Mega Thread Port Forum 'General AFL Talk' Thread

[Powerstufff]

lol i stumbled across the carlton only highlights of the match ....

What is this "running on top of the ground" phrase I am hearing more and more of?

 

[scottjr]

What is this "running on top of the ground" phrase I am hearing more and more of?

Means not dead yet.

 

[Portology]

Means not dead yet.

Excellent diagnostic test


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Janus]

What is this "running on top of the ground" phrase I am hearing more and more of?

It's the direct opposite of 'running into the ground' - instead of being tired and generally unable to perform to the level required, you are seen as being able to meet any challenge that comes your way.

 

[Powerstufff]

It's the direct opposite of 'running into the ground' - instead of being tired and generally unable to perform to the level required, you are seen as being able to meet any challenge that comes your way.

Can't we just bring back 'feeling their oats'?

 

[Steve Dore]

What is this "running on top of the ground" phrase I am hearing more and more of?

That's up there with "grows an extra leg"

 

[Ford Fairlane]

He's not under the pump and ready to have a red hot go

 

[Ford Fairlane]

While looking through the Coodabeen catalogue

 

[Ford Fairlane]

And one for western royboy

 

[Hinkley Effect]

On SEN this morning, the following schedule structure was discussed - noted as an 'interesting structure' by Gil

First 17 rounds - play every team once.

Based on ladder positions at the end of 17 rounds, three group pools are created: 1-6, 7-12, 13-18. You will play the 5 other teams in your pool in the final 5 rounds - creating a 22 round season.

If you finish the first 17 rounds in group A, the lowest you can finish the season is in 6th place.

The obvious advantages are that the groups are set based on a much more equitable draw than our current structure as every team plays all teams once. The last 5 games of the season will be very interesting - big games with the best teams playing off, middle table team fighting it out for the final 2 spots in the finals against other similar strength teams, bottom pool teams playing games against teams where they can expect to be more competitive rather than getting thumped by 100 points as the weaker teams get tired and have little to play for. You could even build in a lottery draft order for the bottom 6 teams so that clubs won't tank.

What are people's thoughts on the structure?

 

[GranFormaggi]

On SEN this morning, the following schedule structure was discussed - noted as an 'interesting structure' by Gil

First 17 rounds - play every team once.

Based on ladder positions at the end of 17 rounds, three group pools are created: 1-6, 7-12, 13-18. You will play the 5 other teams in your pool in the final 5 rounds - creating a 22 round season.

If you finish the first 17 rounds in group A, the lowest you can finish the season is in 6th place.

The obvious advantages are that the groups are set based on a much more equitable draw than our current structure as every team plays all teams once. The last 5 games of the season will be very interesting - big games with the best teams playing off, middle table team fighting it out for the final 2 spots in the finals against other similar strength teams, bottom pool teams playing games against teams where they can expect to be more competitive rather than getting thumped by 100 points as the weaker teams get tired and have little to play for. You could even build in a lottery draft order for the bottom 6 teams so that clubs won't tank.

What are people's thoughts on the structure?

If you finish 6th after 17 and don't win any of your last 5 games, you still finish 6th? How about a Hawthorn, arguably the best side but having an injury riddled run, finish 6th after rd 17 and send their stars on some R&R, mnor surgery etc over the last 5 weeks of the H&A season.

Finish 6th, but then storm the finals as they have a full and healthy list. You can't do that now, as losing your last 5 games when you are 6th after 17 would almost certainly have you missing the finals.

 

[Powerstufff]

On SEN this morning, the following schedule structure was discussed - noted as an 'interesting structure' by Gil

First 17 rounds - play every team once.

Based on ladder positions at the end of 17 rounds, three group pools are created: 1-6, 7-12, 13-18. You will play the 5 other teams in your pool in the final 5 rounds - creating a 22 round season.

If you finish the first 17 rounds in group A, the lowest you can finish the season is in 6th place.

The obvious advantages are that the groups are set based on a much more equitable draw than our current structure as every team plays all teams once. The last 5 games of the season will be very interesting - big games with the best teams playing off, middle table team fighting it out for the final 2 spots in the finals against other similar strength teams, bottom pool teams playing games against teams where they can expect to be more competitive rather than getting thumped by 100 points as the weaker teams get tired and have little to play for. You could even build in a lottery draft order for the bottom 6 teams so that clubs won't tank.

What are people's thoughts on the structure?

Excellent, very clever. The 1-6 pool will effectively be playing finals before finals. The top teams in the bottom two pools will have the chance to leapfrog the bottom teams in the pools above them.

 

[Port01]

I think its crap. The easiest way to do it as it has always been is to make 3 groups of 6 from the prevoius season, ie 1,4,7,10,13,16 - 2/5/8/11/14/17 or however you want to do it and have those games as the double ups. It isn't open to manipulation and generation of blockbusters though which is why the afl won't do it, they just aren't interested in fairness where it will cost money.

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

I think that the proposal from Gillon is that top 6 locked in after 17 rounds and even if you lose all 5 games you cannot fall below 6th.

Teams 7-12 are playing for positions 7 + 8.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...o-rework-fixture/story-fni5ezdm-1227037016788

 

[manureid]

Yeh, nah.

 

[Hinkley Effect]

If you finish 6th after 17 and don't win any of your last 5 games, you still finish 6th? How about a Hawthorn, arguably the best side but having an injury riddled run, finish 6th after rd 17 and send their stars on some R&R, mnor surgery etc over the last 5 weeks of the H&A season.

Finish 6th, but then storm the finals as they have a full and healthy list. You can't do that now, as losing your last 5 games when you are 6th after 17 would almost certainly have you missing the finals.

How many premierships have been won outside of top 4?

 

[Hinkley Effect]

The issue I see is pool C. They're generally all dead rubber matches. Where is the incentive to win?

You'd see all players under any form of injury clouds getting sent off for surgery early etc.

I guess the only response to that is that any games currently against st kilda, melbourne etc. are dead rubbers anyway...

 

[Powerstufff]

..... The easiest way to do it as it has always been is to make 3 groups of 6 from the prevoius season .....

Last year's form is not a good enough guide for this, only slightly less random than drawing from a hat. OK not that random but still dodgy.
The proposed system acts on real-time form.

 

[manureid]

How many premierships have been won outside of top 4?

This would change the dynamic though. Teams trying to squeeze in to the 8 are going hell for leather up to the end of the season. 5 games left and you cannot drop out of the 8...teams will just be resting/rotating etc. Some games will be meaningless in a sense. SO instead of your team that is 6th having battled and scraped to get a spot in the 8, they could be fresh and ready to go. I could see it making it easier for a team in 5th / 6th to win a flag.

 

[GranFormaggi]

How many premierships have been won outside of top 4?

Adelaide won from 5th in 1998. Different system.....yielded different results.

The reason premierships are won from inside the top 4 is because that is usually where the best 4 teams finish. But that won't always be the case and in my mind, I can envisage a scenario, where you have a club with the best talent, but that talent is injured - those injuries might occur from rd 12-17 and take a team from 11-1 (first at round 12) to a 11-6 (6th at round 17). So in the last 5 weeks of the season, knowing they can finish no lower than 6th by the time the finals roll around, expend all their energy just getting the players fit and set for a smash and grab 4 weeks in September.

I think, and it's only an opinion, this would tend to produce more winners from outside the top 4 than the current season structure.

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

The issue I see is pool C. They're generally all dead rubber matches. Where is the incentive to win?

You'd see all players under any form of injury clouds getting sent off for surgery early etc.

I guess the only response to that is that any games currently against st kilda, melbourne etc. are dead rubbers anyway...

At least the games will be close and fans will come to see their team win and not a 100 point drubbing from a top 6 team. Gives youngsters a chance to develop against other similar placed teams.

 

[finbarr]

Or we could just cut the ridiculous number of Melbourne teams and have everyone play each other twice.

 

[PAFCsince1870]

If you finish 6th after 17 and don't win any of your last 5 games, you still finish 6th? How about a Hawthorn, arguably the best side but having an injury riddled run, finish 6th after rd 17 and send their stars on some R&R, mnor surgery etc over the last 5 weeks of the H&A season.

Finish 6th, but then storm the finals as they have a full and healthy list. You can't do that now, as losing your last 5 games when you are 6th after 17 would almost certainly have you missing the finals.

Finishing 6th would be just as undesirable as it is now in terms of premiership aspirations so your scenario would never happen.

 

[faquito]

18 games in the minor round.

Play every team once, play your state 'companion team' twice. 18 rounds, 2 byes, 20 weeks.

Swap travelling teams the following year.

 

[GranFormaggi]

Finishing 6th would be just as undesirable as it is now in terms of premiership aspirations so your scenario would never happen.

6th is undesirable only in relation to positions 1,2,3 4, because you have to play and win 4 finals and apart from week 1 would be playing interstate if you're drawn against a non-vic side. However, if you finish top 4 and lose the first final, from week 2 onwards you have the exact equation as the 6th team who wins in the first week.......win 3 from 3.

Statistics and history will tell you that it's unlikely, and it's unlikely because the better teams usually don't finish 6th and the better teams usually win. But on a week to week basis, who is the better team? Port are a better team than each of Adelaide, Essendon and Richmond, yet over 3 weeks lost to them all.

A really good team, for reasons of injury, suspension etc might finish 6th....in a close season 6th might be 1 game and % from 3rd or 4th. There may be more Melbourne teams in the finals making interstate trips unlikely. For whatever the reason, I would never say it "would never happen".