Expansion Darwin Games - a left field idea

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Fixed

Join

 

[Hoops]

Evening it out compared to the victorian clubs. who travel only a handful of times per year

Travel does not make the competition even or uneven, it's just something that has to happen to allow home and away games. Having said that all teams should have to travel to all competing states at least once

 

[HTPunter]

If that was my intention I’d say get rid of gather round all together.

11 true home games a year is pretty handy. There are inequalities everywhere for both interstate and vic sides.

So if there are inequalities why is it such a big deal that one of the advantages SA clubs get?

Big Vic club supporters have been saying “it’s a financial fixture” for years to justify it.

 

[HTPunter]

Even out the fixture? They had 10,10,1 (Home, away, neutral), now they have 11,10,1. How is that even?

11-10-2 actually. Why is a Showdown a neutral game and neither a home or away game? Does that mean Collingwood have 5-5-13 ?

 

[HTPunter]

Only when it disadvantages Victorian clubs is a set up to maximise the economical status of the fixture such a bad thing.

The SA government support is going to be huge for the game. Just like a successful Geelong has propped up their stadium with hundreds of millions in investment by the 3 levels of government, now a successful SA venture will lead to more funding. Ultimately it leads to growth & strength of the game & clubs.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

So if there are inequalities why is it such a big deal that one of the advantages SA clubs get?

Big Vic club supporters have been saying “it’s a financial fixture” for years to justify it.

You can’t help a Victorian club playing a home game in Victoria.

You can’t help a Western Australian club playing a home game in Western Australia.

If a team wants to sell their home games to the highest bidder that is a club by club decision.

You can help gifting an extra home game to two clubs which completely moves away from the general formula of 11 home games 11 away.

Gather Round is a great concept, lock it in for the rest of time and even send one to Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Derbies to open or close the weekend.

 

[glengowan]

This is a very good idea. Except the Gather Round games would need to be available for Crows and Power season ticket holders. Not a problem though. Just play the Crows/Power games in the Gather Round against the smaller supported clubs.

 

[stallon]

Travel does not make the competition even or uneven, it's just something that has to happen to allow home and away games. Having said that all teams should have to travel to all competing states at least once

Travel does affect the evenness of the comp, I know its inevitable due to the teams locations, but its still not even. Something like Gather round at least does a little bit to bring it back somewhat for 2 clubs, like opening round does for the NSW and QLD clubs(along with their bs academies).
Just need something for the WA clubs and we are ok

 

[Hoops]

11-10-2 actually. Why is a Showdown a neutral game and neither a home or away game? Does that mean Collingwood have 5-5-13 ?

You're right . Mine only added to 21 & 22 respectively when there are 22 now 23 games. I assume you're correct with Collingwood draw as the games against Geelong is a home game for them

 

[Hoops]

Travel does affect the evenness of the comp, I know its inevitable due to the teams locations, but its still not even. Something like Gather round at least does a little bit to bring it back somewhat for 2 clubs, like opening round does for the NSW and QLD clubs(along with their bs academies).
Just need something for the WA clubs and we are ok

But it's just the nature of a competition that has isolated teams on the other side of the country. Due to the travel that competing teams have to make to get there they have a home ground advantage equal to the disadvantage when they travel. In reality it's no different to what Geelong would had gone through in the early part of last century when competing in an Inner Melbourne suburban comp.

Opening round in NSW and Queensland is not an advantage in the Home and Away sense, but competing teams do have an extra week rest throughout the season and competing against teams in the 2nd week with no lead in game which could be seen as advantageous.

 

[Freomaniac]

First showdown should be Thursday night of Gather Round.

Almost as stupid of having Collingwood vs Carlton in gather round at Norwood oval LoL

 

[Sentinel]

Yeh I know I will get some negative replies and reactions - particularly from SA team supporters, but here goes.
Take off the blinkers and hear me out


So, we now have the situation (yet again) where the attempt at building support on the Gold Coast and engaging locals is thwarted by the 2 games we play in Darwin, bookmarked either end by a game in Brisbane and in Melbourne. So 5 weeks with no footy up here, nothing in the month of May.

Now I know the Darwin games are tied up in sponsorship etc. But hear me out for an option.

Gather round - extra home games for SA teams - which is unfair on WA, NSW and Qld teams (Vic teams less so as the get lots of games in Melbourne anyway).

My idea - the two back to back games in Darwin should be Adelaide v Gold Coast and Port v Gold Coast.
They become the extra home games for SA teams - not extra Adelaide oval games.
That allows Gold Coast to go back to 11 home games at People First Stadium.

It also means no non-Vic team is given more than 11 home games (as is currently the case with Gather Round for SA teams).
The AFL can still support the game in Darwin.
And it allows Gold Coast locals to get engaged all season long, and there is not a big missing 4/5/6 weeks of footy as has been the case in recent years.
And to repeat -SA teams are back to the pre-gather round situation of 11 home games each at Adelaide oval.

Thoughts?

Very good idea, the only better solution I'd have is for both Gold Coast and another side to face Port and Adelaide at Gather Round each year as a normal home and away game, and then the Darwin games are 'neutral' fixtures involving the same 4 sides.

Eg:

• Gather Round (both games in Adelaide, home games for SA sides): Port vs GC, Adelaide vs ???
• Another round (both games in Darwin, both neutral games): Port vs ???, Adelaide vs GC

Solves the extra away game problem for teams playing against SA sides at Gather Round and means every club gets 11H-11A-1N, but only solves half of the problem you mention for Gold Coast.

 

[stallon]

But it's just the nature of a competition that has isolated teams on the other side of the country. Due to the travel that competing teams have to make to get there they have a home ground advantage equal to the disadvantage when they travel. In reality it's no different to what Geelong would had gone through in the early part of last century when competing in an Inner Melbourne suburban comp.

I just said I know the travel is necessary, just because its necessary doesnt mean its fair and shouldnt be countered by something if we want to have a somewhat fair competition, rather than a WWE entertainment style show where winners are predetermined by the AFL and who they decide to give all the draft picks/fixture benefits to

Opening round in NSW and Queensland is not an advantage in the Home and Away sense, but competing teams do have an extra week rest throughout the season and competing against teams in the 2nd week with no lead in game which could be seen as advantageous.

It is an advantage because they get an extra bye. Every single club would prefer the second bye over the extra week in preseason, maybe the grand final teams are close to either way
All those clubs with the extra bye, they get a week to work on something they have been doing poorly like Collingwood said they did, or their injuries are impacting them 1 week less.

 

[btdg]

They are both advantages, but one is far more advantageous than the other.
Hence why showdown in gather round is a bad idea

There is no evidence that WA and SA teams are disavantaged by the fixture. They have made and won grand finals at pretty much the expected rate.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Victorian clubs who split their home games between two neutral venues are disadvantaged. In fact Essendon and Carlton (in particular) stand out as underperforming consistently despite being richer clubs historically, and they hold the unique fixture disadvantage of pretty much always playign at their opponents preferred venue.

The idea that it is 'far more advantageous' just doesn't hold up in the real world.

Back on topic, i don't understand the obsession with Darwin. It is the 15th largest city in Australia with a tiny population, geographically remote and with essentially zero corporate presence. Melbourne added more new reisdents than Darwin's total population last year - we are closer to needing a 10th Melbourne team than ever sustaining a team.in Darwin unless something very drastic changes in Australia's demographics

But if we have to play there, creating a neutral game to balance out gather round isn't the worst idea i have heard.