Game Day Running an AFL Season in a short amount of time

[wizardwaffle]

The time that the AFL will have to run a season for 2020 will quickly run out. To run what they are saying they will run, a 17 round season would have to start by September to finish by December. This is not saying that the players will not have any trouble with playing football until Christmas time. What is required is a quick season that will provide a premiership winner. I have worked out a shorted AFL season, with five home and away rounds with the first all ready completed. The competition would be divided into three groups of six teams. Each team will play the other teams in their group once.

After the five rounds the top two from each group will play finals. The results for the six finalists over the home and away season would be put together in a combined Ladder. So then the teams will be ranked first to sixth.

Over the three weeks of finals, first you will have two Elimination Finals between the bottom four teams. The winners advance to the Semi-Finals where they play the top two teams. The winners of these advanced to the Grand Final.

To quickly divide the competition up, I took the first three games as Group 1, the second three games as Group 2, and the final three games as Group 3. With one game already completed, the other four will have to be played, then the three weeks of finals. The below graphic shows how the season will run. With a season restarting in September we could have a Premier by October, and enough time for players to rest in the off season before they start the 2021 AFL Premiership Season.

There are problems with this idea, but it gets a season done in eight weeks (five home and away rounds and three weeks of finals)

 

[Red Bull]

Seasons done ...

 

[The King!]

the afl would be more likely to just play 7 days a week to get it done than change format

 

[kaiserchief13]

5 game season and 3 game finals series??

 

[BIRDBRAIN]

They can do something like that to get some TV money if they want but no way that should count as an AFL Premiership. Call it the Patrick Dangerfield's Wallet Cup.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

AFL season won’t start until any of the major world sports comps start back

 

[The Nostradamus]

AFL season won’t start until any of the major world sports comps start back

National comps like basketball, AFL, nrl will start before international comps tennis, cricket, golf, F1

 

[JayJ20]

I appreciate the effort you put into the idea, but that simply cannot be counted as a legitimate premiership. It has to be a minimum of 17 rounds for it to be a legitimate premiership. 8-0 counted as an undefeated season? Nope.

 

[wizardwaffle]

Let's go back to the 1916 Premiership Season. A season during World War One. Held over twelve home and away rounds and three weeks of finals. After the home and away rounds Fitzroy was last with 2 1/2 wins. But with four teams playings in the league that season, all four played finals. Fitzroy won three finals to win the premiership.

I place this idea here to put the idea out there. It is an idea to get a season done and quickly. We don't know how many weeks we will have to play a season this year. This is an idea for the only eight weeks. If we get more weeks, then it will be good.

The idea to play more than three matches in nine days was for when their was no crowds. It didn't include matches with crowds which we will hopefully have for matches when they go ahead again.

 

[The Nostradamus]

I appreciate the effort you put into the idea, but that simply cannot be counted as a legitimate premiership. It has to be a minimum of 17 rounds for it to be a legitimate premiership. 8-0 counted as an undefeated season? Nope.

To be fair it’s what the aflw 14 team comp looks like Conferences 8 rounds then finals

Would have a serious asterisk but if we can only start in say September/October then this is one way to get a season in

 

[Linda Lovelace]

The one thing they need to avoid is compromising any games in the 'regular' season to shoehorn in a top 8 finals series. The Grand Final should just be a straight up first vs second deal. No semis or prelims required. This gives as much room as possible to play the 17 games that would somewhat legitimize the regular season.

A situtation where a team ends up winning a flag playing 18 games, but hasn't played 3 teams and has played 3 other teams twice would be unnecessarily farcical.

 

[Kappa]

I appreciate the effort you put into the idea, but that simply cannot be counted as a legitimate premiership. It has to be a minimum of 17 rounds for it to be a legitimate premiership. 8-0 counted as an undefeated season? Nope.

But premierships won during world war 2 where the wooden spooners won the premiership are legitimate?

 

[Ando727]

I'd rather they just cancel it than do a mad scramble to decide the flag. Wouldn't even be looked at as a proper premiership.

 

[JayJ20]

But premierships won during world war 2 where the wooden spooners won the premiership are legitimate?

That's not ideal, but there were only 4 teams. 4 team comp vs an 18 team comp. 4 team comp had 12 rounds. 18 team comp has 5 rounds? Nope.

Anyone can go on a 4-5 game winning streak.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Something like the OP suggesting is like a NAB Cup tournament on steroids.
Winning side will be like Saints lifting the Wok.
Roll on 2021.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Something like the OP suggesting is like a NAB Cup tournament on steroids.
Winning side will be like Saints lifting the Wok.
Roll on 2021.

The argument is the revenue it will generate to clawback losses over the year in a short time

But yes it would be a tainted flag