Pre-Finals bye. Keep it or move it

[BigVic]

The pre finals bye should move to ensure the best players fully fit in a grand final. Also it eliminates one game in 28 days which is a disadvantage to the QF winners should they lose their prelim.

 

[archereleven]

Where is the get rid of it option?

 

[010203]

The week off will be moved to after the preliminary finals especially if Geelong lose next week.

 

[Outtatym]

Get rid of it all together. Plenty of players over the years have missed out through injury. Who wants to wait 2 weeks for the granny after a prelim?

 

[Altum Volantes]

Get rid of it.

Bloody Ross Lyon. The man ruins everything.

 

[SuperSub17]

We had this in 2021 and it sucked.

It’s hard luck for Stewart, but that’s how it goes. You’re no guarantee to be fit after the mandatory 12 days either.

 

[Sentinel]

Why is this conversation suddenly happening now? Did nobody think it was possible that a player in a winning prelim team could be concussed until now?

It was obvious the minute the mandatory concussion period was introduced that this would eventually happen, yet we have to wait for it to actually eventuate until the discussion starts. And I fully expect an AFL knee jerk reaction to something they could have solved (or left alone) years earlier.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Why is this conversation suddenly happening now? Did nobody think it was possible that a player in a winning prelim team could be concussed until now?

It was obvious the minute the mandatory concussion period was introduced that this would eventually happen, yet we have to wait for it to actually eventuate until the discussion starts. And I fully expect an AFL knee jerk reaction to something they could have solved (or left alone) years earlier.

This is more about the gap between the final round and the finals, than anything to do with the concussion.

It's become an 'equaliser' and is seemingly impacting finals results.

 

[Sentinel]

This is more about the gap between the final round and the finals, than anything to do with the concussion.

It's become an 'equaliser' and is seemingly impacting finals results.

Is an 'equaliser' really a problem? I actually don't know if it is or not, but who's to say if it wasn't previously too much of an advantage for 1-4 compared to 5-8 as opposed to now? And I know there have now been 2 flags from outside the 4, but are we certain that that advantage has truly shifted?

Anyway, its certain that the discussion this week about moving the bye will be in relation to concussion due to Tom Stewart.

 

[Xtreme]

Keep it as it is

A week's break between the prelim and grand final is TOO long. Momentum shouldn't be broken, the atmosphere would be less exciting.

Bunch of sooks because a player gets injured before a grand final show down they have to shuffle the deck chairs. Newsflash injuries are part and parcel of playing sport.

 

[parano1a]

A two week gap between the Prelims and Grand Final would be an excruciating wait for the teams involved, and a momentum killer for everyone else.

The NRL Finals would get record ratings in the weekend off.

Players miss games for various reasons all the time, you don't change the whole fixture just to accommodate them.

 

[BigVic]

I would hate to see a player miss a grand final

The Dogs momentum was killed back in 2021 with that break despite a crushing prelim win over Port in Adelaide 2 weeks prior

 

[Dan26]

This system keeps BOTH the pre-finals bye (for the top-6) AND you get the week off before the Grand Final, without extending the finals any longer than what they are now. It's perfection.

It's total knockout (as finals should be) yet keeps the earliest exit point for the top seeded teams at week 2, which is EXACTLY the same as the earliest exit point under the current system

Under the current final-8, the path to the premiership for the top teams is Bye-Win-Bye-Win-Win, which means one of the Preliminary Finalists has played one match in 26 days. Under the system below, the path to the premiership for the top teams is Bye-WIN-WIN-Bye-Win, which is unquestionably better.


Everything about it works.

WEEK 1 (winners to week 2, losers out)
1st elimination final: 7 v 10
2nd elimination Final: 8 v 9

WEEK 2 (winners to week 3, losers out)
1st Semi Final: 1st vs lowest ranked Elimination final winner (1 v 8)
2nd Semi Final: 2nd vs highest ranked Elimination final winner (2 v 7)
3rd Semi Final : 3 v 6
4th Semi Final : 4 v 5

WEEK 3 (winners to Grand Final, losers out)
1st Preliminary Final: highest ranked team vs lowest ranked team (1 v 4)
2nd Preliminary Final: 2nd-highest ranked team vs 2nd lowest ranked team (2 v 3)

WEEK 4
Bye (ensuring 14 day break for Grand Final)

WEEK 5
Grand Final (1 v 2)

 

[Walshawk]

Nah. How lame would it be to have tow wait two weeks for the GF. Would kills all momentum. No thanks.

 

[btdg]

Nah. How lame would it be to have tow wait two weeks for the GF. Would kills all momentum. No thanks.

Think about how much this week has been dominated by 'which player from struggling club X wants to move to top 4 team Y'. Then add a second full week for the media and footy industry to fill before the grand final. We might have all actually forgotten who is even playing by the time the match rolls around.

Why is this conversation suddenly happening now? Did nobody think it was possible that a player in a winning prelim team could be concussed until now?

It was obvious the minute the mandatory concussion period was introduced that this would eventually happen, yet we have to wait for it to actually eventuate until the discussion starts. And I fully expect an AFL knee jerk reaction to something they could have solved (or left alone) years earlier.

I think the bigger question is why is it that concussion is still viewed as different or lesser than other types of injury. It's always been the case that a player can pull a hammy, twist an ankle, in the prelim final, and it is a hard luck story if they miss the grand final as a result.

Stewart has literally injured his brain. Doctor's advice says that a minimum of 10 days, and sometimes longer is needed, to prevent him suffering further brain damage.

Yep, he's got a serious, potentially debilitating (and even life threatening) injury. It sucks that he will miss the grand final. A bye week won't fix that, and tbh, might make things worse. At least one week is a guaranteed 'miss' - Stewart is just definitely out now. In 14 days time? It becomes a doctor/Stewart decision and the pressure to make the wrong one (if he hasn't recovered) would be too great imo.

 

[Bluelegs]

Would be so AFL to finally move the bye after a player misses a GF because of concussion protocols and not before, despite everyone knowing this would eventually happen years ago.

 

[Sentinel]

I think the bigger question is why is it that concussion is still viewed as different or lesser than other types of injury. It's always been the case that a player can pull a hammy, twist an ankle, in the prelim final, and it is a hard luck story if they miss the grand final as a result.

Stewart has literally injured his brain. Doctor's advice says that a minimum of 10 days, and sometimes longer is needed, to prevent him suffering further brain damage.

Yep, he's got a serious, potentially debilitating (and even life threatening) injury. It sucks that he will miss the grand final. A bye week won't fix that, and tbh, might make things worse. At least one week is a guaranteed 'miss' - Stewart is just definitely out now. In 14 days time? It becomes a doctor/Stewart decision and the pressure to make the wrong one (if he hasn't recovered) would be too great imo.

I agree that it's not all that different, with the exception being that concussion now carries a league mandated rest period (albeit for the right reasons). No other type of injury has that, even if you break a leg or something. For any other injury a player could technically still be named in a side.

 

[Xtreme]

Can't change the rules just to suit player ability.... what next - A high caliber player (Dusty, Dangerfield, Diacos) does an ACL in the prelim..... hey I know lets delay the 2025 grand final and play it back to back with the 2026 grand final - so that the player who did the ACL can participate.

Injuries happen, there will be hard luck stories as a result. It's one thing to mollycoddle primary school aged children, but having to do it for adults as well ? LOL

 

[Bluelegs]

Think about how much this week has been dominated by 'which player from struggling club X wants to move to top 4 team Y'. Then add a second full week for the media and footy industry to fill before the grand final. We might have all actually forgotten who is even playing by the time the match rolls around.



I think the bigger question is why is it that concussion is still viewed as different or lesser than other types of injury. It's always been the case that a player can pull a hammy, twist an ankle, in the prelim final, and it is a hard luck story if they miss the grand final as a result.

Stewart has literally injured his brain. Doctor's advice says that a minimum of 10 days, and sometimes longer is needed, to prevent him suffering further brain damage.

Yep, he's got a serious, potentially debilitating (and even life threatening) injury. It sucks that he will miss the grand final. A bye week won't fix that, and tbh, might make things worse. At least one week is a guaranteed 'miss' - Stewart is just definitely out now. In 14 days time? It becomes a doctor/Stewart decision and the pressure to make the wrong one (if he hasn't recovered) would be too great imo.

Concussions are different as they essentially incur a medical suspension.