The big 4 clubs and the AFL's future

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Wonder if the OP is a Chelsea supporter.

None of the "traditional" "Big 4" EPL clubs finished in the Top 2 this year, and, god forbid, a non "Big 4" club won the title, the same team that avoided relegation by a whisker last season! Oh noes!!

Even funnier - Tottenham finally finished above the "Big 4" for the first time in a lot of years and they still didn't win the title.

A review must be conducted as to why Manchester United didn't win the title and why Chelsea were so s**t this year so it doesn't happen again.
 
cleomenes said:
With Carlton, Collingwood. Essendon and Richmond entrenched in the bottom third of the ladder, there should be real concerns for the future of the code.
Carlton and Essendon are there because of penalties for cheating, and it could be argued that they deserve it. Collingwood and Richmond are there because of their own decisions to some extent. For the AFL, the concern has to be that these four teams carry the bulk of the rusted on supporters of the code, and their extended occupancy of the lower reaches must have severe effects on revenue and general support for football.
The expansion clubs are the problem, because they have little support, and what they have is ephemeral. OK when they are successful, but non existant when they are not.
The AFL has looked to recruiting as the solution. The draft was introduced to remedy the problems of power clubs having access to the best talent through their financial strength, minising the chances of success for the others. To expand, the draft was compromised for years to give the new clubs a chance. The former power clubs have been forced down by lack of talent when they chose, and smetimes poor or unlucky choices with what they did get.
Now, the draft is further compromised by acadamies and father son rules. Future trading of draft picks is fraught too. If there is going to be a draft, and it seems necessary to reduce the effects of wealth, then it should be exactly what teh simplest version would suggest. A selection based on reverse ladder position with rigorous prevention of cheating. No acadamies and no father son rules.
The other aspect of acadamies, that they bring in talented players that might not otherwise choose the code, needs an AFL controlled administration that brings on these players in non AFL states.

There are many problems here, and a clear program to solve tehm needs to be prepared. If it is not, then the collapse of the melbourne supporter base that carries the AFL can be expected. A Tasmanian team is an essential part of this, to regain the pathway that once drew most Tasmanian athletes to football. There is probably not a lot of time left for this.
Click to expand...

Perhaps another way to look at this is:

The traditional 'big-4' are performing poorly. However the AFL is still thriving across a number of measures. How much will this increase once these clubs are all peaking at the same time!

Richmond imo is a club that will be struggling for support in a decade or so. They have had very limited success in the last few decades meaning that they would have had very very little people start following them purely because they were winning. Id be very interested to see an age comparison of all the clubs members.

Tasmania needs a team, not just for Tasmanians, but also to bring a huge amount of extra spiciness to the AFL! In my belief, a new team would be instantaneously successful off the field. The Queensland Maroons are the team the rest of Australia supports in the rugby league. Tasmania will be the team people from overseas support when visiting Australia.
 

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Heardy_101 said:
Wonder if the OP is a Chelsea supporter.

None of the "traditional" "Big 4" EPL clubs finished in the Top 2 this year, and, god forbid, a non "Big 4" club won the title, the same team that avoided relegation by a whisker last season! Oh noes!!

Even funnier - Tottenham finally finished above the "Big 4" for the first time in a lot of years and they still didn't win the title.

A review must be conducted as to why Manchester United didn't win the title and why Chelsea were so s**t this year so it doesn't happen again.
Click to expand...
Doesn't need a review as unlike the AFL clubs are allowed to buy their way out of the mess and aren't punished for being well off.
 
Only Carlton and Essendon have embraced a rebuild. Tigers and Collingwood not embraced theirs yet so we may not see the Big four playing together in finals in future but would love if The big four was making top four for a decade -- the competition will take off like a rocket ship.
 
pinot said:
Only Carlton and Essendon have embraced a rebuild. Tigers and Collingwood not embraced theirs yet so we may not see the Big four playing together in finals in future but would love if The big four was making top four for a decade -- the competition will take off like a rocket ship.
Click to expand...
I dispute this. It'd be great for the supporters of the clubs involved - who doesn't love watching their side in a blockbuster game? - but I don't think it would be great for the league as a whole. The league *did* used to look like this, with the big clubs taking home the cup at the end of every year, and it became bankrupt, unsustainable. Football needs a spread of success.
 
pinot said:
Only Carlton and Essendon have embraced a rebuild. Tigers and Collingwood not embraced theirs yet so we may not see the Big four playing together in finals in future but would love if The big four was making top four for a decade -- the competition will take off like a rocket ship.
Click to expand...
Carlton & Essendon have embraced rebuilds in the past, it's when they get impatient and try to speed up the process that it all goes to hell.
 
Ice-Wolf said:
Carlton & Essendon have embraced rebuilds in the past, it's when they get impatient and try to speed up the process that it all goes to hell.
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Agreed - Pratt was good for us in hindsight keeping Josh Kennedy would have been good - but Judd and Amfield have been good too and West Coast won no flag during that time either. I think with SOS and Bolts doing it right this time.
 
iameviljez said:
I dispute this. It'd be great for the supporters of the clubs involved - who doesn't love watching their side in a blockbuster game? - but I don't think it would be great for the league as a whole. The league *did* used to look like this, with the big clubs taking home the cup at the end of every year, and it became bankrupt, unsustainable. Football needs a spread of success.
Click to expand...

Geelong struggles to get 40k crowds
 

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Ron The Bear said:
Might shock you to know the games invested in U21's after seven rounds.

29 Essendon
27 Richmond
26 Collingwood
10 Carlton
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Rebuild doesnt just apply to youth. Essendon have been forced into rebuilding their list by suspensions, Carlton rebuilt their list through both youth and trade, in the process recruiting 15 new players. The people being played by Collingwood are mostly due to injury more than any actual rebuild.
 
The_Wookie said:
Rebuild doesnt just apply to youth. Essendon have been forced into rebuilding their list by suspensions, Carlton rebuilt their list through both youth and trade, in the process recruiting 15 new players. The people being played by Collingwood are mostly due to injury more than any actual rebuild.
Click to expand...

Agree that there are different kinds of rebuilds, but the accepted definition is "playing the kids". You could say Watters tried to rebuild at St.Kilda after he introduced 18 new senior players in two years, but I'd say he was pottering around rather than rebuilding.
 
walhawk said:
Actually those four clubs being down is the best thing to happen.
They will always have a strong, large and loyal membership.
It gives the other clubs a chance to thrive.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

Leicester winning the EPL (convincingly, and on the smallest budget in the EPL if I recall correctly) the best thing for the competition. West Ham finishing high on the table (but still outside the top 5) was a good result as well. Bournemouth also did a lot better than many expected them too, and I hope Middleborough and Burnley compete well next season.
 
You are all saying Carlton cheated. So you aren't going to say North Melbourne cheated in the 70's where they bought Blight, Cable, Rantell, Barrassi (coach) etc. or Richmond when they got players. Carlton may have bought players, but everyone else did it at the time or at leased tried to, everyone who doesn't barrack for Carlton is just JELOUS that we did it better than anyone. It was actually fact that everyone wanted to be like Carlton at the time. Essendon cheated the salary cap in 93 and won the flag, but weren't caught, it is just because the AFL hates Carlton so much that they penalized us so much.
 
Dadadadaaaaaa said:
You are all saying Carlton cheated. So you aren't going to say North Melbourne cheated in the 70's where they bought Blight, Cable, Rantell, Barrassi (coach) etc. or Richmond when they got players. Carlton may have bought players, but everyone else did it at the time or at leased tried to, everyone who doesn't barrack for Carlton is just JELOUS that we did it better than anyone. It was actually fact that everyone wanted to be like Carlton at the time. Essendon cheated the salary cap in 93 and won the flag, but weren't caught, it is just because the AFL hates Carlton so much that they penalized us so much.
Click to expand...

Hahahaha....

Oh pumpkin....
 
Dadadadaaaaaa said:
You are all saying Carlton cheated. So you aren't going to say North Melbourne cheated in the 70's where they bought Blight, Cable, Rantell, Barrassi (coach) etc. or Richmond when they got players. Carlton may have bought players, but everyone else did it at the time or at leased tried to, everyone who doesn't barrack for Carlton is just JELOUS that we did it better than anyone. It was actually fact that everyone wanted to be like Carlton at the time. Essendon cheated the salary cap in 93 and won the flag, but weren't caught, it is just because the AFL hates Carlton so much that they penalized us so much.
Click to expand...
You sure you're not a Richmond supporter?
 
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