Women's Footy AFLW season 2023 - Season 8

[Bigger]

I totally agree with Imperial.

This cackhanded approach to equalisation is just going to annoy what supporters there are.

I am over this season already. Seriously, every week that goes by with my team undergoing an admin-sanctioned haemorrhaging is another week where I cease to give a ****.

 

[arsesmart]

I totally agree with Imperial.

This cackhanded approach to equalisation is just going to annoy what supporters there are.

I am over this season already. Seriously, every week that goes by with my team undergoing an admin-sanctioned haemorrhaging is another week where I cease to give a *.

Although the AFLW is going full seagull management method on this, the club is the one who needs to act strongly here. They can't leave Lisa Webb with one hand tied behind her back. This Franklin issue needs to be treated like a line in the sand moment.

They need to press the case to force some decent compensation.

It's easy argument to make that we're by far the most disadvantaged club by the expansion of the competition. We've largely been locked out of the draft and the one shot we've had is wanting to abandon ship before giving anything. The concessions given to the WC are in effect punishment to us, given the geographic limitations put on the draft. Then we've been raided in the second expansion wave, where we've not the same tools to redress it that those in broader regional talent pools have.

It's not as though we've been in the competition for a huge amount of time and got established. The Franklin issue lays bare the huge advantage the WC has by making it a regional draft given their supporter base size. In fact, the WC being so crap probably says the supposed strength of the WA pool is a myth and it's probably just the opposite. We might've even punched above our weight under Cooper coaching (given Cowan's struggles).

All up though, the AFLW are trying to do brain surgery with a wrecking ball they really missed a trick not allowing the competition to develop a more separate identity from the mens comp.

 

[Quazar]

Nicole Livingstone & co have no idea what they’re doing, and no clue that those who are dedicated supporters of the competition are getting jack of it. Alienating the small but solid fan base isn’t any way to grow the brand and thus the number of supporters. I already have a lot less interest in what happens next season. I mean of course I want the Freo girls to kick arse, but if they don’t…
If the competition, as it stands now, were to fall over, I seriously would only be mildly bothered. Disappointed for sure, but not surprised due to the mismanagement of how it’s run. And sad for the girls who want to play at that level. But I’m not sure I’d miss it tbh.

I'm glad you wrote this, because as a male the criticisms I've levelled about the comp not being too attractive etc, well - you hope they're not seen as chauvinistic being I am all for the ladies getting their sport off the ground, I'm more worried the comp for them is still so relatively new and there's so much tinkering going on to its detriment (I feel), that it's really starting to noticeably affect the standard. But - like you said, it's getting harder to invest in it. I don't think I'd miss it either in its current state, it's just backpeddling at an alarming rate and I cannot honestly say I have any excitement or optimism for it.

Very sad really when you consider the excitement around seeing young stars like Duffy and Sharp be born out of it. 2019 and even the dreaded year of '2020' (overall) seem like more than distant memories to me now

 

[ImperialPurple]

I feel sad for the players but the comp can GAGF. That’s pretty much where I stand. Or maybe I’m just in a shitty mood. But it’s kind of how I feel.

 

[stax on the mull]

You don't get much value for drafting a player when you have a 10 game H & A season. They're at your club for a handful of games then gone.

I really didn't see the need for the AFLW to replicate the same dud format of the AFL and have an 18 team competition that's Melbourne centered.

They had the chance to make it an evenly spread competition of about 12 teams.

 

[freo_leo29]

You don't get much value for drafting a player when you have a 10 game H & A season. They're at your club for a handful of games then gone.

I really didn't see the need for the AFLW to replicate the same dud format of the AFL and have an 18 team competition that's Melbourne centered.

They had the chance to make it an evenly spread competition of about 12 teams.

Problem is that's alienating 6 teams fans

I wouldnt have cared about the Freo women's if our brand wasn't attached

Are those Vic team fans just supposed to support another team? With allegiances already there it's an incredibly hard thing to do imo

 

[ignoramus]

FWIW, I've heard from a pretty good source that WC offered Franklin top tier, though the exact wording was "4 times what she was earning on her Freo contract", which also suggests some of the creative salary cap management that WC are known for.

 

[stax on the mull]

Problem is that's alienating 6 teams fans

I wouldnt have cared about the Freo women's if our brand wasn't attached

Are those Vic team fans just supposed to support another team? With allegiances already there it's an incredibly hard thing to do imo

My recollection is that some teams weren't that interested in having a women's team to begin win.

Its pathetic at the moment. A 10 game season when there are 18 teams. It's even worse than the disparity in the men's competition.

Why not just concentrate on quality teams. Less is more.

I don't see why you even have to have teams with the same names as AFL teams. People watched the showcase Bulldogs vs Melbourne game when they were composite teams before the AFLW competition began.

 

[footyknut]

FWIW, I've heard from a pretty good source that WC offered Franklin top tier, though the exact wording was "4 times what she was earning on her Freo contract", which also suggests some of the creative salary cap management that WC are known for.

I heard she was equal to the lowest paid player on Freo’s list at Tier 4 with no extra benefits.
WC have offered her a Tier 3 contract so it’s not significantly better.
Her main reason for leaving are friends at WC and she felt a lot more wanted by them than us.

 

[apuchar]

I wouldn't have minded the equilisation attempts by the AFLW if we had of been properly compensated for our loses last year.

 

[arsesmart]

I heard she was equal to the lowest paid player on Freo’s list at Tier 4 with no extra benefits.
WC have offered her a Tier 3 contract so it’s not significantly better.
Her main reason for leaving are friends at WC and she felt a lot more wanted by them than us.

Well she would have friends at Freo too no doubt. Do you have a good source for this info? This seems to be justifying and laying blame at Freo's feet.

 

[Taylor]

I wouldn't think we are that far away from the AFLW holding a superdraft with all players aside from some (maybe four) marquee players retained by their existing clubs.

 

[arsesmart]

I wouldn't think we are that far away from the AFLW holding a superdraft with all players aside from some (maybe four) marquee players retained by their existing clubs.

Specifically, when you say "wouldn't think we are that far away", what do you mean?

 

[Taylor]

Specifically, when you say "wouldn't think we are that far away", what do you mean?

In the quest for both equalisation and marketing, knowing how the AFL love a spectacle, given the amount of player movement already I don't think the idea of having a full league draft is that far away. Specifically as the league moves into truly national where players from WA are drafted to their club in Sydney for example. When the salary situation moves upwards (which short of a global financial crisis that's the way it's trending) I expect there will be a national draft in which all the players will enter it - aside from the locked in marquee players for each club.

Coinciding with enough money to be the only employment these women have and need, the AFLW can make one hell of an event out of it.

A trade period in which the picks for each band are exchanged, such as band one being existing players over the age of 22, band two being existing players under 22, band three being players never listed before/under 18s etc. Throwing those three draft's worth of picks around for clubs who want to prioritise picking mature talent over fresh talent.

 

[footyknut]

Well she would have friends at Freo too no doubt. Do you have a good source for this info? This seems to be justifying and laying blame at Freo's feet.

Yes, this a good source, only once removed from Frankin herself.
You do always have to be careful when it comes from a player who is leaving because they quite often embellish things to justify why they are in changing clubs.
She would have made friends at Freo and is reasonably close to a couple of the girls from her draft group but she is extremely close to Thomas, Roberts and Lewis from West Coast.

 

[arsesmart]

In the quest for both equalisation and marketing, knowing how the AFL love a spectacle, given the amount of player movement already I don't think the idea of having a full league draft is that far away. Specifically as the league moves into truly national where players from WA are drafted to their club in Sydney for example. When the salary situation moves upwards (which short of a global financial crisis that's the way it's trending) I expect there will be a national draft in which all the players will enter it - aside from the locked in marquee players for each club.

Coinciding with enough money to be the only employment these women have and need, the AFLW can make one hell of an event out of it.

A trade period in which the picks for each band are exchanged, such as band one being existing players over the age of 22, band two being existing players under 22, band three being players never listed before/under 18s etc. Throwing those three draft's worth of picks around for clubs who want to prioritise picking mature talent over fresh talent.

How close do you think the AFLPA is to relinquishing the "player consenting to switch clubs" rule?

 

[arsesmart]

Yes, this a good source, only once removed from Frankin herself.
You do always have to be careful when it comes from a player who is leaving because they quite often embellish things to justify why they are in changing clubs.
She would have made friends at Freo and is reasonably close to a couple of the girls from her draft group but she is extremely close to Thomas, Roberts and Lewis from West Coast.

The friends in other clubs is pretty flimsy though, aint it? I mean, are you wanting to be a professional or what?

I've got some links there too, not had a chance to follow them up yet. It'll be interesting to see what that version might be.

 

[Taylor]

How close do you think the AFLPA is to relinquishing the "player consenting to switch clubs" rule?

About one order of magnitude in average pay.

 

[poshman]

The league had an opportunity for a slow, deliberate build. They could have rewarded the first group of teams into the competition.

There is not enough quality of talent league wide.
The financial model is not sustainable independently.
More teams and more players will not mean a more long term sustainable competition.
We will be a bottom half side this year. May even chalk up our first loss to the scum.
The players do not deserve more pay based on skill, but will get it and their will be more strain on the financial model.

They have created a mess. The sad thing is that it could have been done a bit slower and looked to address the Vic centric imbalance in the national game. Instead the quality will suffer and the reputation of the womens game with it.

I hope I am wrong about most of these.

 

[Tonga Bob]

We may be looking at Serena Gibbs from Carlton.

 

[freo_leo29]

Well we need a tall lol

Whatever happened to Paxman?

 

[King Tenz]

We may be looking at Serena Gibbs from Carlton.

I'm sorry but who?

 

[Taylor]

It doesn't look like Melbourne are going to lose anyone...
The AFL also released a heads up to clubs on outside the salary cap deals.

 

[Tonga Bob]

I'm sorry but who?

She's tall, and we need tall.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Doesn’t instill excitement. But cool, whatever, hope she turns out ok. But it’ll be pretty hard for her to be in three places at once without Houghton, Cuthbertson or Franklin.