Premiership medals - has the AFL fixed this yet?

Oct 1, 2006
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Has the AFL fixed the issue of players who play a majority of a season missing out on a premiership medal because of injury/form going into the big one? I understand it is a medal for that one day in September, not for the 22 rounds plus finals before. However, all of the work about getting to have that shot occurs in the matches before. I find it unfair that someone who tries their heart out all year misses out often on the back of something that is out of their control. It seems in particular unfair to the players that miss out due to an injury in the games just before.

I know this has been talked about in previous years, however it seems people only bring it up in the week surrounding the GF. This will never be fixed if it is only considered then each year. What will it take for the AFL to take a more compassionate stance with this?

What does everyone else think? Or does anyone know if the AFL has actually done something about this?
 

estibador

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Mar 2, 2007
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I like the idea of keeping the real premiership medals for the players that actually played. After all, winning a premiership is all about players being able to perform on the big day when it really matters.

But maybe they could also hand out slightly different premiership squad medals to any player that played a game for the premiers that year. They deserve some recognition for their contribution to the team being in a position to win the premiership.
 
I think in just about every other comp in the world you get a medallion if you play x amount of games/races. Seems only fair to me, yes it is all about being able to perform on the day, but it is a long season, and those that contribute to the success of that season should get some recognition imo.
 
Dec 18, 2005
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I like the idea of keeping the real premiership medals for the players that actually played. After all, winning a premiership is all about players being able to perform on the big day when it really matters.

But maybe they could also hand out slightly different premiership squad medals to any player that played a game for the premiers that year. They deserve some recognition for their contribution to the team being in a position to win the premiership.
I think it should be if they played over a certain amount of games eg: 10
 
Dec 18, 2005
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Maybe a certificate/medal with your participation (games played) or some stats on it regarding their teams premiership years.

This way everyone gets one but some will hold more value because maybe they play 22 games and kicked heaps of goals that year but got injured for the gf.
 

High Voltage

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Aug 6, 2007
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If this is so important, do the clubs themselves do anything to acknowledge the rest of the squad?

I don't personally support official premiership medals to the squad. For every hard luck story, there would be a dozen "Aaron Keating" equivalents. If you put a limit on number of games, then the hard luck stories would be the player that missed by one or the champion that copped a knee injury in Round 3.

Let the clubs strike medals to recognise the rest of the squad, I say.
 

catfan29

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Jul 13, 2004
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Any player who playes 1 game should get a medal. A premiership is not earned by winning one game of football in Spetember it is the culmination of a seasons work and therefore each and every member of the team who played one or more games for that season should be awarded with a premiership medal.
 

hellfire

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I think it is a bit unfair. For example, if Geelong make it to the GF this year and win, and Gary Ablett gets injured in the PF, and someone who hasn't played a game all year comes in for him... absolute bullshit.
 
Sep 9, 2004
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I think it is a bit unfair. For example, if Geelong make it to the GF this year and win, and Gary Ablett gets injured in the PF, and someone who hasn't played a game all year comes in for him... absolute bullshit.

So Tony Modra should be a Premiership player?

Roo should have 2?

Let the clubs recognize the years effort
 

hype

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May 28, 2007
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Premiership squad medallion for everyone in the winning squad who played over 11 games (half the season is a pretty good benchmark?) in the season. Completely different to the premiership medallion. Will be designed for the club who wins. i.e. Eagles 2006 Premiers on the medal.
 

red+black

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Jock McHale is credited as being Collingwood's premiership coach in 1930 even though he wasn't at the game.
 

ashy_magpies

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Would you really want one if you didnt play on the big day??

Its like giving the brownlow to a player that looked like winning the thing before injury, maybe we should give all of those players a replica??:eek:

leave it as is for mine..
 

G.O.B

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Every player in a Futbol World Cup squad recieves a medal if thier country wins the final. This is regardless of whether they have played a game or not.
It is a team game and squad members are deemed to have contributed to the victory in other facets of a group effort.
Of course, a special place in history is reserved for the players that actually played in the final game but ALL efforts are recognised.
This has done nothing to diminish the value of the medal and should be introduced by the AFL.
Whether it's every listed member of the club or just reserved for players that played a game during the season is debatable but one of the 2 should be introduced.

e.g Players like Modra and Kickett should have some tangible reminder of thier contributions to a premiership year. Both players played all games leading up to the GF and for 2 different reasons both missed out on a premiership medallion.
 
Oct 1, 2006
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Jason McCartney contributed more to North's 1999 Premiership than Cam Mooney did but Cam Mooney has a Premiership medallion and Jase doesnt. It hardly seems fair.

That is my point exactly, there needs to be something for guys like that. I reckon if you play either 1 or maybe more than a certain amount of games (dunno yet, haven't really thought it out) each year then you get a medal. Maybe they should possibly call it something else, like a premiership squad medal, instead of premiership medal. I dunno, but there needs to be some official recognition from the AFL for the hard work of some of the 50% or so of a squad that miss out on the big game.

However, it is a big can of worms. Sampi played a fair few games last year, but was not deserving of the premiership medal, maybe a premiership squad medal. The year before however, if the Eagles won, Braun would be well deserving of a full premiership medal. Doing your knee in the game before the big one is just plain unfair. Maybe there should be a step down system. If you play 2/3 of games (including finals) you get a full medal. If you play at leat one you get a premiership squad medal. If you do **** all you get **** all.
 

BarcaRulz

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Would you really want one if you didnt play on the big day??

Its like giving the brownlow to a player that looked like winning the thing before injury, maybe we should give all of those players a replica??:eek:

leave it as is for mine..

Thats very different to the issue at hand. Take West Coast as an example. Last season Jaymie Graham played all the games in the lead up to the finals, but was then dropped during the finals series. That is very harsh on a player who has helped his team during all their games that season.

I believe that any player who plays over a specific amount of games should get the medal.
 

estibador

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If you're going to bring it in it has to be either all the players in the squad or every player who played at least 1 game.

It's a bit unfair to be drawing arbitrary cut off lines. Try telling the guy that played 9 games that his effort for the team isn't worth a medal but that his teammate who played 10 gets one.
 

High Voltage

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Aug 6, 2007
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If you're going to bring it in it has to be either all the players in the squad or every player who played at least 1 game.

It's a bit unfair to be drawing arbitrary cut off lines. Try telling the guy that played 9 games that his effort for the team isn't worth a medal but that his teammate who played 10 gets one.

Same issue though, regardless of the cut-off.

Why should a player who has played 3 minutes of one game pick up a medal when others have played all year?
Imagine, Round 20, Geelong have the minor premiership wrapped up, so they pick all the players who haven't played a game yet, so they could pick up a premiership medal should they win the flag? Ludicrous.

It's a point of discussion already when greats of the game miss out on a premiership as it is.
People regularly comment on Aaron Keating winning a flag in 1998 with just 3 games (6 total in his career).

Imagine adding the following to the list.
West Coast 2006: Mitch Morton 1 game, 11 possessions.
Sydney 2005: Stephen Doyle 1/7
Port Adelaide 2004: Brad Symes 1/3. Troy Chaplin 1/3
Brisbane 2003: Jason Gram, 2/9
Brisbane 2002: Darren Bradshaw, 1/3 (only game of his career)
Brisbane 2001: Ashley McGrath, 1/1
Essendon 2000: Mark Bolton 1/7, Mark McVeigh 1/2
Kangaroos 1999: Mark Roberts 1/2, Anthony Mellington 1/3, Stuart Cochrane 2/5.
Adelaide 1998: Linden Stevens 2/7
Adelaide 1997: Aaron Keating (again) 3/7 (making him a dual premiership player), Tom Gilligan 3/10, Mark Viska 2/18
Kangaroos 1996: Too many to mention, 11 players played 3 games or less, including Scott Welsh (1/0), Brett Harvey (1/1), Danny Stevens (1/3)
And so on.
 
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