Is the AFL becoming the premier league

[MC Gusto]

With free agency I don’t see the draft as the great leveller it once was. Salary cap is farcical with all the jobs for mates that the bigger clubs roll out. Any player worth his salt seems to want to get to the bigger clubs

Am I being melodramatic or are minnows like us destined for a future of bottom 8?

Noting the dogs have had success but they’ve also been ridiculously kissed on the dick with father son and nga etc

[ausfatcat]

add in no more priority picks based on performance really hampers bottom clubs to rise

[shanegrambeau]

I try not tho think about that stuff.

The amount of fringe benefits clubs (...eh..their associates) can bestow upon a potential recruit must be phenomenal.

Real estate, school scholarships, medical, legal discounts, to Immediate and extended family ...who knows...but then biggest of them all would be the introductions to fraternity and a network of ‘friends’ ...a prvialidged upper class in society that has will set them and their families up for life.

Obviously, not all players can leverage it..depending on background and depending on how they behave. Once they burn some of the bridges it might be a hard...

[The_Dud]

We make enough terrible decisions without the need of any outside factors.

[Yorkeys]

Yes.
Like to see a fair dinkum audit of Geelong and Richmond's salary caps.
Big 4, like the Premier league: Geelong, Collingwood, Richmond, Sydney. Then West Coast, more money than Gil and god.
The Premier league makes no pretence of having an even competition. AFL does but allows a skewed draw, tainted MRO system and outrageous transfers from expansion clubs to the biggies. That gets the broadcast and gambling bucks so nought will change.
Unless all the club supporters whose teams don't make the top 4 for 5 years running go on a quiet strike (we know that wont happen and so does Gill).
Perhaps a 7 team competition - 1 Qld, 1 NSW, 1 SA, 1 WA, 2 from Vic Metro and 1 from the Bellarine is the best model for the AFL and we the rest can go back to watching VFL.
Occasionally a Leicester or a Footscray comes along, but.

[bigcarl]

Looks like we are on the way to 20 clubs. Tassie, then Darwin I reckon. Good luck winning a premiership unless you are a big club or ridiculously lucky. So very EPL-like.

[bangaulegend]

I live in a Suburb in Perth they call "Little Britain" most of my neighbours are pom's & they often have a dig at me about the AFL system & how the rules are rewarding mediocrity . I try & tell them that is to even up the competition & give everyone a chance to succeed . I used to be very defensive about it but now I'm finding myself doubting the concept when all that seems to be happening is the rich/successful clubs somehow can attract/ afford all the available talent

[Saints58]

It is getting back to the 70s-80s when only a hand full of clubs won premierships it was when Carlton and there brown paper back full of cash bonus to big name recruiters was going on.
we struggled then almost went out of existence (except for some fantastic people with save our saints campaign) I can see the same thing happening unfortunately.
We are there to make up numbers, otherwise why do we get such a terrible draw each year and don't have block buster games.
Maybe the AFL should run with a 8 team comp then they can rig the draw and lets see what the other clubs do when that happens to them!

[Beno88]

Since 1999, every club has played a Grand Final except Gold Coast.

Since the competition expanded to 18 teams in 2012, 16 clubs have reached a Semi Final - only Gold Coast & Essendon have not.

As for the Premier League, since 1999 only 7 different clubs have finished top two.

Since 2012, only ten clubs have finished top 6.

The AFL is far more even than the EPL.

[Saints58]

With free agency I don’t see the draft as the great leveller it once was. Salary cap is farcical with all the jobs for mates that the bigger clubs roll out. Any player worth his salt seems to want to get to the bigger clubs

Am I being melodramatic or are minnows like us destined for a future of bottom 8?

Noting the dogs have had success but they’ve also been ridiculously kissed on the dick with father son and nga etc

unfortunately yes it is

[The_Dud]

Since 1999, every club has played a Grand Final except Gold Coast.

Since the competition expanded to 18 teams in 2012, 16 clubs have reached a Semi Final - only Gold Coast & Essendon have not.

As for the Premier League, since 1999 only 7 different clubs have finished top two.

Since 2012, only ten clubs have finished top 6.

The AFL is far more even than the EPL.

Stop making sense.

[shanegrambeau]

Since 1999, every club has played a Grand Final except Gold Coast.

Since the competition expanded to 18 teams in 2012, 16 clubs have reached a Semi Final - only Gold Coast & Essendon have not.

As for the Premier League, since 1999 only 7 different clubs have finished top two.

Since 2012, only ten clubs have finished top 6.

The AFL is far more even than the EPL.

Stop making sense.

Beno88
Just carpet bombed the premise on the topic. We will have to find another angle to bitch it.

[Devilhead]

I live in a Suburb in Perth they call "Little Britain" most of my neighbours are pom's & they often have a dig at me about the AFL system & how the rules are rewarding mediocrity . I try & tell them that is to even up the competition & give everyone a chance to succeed . I used to be very defensive about it but now I'm finding myself doubting the concept when all that seems to be happening is the rich/successful clubs somehow can attract/ afford all the available talent

All those Poms hanging crap will likely be all bandwigoners following one of the top 6 clubs in the EPL

Got a Pom mate living in Perth who is from Halifax (West Yorkshire) up in northern England but he follows Arsenal ..... go figure ...... got another who is from near Bath but follows Liverpool .....as I said Bandwagoners

Loads of Aussie mates who are of the same ilk ..... Chelsea, ManU, ManCity, Spurs ...... fkn bandwagoners

I am RWB Saints thru and thru ...... cmon Southampton

[freely]

Equalisation seems to have worked pretty well - geelong, Richmond, dogs, Dees - all lifted themselves off the mat in recent memory. We did too of course for our brief spell in the sun just without reaping the ultimate prize. Brisbane too had that miserable dip after their dynasty but have risen again, couple of years now nudging towards the top.

But as suggested by the OP it's at the cost of us turning into premier League-lite - albeit with a fraction of the money and none of the worldwide following.

[SinCitySainter]

The biggest issue hurting the AFL's equalization is the application of the salary cap.
First thing is forcing clubs with little talent to pay 95% of the cap meaning very average players are put onto contracts higher than their worth.
This is also extended to young players with potential but as it is only potential clubs will give them high contracts but for only short periods.
No long term contracts for young players just in case they don't develop as well as you would hope.
This keeps them in the sweet spot for when they come out of contract ready to be picked up by the richer, bigger clubs with more inventive usage of the salary cap.
Sorry, I do not believe all these players staying at Geelong and Richmond for a pittance of what over teams are offering.
The rumors floating around about the interest free loans for property deals being offered to Geelong players have been around for years but the AFL will never look into it.
GWS this year will a number of midfielders who were all first round draft picks and amazingly they are all going to Richmond and Geelong.

[SaintPav]

Since 1999, every club has played a Grand Final except Gold Coast.

Since the competition expanded to 18 teams in 2012, 16 clubs have reached a Semi Final - only Gold Coast & Essendon have not.

As for the Premier League, since 1999 only 7 different clubs have finished top two.

Since 2012, only ten clubs have finished top 6.

The AFL is far more even than the EPL.

Had to think a bit about the time we played our last SF.

[B.M]

The day one of the best Free Agents ever went to Richmond from a bottom side

The gap between the Haves and Have Nots was evident

Every player getting traded goes to either
Richmond
Geelong
Collingwood

No one gives a f*** about the minnows

[CQ SAINT]

Who watches the f****** EPL anyway. Id rather watch rugby union and have a good nap.

[chook23]

The day one of the best Free Agents ever went to Richmond from a bottom side

The gap between the Haves and Have Nots was evident

Every player getting traded goes to either
Richmond
Geelong
Collingwood

No one gives a f*** about the minnows

staff at Champion data agree

[ausfatcat]

PLayers want to make money or win premierships if our Reiwoldt Hayes era was five years later we would have been one of the goto clubs after free agency and would have been constant top 6, just bad timing.

[stevie]

I live in a Suburb in Perth they call "Little Britain" most of my neighbours are pom's & they often have a dig at me about the AFL system & how the rules are rewarding mediocrity . I try & tell them that is to even up the competition & give everyone a chance to succeed . I used to be very defensive about it but now I'm finding myself doubting the concept when all that seems to be happening is the rich/successful clubs somehow can attract/ afford all the available talent

All those Poms hanging crap will likely be all bandwigoners following one of the top 6 clubs in the EPL

Got a Pom mate living in Perth who is from Halifax (West Yorkshire) up in northern England but he follows Arsenal ..... go figure ...... got another who is from near Bath but follows Liverpool .....as I said Bandwagoners

Loads of Aussie mates who are of the same ilk ..... Chelsea, ManU, ManCity, Spurs ...... fkn bandwagoners

I am RWB Saints thru and thru ...... cmon Southampton

Good for you, Devil! I’ve followed Aston Villa since 1978. Was a random occurrence from nowhere after seeing them on Match Of The Day. Loved their colours, name and storied history