The Association Football AFL Thread 3.0

[chef]

Huge quarter from the Dees

 

[Jatz]

Honestly had Brisbane smashing them tonight.

If Brisbane don’t win this, I really don’t think you can take them as a serious threat for the flag. On a given day they could upset almost any team but they won’t do it 4 weeks in a row, on the road.

 

[Magma]

you'd think it pissed down with rain all game with the atrocious skills and kicking for goal

 

[SM]

I suppose it helps when the two of them were the best two teams that season? Also consider that other teams also had to live in the hub so it's not as if the Vic teams overcame some disadvantage? The Lions no doubt shit the bed that year, but the Eagles etc. who were good sides going into that season also struggled with the hub.

I'm not sure if you're intentionally missing my point but the Vic team finishing higher on the ladder has no bearing on my point about the MCG being a home ground advantage. It seems like you're trying to use it to counter me saying the Swans are higher this year? Otherwise not quite clear on the point you're making. I'm not saying it's unfair that they as the higher placed team got to host the GF at their home ground and thus won, I'm saying that the overwhelming evidence is that if you have a Vic team play an interstate team, the Vic team wins. Whether they deserved to host or not. Yes you're right, if by nature the Vic team is 'better' then they're expected to win, but you're conflating two separate points of discussion into one.

2007 - Geelong (1) v Port (2) - Cats win by 117 points
2012 - Hawks (1) v Sydney (3) - Swans win by 10
2013 - Hawks (1) v Freo (3) - Hawks win by by 15
2014 - Sydney (1) v Hawks (2) Hawks win by 65
2015 - WCE (2) v Hawks (3) Hawks win by 46
2016 - Sydney (1) v WBD (7) WBD win by 22
2017 - Adelaide (1) v Richmond (3) Richmond win by 48
2018 - WCE (2) v Collingwood (3) WCE win by 5
2019 - Richmond (3) v GWS (6) Richmond win by 89
2022 - Geelong (1) v Sydney (3) Geelong win by 81
2023 - Collingwood (1) v Brisbane (2) Collingwood win by 4

So by my reckoning of the 11, there's five occasions where the interstate team 'should' have hosted due to finishing higher and on four of the five occasions the Victorian team who got a home state benefit (can sleep at home the night before, go through their same routines, etc. etc.) won and in three cases won comprehensively.

In the only two examples of interstate teams winning the flag against Vic teams (2012 and 2018) the Swans and WCE had to come back from a reasonable first quarter deficit to do so, and are arguably two of the more impressive GF wins in recent years.

There's also some complete blow out wins in 07, 19, 22 where interstate clubs were blown away early and just never recovered.

Now 2024, at this stage, looks likely to be another example of an interstate team finishing top and likely facing a Victorian team in the GF (Carlton and Pies perhaps the most likely to make it). If I made these posts following the GF (if we lost) it'd be seen as sour grapes which is why I'm having the conversation now. But surely you can acknowledge there is an advantage, and in many cases (5/11) an undeserved one, where in only one of those 5 has the 'better' team actually come out on top despite playing away in the GF.

This isn't going to change any time soon so there's no point the club complaining about it, they just have to get on with it, but in a year where there's been a lot of noise around the Academy selections at the draft and how much of a supposed advantage the Swans are getting in some aspects of their list building, it's worth remembering that the ultimate game that actually matters at the end of the season has been won twice by a non-Victorian club in the last 20 years. Surely that seems a higher priority issue to look into if we want to equalise the comp? At the end of the day in 10 years no one's going to care how amazingly tight the battle to finish top 8 was in 2024, they'll look back at who ultimately won the flag. And having Victorian team after Victorian team winning (in all but two cases) despite not 'earning' the right to host the GF is a bigger issue for the comp?

Yes in 2020 and 21 Victorian teams travelled and beat (lol) another Victorian team in the GF meaning Vic teams won GFs interstate but if anything that should support the argument for moving the GF around if Vic teams are capable of winning anywhere! What do they have to be worried about?

Grand moves: AFL ponders concessions for non-Victorian clubs on footy’s biggest day

Chris Fagan has explained to the league the vast differences experiencing a grand final as Brisbane Lions coach and as a senior football executive with Hawthorn.

www.smh.com.au

One club president from outside Victoria observed: “You’re treated like it’s the America’s Cup and you’re the challenger.”



But the fact that Sydney played their last home-and-away game for the season at the MCG in round seven and Collingwood play seven of their last eight at the grand final venue underlines the home-ground advantage. While second-placed Carlton play fewer games at the MCG (nine in season ’24) the Blues travel from Melbourne just twice in their last 11 home-and-away games.



The following instances might seem petty, but they are also symbolic. In 2015 West Coast entered the finals as ladder leaders but were placed below Hawthorn on the MCG scoreboard on grand final day with the Hawks also handed first choice of venue for their post-match function.



In 2016 at the grand final parade both handles of the premiership cup were tied with the Bulldogs’ coloured ribbons of red, white and blue. Cup ambassador Michael O’Loughlin asked for one handle to be changed to adorn Sydney’s red and white but was refused.

 

[RPCB]

InB4 the 91 point Swans turnaround.

 

[gaskin]

InB4 the 91 point Swans turnaround.

Pretty much. Gulden, Heeney, and Warner have barely touched it and Sydney haven't really had any clean entries to really test our undersized backs.

 

[Misher]

1st half disposals today:

Zac Fisher

16

Zac Fisher

Age

26

Ht

175cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.2

4star

K

8.3

3star

HB

7.9

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.0

5star

MG

384.0

5star

D

17.0

4star

K

10.0

4star

HB

7.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

MG

384.0

5star

D

12.2

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

1.2

2star

T

3.0

5star

= 20
Warner + Heeney + Gulden = 20

 

[Quivorir]

1st half disposals today:

Zac Fisher = 20
Warner + Heeney + Gulden = 20

Now do the turnovers. Would rather those 3 and their 20 than what fish dishes up.

 

[RPCB]

1st half disposals today:

Zac Fisher = 20
Warner + Heeney + Gulden = 20

Fisher will probably finish on 24 disposals. I know because I’ve seen it for years.

 

[Quivorir]

Fisher will probably finish on 24 disposals. I know because I’ve seen it for years.

Subbed our injured with 22 now. You were close.

 

[chef]

Oh dear, what a finish in Sydney.

 

[gaskin]

HAVE THAT UMPS YOU ****ING KNOB STAINS!!

Tried to give Sydney the win all 2nd half. Absolutely disgusting performance.

 

[Bojan KantKick]

Well done Freo.

 

[RPCB]

Well, that’s my evening sorted.

 

[Planet14]

HAVE THAT UMPS YOU ****ING KNOB STAINS!!

Tried to give Sydney the win all 2nd half. Absolutely disgusting performance.

 

[SM]

Looks like part one of our plan succeeded, next to lose to the Lions. Get those non-Vic teams up in the 4/8.

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

 

[Misher]

 

[DBAH0]

Stengle's signed on for 5 more years, excellent weekend all round.

 

[RPCB]

I didn’t want him anyway.

 

[DBAH0]

I didn’t want him anyway.

Seems like the Saints certainly were but they're struggling to entice anyone currently.

 

[Magma]

Seems like the Saints certainly were but they're struggling to entice anyone currently.

i cant imagine being a footballer and watching games like that today and exactly being keen to go to st kilda.

 

[Misher]

I didn’t want him anyway.

You can have Shai Bolton

 

[RPCB]

You can have Shai Bolton

Deal.

 

[DBAH0]

i cant imagine being a footballer and watching games like that today and exactly being keen to go to st kilda.

Saints Footy is well and truly back.