The Finals Bye Round

[OffTheBit]

It was pretty boring apart from the Legends match on Firday night. If they could have 3 or 4 of those over the weekend to fill it in it would be much more enjoyable in not only my opinion, but the opinion of others I have spoken to since. Wasnt as fun watching the 5th or 6th replay of the same one late Saturday night.

 

[queensberryrules]

It took the bye to remind me why I should never have married and that my kids are tossers.

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[iluvparis]

Mmm, I'm not so sure. Richmond's finals run last year could definitely mount a case for the bye being a momentum killer. They were clearly the better team coming into the PF, all signs pointed to them winning but they came out flat after playing 1 game in 3 weeks. We came out full of fire having traveled West but getting done in a close one, coming back and building some momentum against GWS and then rolling it over into the next week.

Bye - Game - Bye - Game vs. Bye - Game - Game - Game.

Considering the majority of the year is 21 games straight, I don't think it's farfetched to suggest that the alternating playing and bye might distrupt teams. Like I said earlier though, the momentum factor is also combined with the fact it just really diminishes the value and reward of earning the bye in the 2nd round of finals. How much more valuable and welcomed is the bye if you hadn't had a break since mid-season compared to 2 weeks prior?

Providing you stay relatively injury free, I think there's a big possibly that playing straight through is the better option.

Yeah the double bye really hurt the Tigers in the 2017 final series.

 

[Gaben]

Yeah the double bye really hurt the Tigers in the 2017 final series.

Ah, I guess that settles it then. Very well thought out rebuttal to a point I didn't even make.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I imagine one of the undeclared reasons for the bye round is for risk management ...

... ie: should the AFL ever have to cancel a game again (eg: Phil Walsh RIP )

The bye allows the AFL the contingency of postponing a H&A game until ‘round 24’ thus meeting its contractual arrangements to broadcasters, sponsors, etc, etc.