Was looking up some records of early finals and one thing I noticed is how often the minor premier would drop their first final. Makes me think the finals prior to 1931 had quite a bit a tanking going on.
This seems to have come about as the minor premier had the right of challenge which basically meant if they did not make the final they could challenge the winner of it to a match to decide the season flag. This basically meant winning your first final as minor premier did not even matter to some extent. You got guaranteed a 50% chance of winning the flag. So over time it looks like as top teams caught on, the best idea was to lose your first final, then enjoy the next week off whilst two other teams play off in a final and the winner you challenge to the premiership after that. Clearly they decided making the other teams play more games and having a week off was the better way to get some advantage because if you win in week one you play the last game of season for flag the next weekend have no weeks rest from football over the other teams.
Interesting to see over the years how the double chance evolved from an original minor premier right to challenge to McIntyre system double chances which allowed for top best teams for six decades have two chances of reaching grand final which led to some exciting re-meetings in finals for top teams. Most leagues across the states and land have used those with the final four or five systems. So many club rivalries have stories of one team losing their first meeting earlier in finals and then coming back two weeks later to beat that team in the grand final. Rivalries in so many leagues are big on such stories.
When the league had double chances for two teams it did tend to lead to even more intense rivalries like Carlton and Richmond had in 1970s and early 80s, Hawks and North in 1970s and Essendon and Hawthorn across 1984 and 85. Are we missing something by the top teams only can likely to meet once in the final 8 systems?
It should be noted since the final 8 systems of 1994 and beyond there is no longer a double chance to reach the grand final. The only double chances now have been downgraded to a double chance to reach a preliminary final. Basically the minor premier has been reduced the reward it can get from 50% up to 1931, 37.5% from 1932 to 1990 and now down to 18.75% with the final 8 system.
Summary of how the more regular final four came about by Ken McIntyre on wiki entry
Page–McIntyre system (after 1931)
After having utilised three variations of the Argus system for thirty years, three clear drawbacks had emerged:
Most notably, the Page–McIntyre system removed the Minor Premiers' right to challenge, with the Minor Premier and the second-placed team receiving the advantage of a "double chance" that permitted either team to lose one match (excluding the Grand Final) without being eliminated.
This seems to have come about as the minor premier had the right of challenge which basically meant if they did not make the final they could challenge the winner of it to a match to decide the season flag. This basically meant winning your first final as minor premier did not even matter to some extent. You got guaranteed a 50% chance of winning the flag. So over time it looks like as top teams caught on, the best idea was to lose your first final, then enjoy the next week off whilst two other teams play off in a final and the winner you challenge to the premiership after that. Clearly they decided making the other teams play more games and having a week off was the better way to get some advantage because if you win in week one you play the last game of season for flag the next weekend have no weeks rest from football over the other teams.
Interesting to see over the years how the double chance evolved from an original minor premier right to challenge to McIntyre system double chances which allowed for top best teams for six decades have two chances of reaching grand final which led to some exciting re-meetings in finals for top teams. Most leagues across the states and land have used those with the final four or five systems. So many club rivalries have stories of one team losing their first meeting earlier in finals and then coming back two weeks later to beat that team in the grand final. Rivalries in so many leagues are big on such stories.
When the league had double chances for two teams it did tend to lead to even more intense rivalries like Carlton and Richmond had in 1970s and early 80s, Hawks and North in 1970s and Essendon and Hawthorn across 1984 and 85. Are we missing something by the top teams only can likely to meet once in the final 8 systems?
It should be noted since the final 8 systems of 1994 and beyond there is no longer a double chance to reach the grand final. The only double chances now have been downgraded to a double chance to reach a preliminary final. Basically the minor premier has been reduced the reward it can get from 50% up to 1931, 37.5% from 1932 to 1990 and now down to 18.75% with the final 8 system.
Summary of how the more regular final four came about by Ken McIntyre on wiki entry
Page–McIntyre system (after 1931)
After having utilised three variations of the Argus system for thirty years, three clear drawbacks had emerged:
- Firstly, the uncertainty regarding whether there would be three or four finals had resulted in the attendances at the semi-finals exceeding the attendance at the Grand Final in nine of the 29 seasons that the format was used.
- Secondly, the minor premier was now seen to have too much advantage through its right to challenge to the point where losing the second semi-final could be seen as a preferable route to a premiership, as the loss allowed for a week's rest, while a win would require playing the following week.
- Thirdly, there was a clear financial benefit to the clubs involved for a Challenge Final to be played, as it resulted in an extra match with extra gate takings, and it was a common perception that clubs would contrive results to achieve this, which had led to concern amongst fans and officials that the Semi-Finals were not genuine contests.
Most notably, the Page–McIntyre system removed the Minor Premiers' right to challenge, with the Minor Premier and the second-placed team receiving the advantage of a "double chance" that permitted either team to lose one match (excluding the Grand Final) without being eliminated.
