The extra week off for QF winners - good or bad?

[philohk]

Apologies if there's a thread on this - I didn't see one.

I'm curious as to what people think about how the week off before finals affects the relative chances of the top 4 and the 5th to 8th teams, especially given the second week off in three weeks that the QF winners will have. Is it too much time off? Could we see a 5th to 8th team take advantage of the week off before finals to regroup and win four games in a row?

 

[NathanMX]

Depends who wins the qualifying final, may hurt the Hawks momentum but if a team like the Dogs won the qualifying final it may just help cause with their list thinning out I am sure most of their team is overstretched and any rest would be a lifesaver.

As for 5th to 8th I guess it all depends how the 8 shapes up. Given the Dogs go to Perth in Round 23 and West Coast go to Adelaide I am sure both teams would appreciate a few extra days break after travelling home. Not sure it affects many other teams, they are all professionals and the best team will still win on he day

 

[Chiz]

You raise a fair point. History has shown us that a week off before the PF is a substantial advantage, yet too much of a break could definitely have the opposite effect (ie teams not properly battle hardened). Essendon had a two week bye after finishing top in 1990 (due to a drawn game), and were very ordinary in the finals series.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Not sure if the AFL completely thought this week off through concerning the QF winners.

Or concerning tanking/resting of players.... could still see North tank hard in the last round or two if they are locked into 8th... a league wide bye was never going to fix this

 

[Soft Ball Get]

Hopefully this stupid week off is gone next year. Typical AFL reaction to a such a minor issue.

 

[Darth Docomo]

It will be interesting. I still think the extra week off will benefit teams more than harm them

Sheedy raised a fair point when it happened to them. But that was back in 1990. 26 years of professionalism and superior training methods wouldn't make it as difficult now.

 

[Whiskers]

It is an extremely tight top 8 this year that i think it will be a hindrance. Whoever has finally got some momentum near the end of the season will have had it stopped.
The loser of a qualifying final or someone from outside the top 4 will win it imo.

 

[Furn2]

Used to happen to first in the final 5. They had week off then if they won they had another week off.

Didn't seem to effect them too much.

 

[kangaspurs]

Completely agree. Only 1 game in 4 weeks has to be a disadvantage to the teams that win their QF's. Like what's been said already, they AFL overreacted to a one off incident without considering the wider ramifications of their change. It will almost be an advantage to lose your QF given that the team will be guaranteed a home Semi and they'll be able to have some continuity in their footy.

 

[Lithium]

Freo basically did it in 13 and it almost got them a flag.
Don't think it will effect most teams.

 

[Overhang]

I really feel like Hawthorn will be of the greatest beneficiary to this, they have aging superstars that wouldn't recover as well as the <27 year olds that would benefit from the week off but because of their experience you know they'll be mentally prepared for the game where other more inexperienced clubs won't be. If I recall Geelong changed the way they approached the PF week off after 2007 where they thought the team was flat and Collingwood almost pulled off an incredible upset.

 

[footyfan1978]

In time I watched teams won 1979, 1981 , 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989 grand finals by having a bye in week one and three of finals series.
So on grand final day they had only played 1 game in previous 3 weeks.

However it should be remembered the flipside of that is the other team has not had a rest for months.

We are in unknown territory in 2016 by the fact all teams in finals will have had a break before their first final.
To me this means it will make the task of winning 4 finals in a row from 5th to 8th, the easiest it has ever been. So for mine, all bets are off this season as in expecting to know how things should pan out.
Top 4 will still be better chance but think less so than previously.

 

[demondavey]

It is an extremely tight top 8 this year that i think it will be a hindrance. Whoever has finally got some momentum near the end of the season will have had it stopped.
The loser of a qualifying final or someone from outside the top 4 will win it imo.

No-one from outside the top ever wins it. Fact. I don't think it'll impact that much, it is what it is, a team that is well drilled and organised will win it. Hawks or Sydney. Or crows.

 

[demondavey]

Completely agree. Only 1 game in 4 weeks has to be a disadvantage to the teams that win their QF's. Like what's been said already, they AFL overreacted to a one off incident without considering the wider ramifications of their change. It will almost be an advantage to lose your QF given that the team will be guaranteed a home Semi and they'll be able to have some continuity in their footy.

It will not be an advantage to anyone to lose a qualifying Final.

 

[iluvparis]

Think there is a solid overreaction going on to the AFLs overreaction.

Can't see it being a negative for the QF winners - in fact I expect them to benefit from having extra rest. If its such a hindrance they can always lose the QF on purpose.

 

[Benno_900]

Not sure if the AFL completely thought this week off through concerning the QF winners.

Or concerning tanking/resting of players.... could still see North tank hard in the last round or two if they are locked into 8th... a league wide bye was never going to fix this

If it means avoiding an interstate trip then we should tank again.

Come at us, Gil.

 

[philohk]

Used to happen to first in the final 5. They had week off then if they won they had another week off.

Didn't seem to effect them too much.

In time I watched teams won 1979, 1981 , 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989 grand finals by having a bye in week one and three of finals series.
So on grand final day they had only played 1 game in previous 3 weeks.

However it should be remembered the flipside of that is the other team has not had a rest for months.

We are in unknown territory in 2016 by the fact all teams in finals will have had a break before their first final.
To me this means it will make the task of winning 4 finals in a row from 5th to 8th, the easiest it has ever been. So for mine, all bets are off this season as in expecting to know how things should pan out.
Top 4 will still be better chance but think less so than previously.

Good points - I should've remembered that as I watched the Hawks do it a few times. This year I started thinking about it a while back when I thought we'd most likely finish 5-8, and how it'd probably work in our favour. I still think it could advantage a team coming from that position with finals experience and some older players that need to freshen up a bit, e.g. North.

 

[kangaspurs]

It will not be an advantage to anyone to lose a qualifying Final.

I said 'might' but at this stage it's an unknown. Come the PF the teams that win their QF will have only played 1 game of footy in 4 weeks. I'm not so sure that is an advantage to the winning teams, and, in fact, may prove to be a disadvantage.

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

Feel as though it can only advantage an ageing team such as hawthorn especially if we have some niggles leading into finals.

 

[Sando22]

Gotta be a good thing to give blokes a rest.

 

[La Vache]

Large disadvantage and one of the biggest knee-jerk dumb **** decisions the AFL have made in recent years.

 

[iluvparis]

Large disadvantage and one of the biggest knee-jerk dumb **** decisions the AFL have made in recent years.

As I said - if it's such a disadvantage you can always lose your QF on purpose

 

[smeltitdeltit]

Think there is a solid overreaction going on to the AFLs overreaction.

Can't see it being a negative for the QF winners - in fact I expect them to benefit from having extra rest. If its such a hindrance they can always lose the QF on purpose.

would laugh at the egg on the afl face if their solution to tanking week before finals led to tanking a QF

 

[master bate]

Shouldn't* harm most players. Will hurt anyone who has missed time leading in to round 23, but there will always be players coming back in to finals with limited game time.

 

[demondavey]

I said 'might' but at this stage it's an unknown. Come the PF the teams that win their QF will have only played 1 game of footy in 4 weeks. I'm not so sure that is an advantage to the winning teams, and, in fact, may prove to be a disadvantage.

How?