Fair Fixture.

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

Now that the competition has 18 teams with 2 teams from WA, SA, NSW, QLD surely the AFL can create a fair fixture with every team playing each other once and every team travelling the same amount.

Teams playing 22 rounds is extremely uneven as we all know so lets cut the season back to 17 rounds. If the AFL want more blockbusters just play more finals maybe a best of 3 finals series?

Usually by round 17 we know the teams who wont be playing finals and they've sent their stars away for surgery so their's no harm in finishing the season at Round 17 for the sruggling clubs and i'm sure we would find the top 8 teams after each team had played each other once would be an accurate reflection of the best teams.

So for instance in 2013 St Kilda could play
West Coast Home
Fremantle Away
Port Adelaide Home
Adelaide Away
Sydney Home
GWS Away
Gold Coast Home
Brisbane Away

Season 2014 would then swap and we would play Freo, Crows, gws, lions Home and Eagles, Power, Swans, Suns away.

This would happen every year with each Vic club travelling the same amount of times and alternating which team they play at home.

I'm sure this fixture would be fairest for all and i'd be excited to see more quality games towards the end of the year with more finals being played in a best of 3 series,

Thoughts?

[saint6]

sounds great but wont happen - or at least the part about alternating home and away games when playing interstate clubs
still want 22 rounds but no reason that the afl cannot allocate the same number of trips interstate to all melbourne based clubs
And also we need some compensation for travelling to new zealand for one of our home games

[bigcarl]

I'd go for it definitely, but unfortunately the AFL is too greedy to consider it.

It considers maximising crowds and TV deals way more important than a fair draw.

[matrix]

funny
we all whine that the pies have 16 games at the G every year
but its the other teams that actually request to play them there so they can get some decent coin
same reason the afl agrees to most of the lower teams playing the pies at the G

more coin

it will never change
there will never be a draw
it will always be a fixture

[oh when the]

So interstate clubs don't want a home game against pies
I reckon they would

[borderbarry]

I still believe that the only fair way to organize an AFL Fixture is to split the teams into two groups, 9 teams in each. Each team plays the other 8 teams in their group twice (16 games), and the other groups teams once, a total of 23 games. There would need to be four interstate teams in each group.
I cant think of a fairer system.

[Life Long Saint]

I still believe that the only fair way to organize an AFL Fixture is to split the teams into two groups, 9 teams in each. Each team plays the other 8 teams in their group twice (16 games), and the other groups teams once, a total of 23 games. There would need to be four interstate teams in each group.
I cant think of a fairer system.

I think you've miscounted...

Your own group: 2 x 8 = 16.
The other group: 1 x 9 = 9.

16 + 9 = 25.

But that's OK...It's still achievable. You scrap the NAB cup (or reduce it by two weeks and call them "regional challenges" - read practice match.)
The other obstacle is the AFLPA demanding that the workload on the current players is too high and we need two byes. That can easily be achieved by forcing teams to manage their list and have players play a maximum of 23 H&A games. In short, clubs would have to rest their players in two matches over the course of the season.

The only debate would be the grouping of teams.

My suggestion is that all the non-Victorian teams go into one group giving:
Adelaide
Brisbane
Fremantle
Gold Coast
GWS
Port Adelaide
Sydney
West Coast
with the last spot going to the Kangaroos

In the other group are all the other Victorian teams.

This provides the AFL to maximise the revenue by keeping all the block busters...the local derby, showdown, q-clash, etc are all played twice whilst all the big Victorian clubs play twice.

Each Victorian team will travel once each to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Whilst the non-Vic clubs travel every second week anyway so there is no change for them.

[borderbarry]

16 + 9 = 25. Yep. I miscounted.


But a better fixture would result if Collingwood replaced North Melbourne in the interstate group, to make up for the lack of travel from previous times.

[Life Long Saint]

16 + 9 = 25. Yep. I miscounted.


But a better fixture would result if Collingwood replaced North Melbourne in the interstate group, to make up for the lack of travel from previous times.

That would be a great revenge fixture but the bastards travel so well it would probably help them!

[plugger66]

The only fair way is 34 games and that will never happen. 17 isnt even fair and I for one dont want less footy. No way. We cant play more than 22 games as we dont have the grounds and even if they got rid of the NAB cup they sill need practice games. people can whinge all they like but the fixture cant be fair with 22 games. it is that simple. You can come up with any method you like but it wont be a fair one.

[Life Long Saint]

The only fair way is 34 games and that will never happen. 17 isnt even fair and I for one dont want less footy. No way. We cant play more than 22 games as we dont have the grounds and even if they got rid of the NAB cup they sill need practice games. people can whinge all they like but the fixture cant be fair with 22 games. it is that simple. You can come up with any method you like but it wont be a fair one.

Agreed that the only fair way is 34 weeks. But we can play more than 22 rounds...Pretty sure that we played 24 rounds in 2011 and 23 rounds in 2012. currently each team only plays 22 games.

The issue that most people have with the fixture is that the process is not transparent. It is contrived for maximising revenue. You can still produce a fixture that achieves that outcome without the secrecy.

In the proposal above you need 25 weeks of H&A (one more than the 2011 season). The AFL have just struck a deal with Cricket Victoria to play some games at the Junction oval so the MCG can be available earlier. We also have Etihad and Kardinia Park if needed. In other states you have the Adelaide Oval, Footy Park, SCG, Homebush, Blacktown, Canberra, Bellerive Oval, York Park and Subiaco....Lots of options to get us through the early weeks.

By splitting the comp into two pools you have an understood process and maximise the revenue. Each Victorian team would travel the same amount as other Victorian teams. It would be a much better system than the one we currently have.

[Zed]

The only fair way is 34 games and that will never happen. 17 isnt even fair and I for one dont want less footy. No way. We cant play more than 22 games as we dont have the grounds and even if they got rid of the NAB cup they sill need practice games. people can whinge all they like but the fixture cant be fair with 22 games. it is that simple. You can come up with any method you like but it wont be a fair one.

3 groups of 6 based on ladder position at end of last season ie Top 6 teams, middle 6 teams , bottom 6 teams.

Play every team once then every team in your group a 2nd time. 22 games.

Gives the bottom 6 a chance to move up the ladder, gives the top 6 the hardest draw.

Unfortunaly will never happen because of blockbuster arrangements and other commercial decisions.

[Zed]

And also won't happen because too tempting to tank if you are in the 10-14th spots on the ladder with a few games to and can't make the 8.

[Sainter_Dad]

Mentioned this before:

Each Team plays all other teams once between Round 1 and 17
At the end of Round 17 the league is split into Sections for (mini) Final Series

Draft positions would be fixed at the end of Round 17

Top 8 play each other once more (Section A)
Bottom 10 play 7 of the remaining 9 teams (Section B)

Top 7 of Section A fill positions 1 - 7 of the Final Series
Lowest finisher from Section A drops out of the finals race

Top Finisher from Section B is elevated to the Final Series

Standard Finals Series then applies
1-4
2-3
5-8
6-7

Benefits
Removes tanking as the draft order is fixed at Round 17 when teams will still be 'live'
Keeps interest in the season for the Section B as one team will still make the finals
Ensures that most teams playing finals will have had competitive games up to the finals
Guarantees blockbusters in the weeks leading up to the finals

I have not heard of this being proposed but it may have been.

[plugger66]

The only fair way is 34 games and that will never happen. 17 isnt even fair and I for one dont want less footy. No way. We cant play more than 22 games as we dont have the grounds and even if they got rid of the NAB cup they sill need practice games. people can whinge all they like but the fixture cant be fair with 22 games. it is that simple. You can come up with any method you like but it wont be a fair one.

3 groups of 6 based on ladder position at end of last season ie Top 6 teams, middle 6 teams , bottom 6 teams.

Play every team once then every team in your group a 2nd time. 22 games.

Gives the bottom 6 a chance to move up the ladder, gives the top 6 the hardest draw.

Unfortunaly will never happen because of blockbuster arrangements and other commercial decisions.

And that should never happen. Imagine the tanking to get into the bottom 6 once you knew you couldnt play finals. It would be a joke. Any idea we come up with is compromised. I would rather have 22 games that deliver the most recenue so that TV rights dont drop because if they do clubs will go. It is that simple. Still cant think of to many GF winners that actually won due to their great draw. We had a very good draw this year and couldnt even make the finals because we just werent quite good enough.