This has to be the biggest problem in football right now and made even more glaring on the weekend.
We currently have a situation where the difference between top 4 and missing finals altogether looks like being only 4 points. And yet we have fixture with 5 double up games where some teams will play 3-4 of those double up games against top 8 sides and other teams may well play only 0-1 of those games against top 8 sides. This problem has always been there but made much worse now given there is only 5 double up games where there used to be a lot more and thus harder to make it unbalanced.
Not only is this incredibly unjust but it means the finals won’t have all the best teams in them nor in their right positions. There is too much randomness so we will end up with more lopsided finals results as the best team may play the 4th best team in the gf rather then the second best. Or worse yet the best team may miss out altogether cos they didn’t even make top 4 and played an interstate knockout final (the best team has never been unbeatable, not in any season in vfl history, so losing one game doesn’t make them not the best team).
The second problem with the fixture is that bottom teams are getting their usual end of season floggings against finals aspirants. Finals aspirants tend to be better teams but when you add in the fact they have everything to play for whilst bottom teams don’t we get smashing that aren’t reflective of the true difference between the sides. There is nothing to provide hope for the bottom sides. Sunday’s results were a joke and should make us fans angry.
These problems could easily be fixed. 17-5 was one such proposal that fixes these problems and yet we as fans don’t embrace it. Why? A couple of reasons I’ve noted:
We reject it cos we usually make the mistake of comparing it to our version of the perfect system rather then the present system.
When we do compare it to the present system we usually blow up the small flaws out of proportion and largely ignore the significant benefits. In part because we oddly are happy with massive flaws if we think they have always been there and get more angry at small flaws when they haven’t been there.
We embrace cliches like all changes are bad or are about money and don’t rationally evaluate each proposed change on its merits. This change is very good and actually is about taking money out of the fixture and focusing on fairness yet I’ve heard the opposite said about it
17-5 isn’t the only realistic option that improves upon the current system. We need to embrace the better systems. Not cos they are perfect but because they are better then the status quo and the status quo is deeply flawed.
This is the greatest problem of the game. It’s time to stand up as fans and ask for it to be fixed. To stand up for fairness, integrity and hope. To make the game what it should be.
We currently have a situation where the difference between top 4 and missing finals altogether looks like being only 4 points. And yet we have fixture with 5 double up games where some teams will play 3-4 of those double up games against top 8 sides and other teams may well play only 0-1 of those games against top 8 sides. This problem has always been there but made much worse now given there is only 5 double up games where there used to be a lot more and thus harder to make it unbalanced.
Not only is this incredibly unjust but it means the finals won’t have all the best teams in them nor in their right positions. There is too much randomness so we will end up with more lopsided finals results as the best team may play the 4th best team in the gf rather then the second best. Or worse yet the best team may miss out altogether cos they didn’t even make top 4 and played an interstate knockout final (the best team has never been unbeatable, not in any season in vfl history, so losing one game doesn’t make them not the best team).
The second problem with the fixture is that bottom teams are getting their usual end of season floggings against finals aspirants. Finals aspirants tend to be better teams but when you add in the fact they have everything to play for whilst bottom teams don’t we get smashing that aren’t reflective of the true difference between the sides. There is nothing to provide hope for the bottom sides. Sunday’s results were a joke and should make us fans angry.
These problems could easily be fixed. 17-5 was one such proposal that fixes these problems and yet we as fans don’t embrace it. Why? A couple of reasons I’ve noted:
We reject it cos we usually make the mistake of comparing it to our version of the perfect system rather then the present system.
When we do compare it to the present system we usually blow up the small flaws out of proportion and largely ignore the significant benefits. In part because we oddly are happy with massive flaws if we think they have always been there and get more angry at small flaws when they haven’t been there.
We embrace cliches like all changes are bad or are about money and don’t rationally evaluate each proposed change on its merits. This change is very good and actually is about taking money out of the fixture and focusing on fairness yet I’ve heard the opposite said about it
17-5 isn’t the only realistic option that improves upon the current system. We need to embrace the better systems. Not cos they are perfect but because they are better then the status quo and the status quo is deeply flawed.
This is the greatest problem of the game. It’s time to stand up as fans and ask for it to be fixed. To stand up for fairness, integrity and hope. To make the game what it should be.
