"Drawing A Long Bow On Fairness In Football" - THE AGE

[LordLucifer]

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sp...bow-on-the-footy-fixture-20181102-p50doa.html

It's a fixture, they said, and while many people still call it a draw for simplicity's sake, it is actually nothing of the sort. Because a draw implies names coming out of a hat. A fixture is an arrangement, which is exactly what we have.

It's an arrangement of many parts, mostly about money, as it happens, a matrix of give and take. It's not fair, not even close to being fair, and pretty much everyone accepts that, not least Gillon McLachlan, who runs the game.

Great article by Martin Blake, about time someone called out the AFL for it's money-grabbing ways.

 

[jonbe54]

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sp...bow-on-the-footy-fixture-20181102-p50doa.html




Great article by Martin Blake, about time someone called out the AFL for it's money-grabbing ways.

Money mischief????

COUGH . . . COUGH - POT,KETTLE,BLACK - COUGH . . . COUGH

 

[Marc_Remillard]

The fixture is the main problem with the inequality we have in the AFL

 

[JackFlash]

The fixture will never be fair unless we axe clubs and go to a 16 team competition that also includes Tasmania and we play a 30 round season...? The AFL would like to do it, but they never will...so we have to put up with the fact that "fairness" will never enter into it! Aussie Rules is now a made for TV game.. How Richmond scored that fixture for 2019 is evidence of that! Carlton have a harder run than the Tigers! Extraordinary! But it's not about that and it never will be!
The AFL would like nothing more than a bumper year, but they are also desperately keen for an all Victorian Grand Final again ( not seen since 2011) Now that would be the icing on Gil's cake. Ideally we could go back to an 18 round season where everyone plays each other once with one rivalry round, but we all know money rules that scenario right out!

 

[Beer n Skittles]

Footy is not supposed to be perfectly fair. Look at the shape of the ball. The centre bounce. I find complaints about difficult fixtures to be pathetic in the extreme. Unless you're talking about short breaks between games / travel, where yes the AFL should've done a better job scheduling.

If your team misses finals by 1 game because you had to play a better team twice, that's on your team. The point of the finals is to find the best team, and you've already admitted to not being the best team.

 

[jonbe54]

The fixture is idiotic because the competition is unrealistic.

South Australia and Western Australia can support two teams as they are AFL states.

Even considering two teams in the home states of rugby is total insanity.

 

[RUNVS]

A way to instantly make the fixture fair, or a lot fairer anyway would be for the double up games a team is awarded 2 points for a victory instead of 4, that way when you combine the 2 games (2 points each) it would be worth a total of 4 points.

 

[jonbe54]

A way to instantly make the fixture fair, or a lot fairer anyway would be for the double up games a team is awarded 2 points for a victory instead of 4, that way when you combine the 2 games (2 points each) it would be worth a total of 4 points.

The flaw there is teams playing 'easybeats' from the year before and top 4's from the year before.

Now that's not to say that these teams are set in stone but by and large if you have more 2X games against 'easybeats' than you have against 'top4's' then your draw is easier - whilst conversely the opposite applies otherwise.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

The fixture is idiotic because the competition is unrealistic.

South Australia and Western Australia can support two teams as they are AFL states.

Even considering two teams in the home states of rugby is total insanity.

The definition of insanity is having a national competition with 10 teams in a pissant, and ultimately minor state. Victoria is neither the biggest or the most dynamic state with potential for growth.

 

[jonbe54]

The definition of insanity is having a national competition with 10 teams in a pissant, and ultimately minor state. Victoria It's neither the biggest or the most dynamic with potential for growth.

I have no argument that 10 teams in one state is too many but that doesn't invalidate the insanity of having two teams in each rugby mad states.

PS your insecurity is showing.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

I have no argument that 10 teams in one state is too many but that doesn't invalidate the insanity of having two teams in each rugby mad states.

PS your insecurity is showing.

What insecurity. We're in a great place.

 

[RUNVS]

The flaw there is teams playing 'easybeats' from the year before and top 4's from the year before.

Now that's not to say that these teams are set in stone but by and large if you have more 2X games against 'easybeats' than you have against 'top4's' then your draw is easier - whilst conversely the opposite applies otherwise.

Well the two points idea would eliminate those issues

eg, lets look at Collingwood's draw

Round 1 vs Geelong (4 points)
Round 2 vs Richmond (2 points)
Round 3 vs West Coast (2 points)
Round 4 vs Western Bulldogs (2 points)
Round 5 vs Brisbane (4 points)
Round 6 vs Essendon (2 points)
Round 7 vs Port Adelaide (4 points)
Round 8 vs Carlton (4 points)
Round 9 vs St Kilda (4 points)
Round 10 vs Sydney (4 points)
Round 11 vs Fremantle (4 points)
Round 12 vs Melbourne (2 points)
Round 14 vs Western Bulldogs (2 points)
Round 15 vs North Melbourne (4 points)
Round 16 vs Hawthorn (4 points)
Round 17 vs West Coast (2 points)
Round 18 vs GWS (4 points)
Round 19 vs Richmond (2 points)
Round 20 vs Gold Coast (4 points)
Round 21 vs Melbourne (2 points)
Round 22 vs Essendon (2 points)

It means in total every team can only get a maximum of 4 points from any other team, so there is no advantage to playing Carlton twice as you still only get 4 points in total, instead of getting 8.

 

[jonbe54]

Well the two points idea would eliminate those issues

eg, lets look at Collingwood's draw

Round 1 vs Geelong (4 points)
Round 2 vs Richmond (2 points)
Round 3 vs West Coast (2 points)
Round 4 vs Western Bulldogs (2 points)
Round 5 vs Brisbane (4 points)
Round 6 vs Essendon (2 points)
Round 7 vs Port Adelaide (4 points)
Round 8 vs Carlton (4 points)
Round 9 vs St Kilda (4 points)
Round 10 vs Sydney (4 points)
Round 11 vs Fremantle (4 points)
Round 12 vs Melbourne (2 points)
Round 14 vs Western Bulldogs (2 points)
Round 15 vs North Melbourne (4 points)
Round 16 vs Hawthorn (4 points)
Round 17 vs West Coast (2 points)
Round 18 vs GWS (4 points)
Round 19 vs Richmond (2 points)
Round 20 vs Gold Coast (4 points)
Round 21 vs Melbourne (2 points)
Round 22 vs Essendon (2 points)

It means in total every team can only get a maximum of 4 points from any other team, so there is no advantage to playing Carlton twice as you still only get 4 points in total, instead of getting 8.

Doesn't address the percentage - to even it up would need a percentage adjustment component.

 

[Brutalitops]

17 round season with a one month SoO carnival in the middle of it. Home games and away games alternating fairly over two season (eg: Pies host Dons on Anzac day one year, Dons host Pies the following year). Would help keep the kids fresher towards the end of season and finals, television rights bouyed by less dud matches and blockbuster SoO games.

 

[jonbe54]

What insecurity. We're in a great place.

Yep so was Brissy until the AFL took them off the drip.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Yep so was Brissy until the AFL took them off the drip.

Mmmm
Seems to me your insecurity is showing. Give it some thought. Would you rather be embracing the future of the game, or clinging on to the past?

 

[swiftdog]

The definition of insanity is having a national competition with 10 teams in a pissant, and ultimately minor state. Victoria It's neither the biggest or the most dynamic with potential for growth.

How idiotic it was for all those non-Victorian clubs to join that competition then.

 

[RUNVS]

Doesn't address the percentage - to even it up would need a percentage adjustment component.

That would be fixed easy enough.

eg
Round 4
Collingwood - 106 points
Western Bulldogs - 68 points

Round 14
Collingwood - 92 points
Western Bulldogs 81 points

Total
Collingwood - 198 points
Western Bulldogs - 149 points

then halve it

Collingwood - 99 points
Western Bulldogs - 74.5 points

 

[jonbe54]

Mmmm
Seems to me your insecurity is showing. Give it some thought. Would you rather be embracing the future of the game, or clinging on to the past?

Insecurity has nothing to do with it - it simply comes down to support and demographics.

The demographics say that two teams in rugby mad states is a recipe for failure.

As for the future even Tasmania has a stronger Aussie rules culture than either Sydney or Brissie.

Facts are facts.

I see at least two teams being dropped from Melbourne - 18 is too many and the AFL are incapable of admitting fault so will continue to prop up unsustainable franchises and do a hatchet job on two Melbourne teams.

 

[jonbe54]

That would be fixed easy enough.

eg
Round 4
Collingwood - 106 points
Western Bulldogs - 68 points

Round 14
Collingwood - 92 points
Western Bulldogs 81 points

Total
Collingwood - 198 points
Western Bulldogs - 149 points

then halve it

Collingwood - 99 points
Western Bulldogs - 74.5 points

A bit crude and prone to vagaries of the season but certainly a much better proposition than the current pile of crud

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Insecurity has nothing to do with it - it simply comes down to support and demographics.

The demographics say that two teams in rugby mad states is a recipe for failure.

As for the future even Tasmania has a stronger Aussie rules culture than either Sydney or Brissie.

Facts are facts.

I see at least two teams being dropped from Melbourne - 18 is too many and the AFL are incapable of admitting fault so will continue to prop up unsustainable franchises and do a hatchet job on two Melbourne teams.

You're temporally mis-aligned. Happy to call clubs in new territory unsustainable without evidence.

The most vulnerable conclusion you make is there will be no change in support over time. Are you descended from Luddites?

 

[kranky al]

I have no argument that 10 teams in one state is too many but that doesn't invalidate the insanity of having two teams in each rugby mad states.

PS your insecurity is showing.

Id agree in qld buy arent gws doing better crowd numbers than most if the nrl?

 

[Tiger Toffee]

The fixture will never be fair unless we axe clubs and go to a 16 team competition that also includes Tasmania and we play a 30 round season...? The AFL would like to do it, but they never will...so we have to put up with the fact that "fairness" will never enter into it! Aussie Rules is now a made for TV game.. How Richmond scored that fixture for 2019 is evidence of that! Carlton have a harder run than the Tigers! Extraordinary! But it's not about that and it never will be!
The AFL would like nothing more than a bumper year, but they are also desperately keen for an all Victorian Grand Final again ( not seen since 2011) Now that would be the icing on Gil's cake. Ideally we could go back to an 18 round season where everyone plays each other once with one rivalry round, but we all know money rules that scenario right out!

We play three teams who finished in the top 6 twice, Carlton play three teams who finished in the bottom 6 twice, please explain to me how Carlton have a harder run than us.

 

[Heaps of fun]

You're temporally mis-aligned. Happy to call clubs in new territory unsustainable without evidence.

The most vulnerable conclusion you make is there will be no change in support over time. Are you descended from Luddites?

If we followed the Luddites the planet wouldn't be boiling to death right now.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

When will people ever understand that the AFL isn't a sporting contest? They couldn't give a rat's what's fair and equitable. It's a business that only cares about how much money can be made. That's their only priority. I am amazed people cannot recognise AFL for what it is. Not much point in complaining that Grand Finals are always played at the MCG, or that certain clubs get easier fixtures than others, because it's not going to change.

There is no such thing as "fairness in football".