2024 McClelland Trophy

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2023 Club Champions: Melbourne, having recently won AFL and AFLW flags
2024 Club Champions: Brisbane?? having recently won AFL and AFLW flags

The system works. (tbc)
 
Hawthorn now ON TOP of the Club Champion ladder with just 2 rounds to go, following Brisbane's capitulation today.

If the Hawks manage to hold on, it'd be the most unexpected millionaire story since the slumdog kid. But they still have games vs Richmond and Melbourne who (in their current incarnation) are better than any team Hawthorn have beaten this year.

So it's no sure thing, and you can expect the Lions to keep the heat on with should-wins vs Sydney and St Kilda. What a thriller!
 

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Hawthorn now ON TOP of the Club Champion ladder with just 2 rounds to go, following Brisbane's capitulation today.

If the Hawks manage to hold on, it'd be the most unexpected millionaire story since the slumdog kid. But they still have games vs Richmond and Melbourne who (in their current incarnation) are better than any team Hawthorn have beaten this year.

So it's no sure thing, and you can expect the Lions to keep the heat on with should-wins vs Sydney and St Kilda. What a thriller!
Yes, Hawks have had a very soft draw. Big challenges ahead. Both 50-50 games.
 
I haven’t been a fan of the criteria for winning the McCllelland Trophy since Melbourne won it last year. Having something to award the best achieving club of the year is a fabulous concept. But at the moment the concept is executed poorly as it doesn’t award what we expect it to. Last year, Brisbane were Grand finalist in the Men’s and Premiers in the women’s. Clearly the best club in the land in 2023. Melbourne M and W teams both got knocked out in the semis last year, yet won the award due to having the highest overall performance in home and away season. What does the McClelland trophy stand for? It stands for the best home and away season performing club. Or otherwise known as the club who performs best when the draw is inequitable and doesn’t count. Bit of a joke really.
 
I haven’t been a fan of the criteria for winning the McCllelland Trophy since Melbourne won it last year. Having something to award the best achieving club of the year is a fabulous concept. But at the moment the concept is executed poorly as it doesn’t award what we expect it to. Last year, Brisbane were Grand finalist in the Men’s and Premiers in the women’s. Clearly the best club in the land in 2023. Melbourne M and W teams both got knocked out in the semis last year, yet won the award due to having the highest overall performance in home and away season. What does the McClelland trophy stand for? It stands for the best home and away season performing club. Or otherwise known as the club who performs best when the draw is inequitable and doesn’t count. Bit of a joke really.
Not to mention the impact of having a comparitively cushy AFLW draw (where sides play just 10 sides out of 17), with each of those matches worth double (!) the points of an AFL men's game.
 
Bit of a joke the Lions don’t have it, but still amazing to see the improvement from both our men’s and women’s program this year.
Not really. It has always been a H&A award. Brisbane only finished 2 points ahead in the AFL and are now 4 points behind in the AFLW

The main argument would be about the fixtures in AFLW although Brisbane could end up playing just 2 top 8 teams while Hawthorn get 3
 
The only reason it was changed to that is now no longer true. You can be sure the original concept for the Club Championship is back and here to stay, hooray!


It's something that has been done in Australia for 100+ years. Not just footy but certainly also cricket, rugby and hockey.
And I thought the Mclelland was a combination of seniors, reserves and under 19s (double ppoints for seniors + regular points for reserves + half points for U19). Not just "minor premier"
 
I don't understand the reasoning for bringing back a trophy and making it irrelevant, if brisbane were to go on to win the AFLW grand final this year how can they not be considered the best club this year.
If the hawks win it this year under the current rules good luck to them but the AFL are setting this once important trophy up to be a laughing stock they should have done something after last season had the same problem ,points should be awarded for finals or get rid of it,there is a reason we play finals to find the best.
 

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The main argument would be about the fixtures in AFLW although Brisbane could end up playing just 2 top 8 teams while Hawthorn get 3
You conveniently leave out the fact Hawthorn won’t play a team in the top 4? Should be called the ‘Inequitable best home and away club award’. Joke of an award while there isn’t an award for the actual best club of the year…

Melbourne won it last year as supposedly best club in the land. We all know how that played out over the off-season.

Comparable to the men’s season having a minor premier with no premier, or awarding the premiership to 1st on the ladder and then having a finals series to decide minor premiers
 
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You conveniently leave out the fact Hawthorn won’t play a team in the top 4? Should be called the ‘Inequitable best home and away club award’. Joke of an award while there isn’t an award for the actual best club of the year…

Comparable to the men’s season having a minor premier with no premier
Hawthorn played Adelaide who are top 4 and play Freo and Richmond who are 5th and 6th with all of them away. Brisbane will have played North and Adelaide both at home.
 
Craig Starcevic has weighed in on the finals debate, saying why on earth are we awarding the trophy for home and away, as if we were the English Premier Leagu?

Brisbane Lions were the best club last year. Everyone in our game viewed the Melbourne men and women’s seasons as failures. Yet Melbourne won a ‘trophy’ and 1 million dollars for something that is not valued in our game.

Best club this year will be determined by the AFLW Finals performances. Trophy or no trophy. End of story.
 
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Craig Starcevic has weighed in on the finals debate, saying why on earth are we awarding the trophy for home and away, as if we were the English Premier League.

Brisbane Lions were the best club last year. Melbourne won a ‘trophy’ for something that is not valued in our game.

Best club will be determined by the AFLW Finals performances. Trophy or no trophy. End of story.

He started the debate. Mclelland has a long history never including finals

Win the AFLW flag as well as the men’s, but still sour you don’t get a trophy no one remembers . Must be about the dosh, or he wouldn’t give a toss
 
Craig Starcevic has weighed in on the finals debate, saying why on earth are we awarding the trophy for home and away, as if we were the English Premier Leagu?

Brisbane Lions were the best club last year. Melbourne won a ‘trophy’ for something that is not valued in our game.

Best club will be determined by the AFLW Finals performances. Trophy or no trophy. End of story.
Well the award has been a H&A award for nearly 75 years
 
He started the debate. Mclelland has a long history never including finals
Also has a long history of not including women. It is an outdated concept which has no value or place in our game. The award should get with the times. The media talked about the Melbourne men and women’s seasons as failures. Yet they win. No sense there.
 

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2024 McClelland Trophy

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