom 6)

This solves badly worked fixtures where a particular team plays more bottom 8 sides. Also may solve tanking if picks are organised in a lottery form in each grouping (e.g. bottom 6 gets a top 6 pick in random order, Middle 6 gets picks 7-12 in random order etc). And still incentive to try at the end of a season to make the finals.

 

[slashin_velvet]

As an example using this years ladder with GWS added for Illustration:
As at round 17:
Top 6:
Collingwood
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn
West Coast Eagles
Carlton
St Kilda

Middle 6:
Sydney Swans
Essendon
North Melbourne
Western Bulldogs
Fremantle
Adelaide

Bottom 6:
Brisbane Lions
Melbourne
Greater Western Sydney
Richmond
Port Adelaide
Gold Coast Suns

Collingwood through St Kilda play each other.
Sydney through Adelaide play each other.
Brisbane through Gold Coast play each other.

As at round 22:
Top 6:
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn
St Kilda
Collingwood
West Coast Eagles
Carlton

Middle 6:
Essendon
Adelaide
Sydney Swans
North Melbourne
Western Bulldogs
Fremantle

Bottom 6:
Richmond
Melbourne
Gold Coast Suns
Brisbane Lions
Greater Western Sydney
Port Adelaide

Richmond play Adelaide in a playoff for spot 8 and for example Richmond win.

The final 8 looks like:
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn
St Kilda
Collingwood
West Coast Eagles
Carlton
Essendon
Richmond

 

[Demonic Ascent]

I would just have 17 rounds alternating Home & Away each year. Have two split rounds or just stagger byes throughout the year so that each week anywhere from 2-4 teams have a bye. Have another weekend for State of Origin. This equals a 20 week season plus current top 8 finals.

If you wanted to extend the finals you could have the top 6 teams have a week off and 7-10 play each other in wildcard elimination finals. This probably is unnecessary though so you would just stick to the current top 8 finals system.

I don't like this idea of splitting the ladder half way through a season to work out the last six rounds. If you want to keep 22 rounds then just base it on the year before's ladder and split the comp into three groups (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 - 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17 - 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18) and have these teams play each other twice regardless of "blockbusters" or interstate travel. It may not work out exactly fair but at least it will be transparent and no-one can really complain about who plays who.

Either of these ideas still allow for ANZAC Day, Queens Birthday, Season Opener etc although if it were up to me I'd rotate these games as well.

 

[Gibbke]

In this day of salary caps, drafting, 48+ hour rounds spread over 7 timeslots and speedy jet aircraft (forgetting Essendon's pre-season arrangements to Wangaratta for a moment!), this argument means little. While the city of Perth insists on locating itself 3500km from 9 other teams who share two stadiums in Melbourne which are walking distance apart, you'll never get parity in terms of travel. Additionally, a Collingwood trip to Perth has a little more "meh" about it than it does for the rival Melbourne side who gets to host them - fixturing must maximise profit for all, as well as promote rivalry...A 17-round season sacrifices interstate derbies, vital for those respective teams for 100 reasons, and once you start making that a concession in the draw in this "new method", you end up going with what you've already got...!

The only way you'll level things is to go to a conference system (and the one in my head "solves" all these "problems", and I would elaborate if I was passionate about this issue - but I'm not...!), where each conference fights amongst itself in equal conditions before matching other conferences in finals as equals. NFL Gridiron has got it right, insofar as managing the needs of 32 teams in a season that has a time limit. And since we won't be playing a 36-round AFL season, it's either go with radical conferences which will sacrifice a few beloved traditions, or it's everyone please shut up, turn up and just play the game...most of the arguments are just supporters and presidents whinging when their team loses anyway...won't hear it from me, barracking for Hawthorn - we brought it on ourselves...!