The Championship Finals are too long
Roar Guru By Australian Football, 19 Mar 2010 Australian Football is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- A-League, football, Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC
The real Australian Football prize is the Premiership Plate. FFA has to rethink the HAL finals and bring them into a working relationship with the ACL.
What is currently known as the Championship finals are too long, with the six teams who qualify.
It needs to be culled down to a workable unit of a four team playoff final series, with the reward being the second prized ACL’s spot that exclude the Prem-Plate winners, who should be known as the real Champions with no further reason to be involved in the playoffs for the second ACL spot.
As it is currently, this year’s end of season is overly congested, with the six team final playoffs and the ACL starting up at the same time.
Something has to give.
The finals are a cultural importance to Australian Football. That said, however, let’s get real about it and acknowledge that the ACL is far more important, which every HAL team should aspire to win.
The Premiership Plate is rightly rewarded, with the automatic qualification into ACL.
FFA should be bold enough to cull the end of season finals from six to four. The next best four teams should play out for the second ACL prized spot in an ACL-place Final.
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March 19th 2010 @ 10:25am
AndyRoo said | March 19th 2010 @ 10:25am | Report comment
I have loved this years finals, I have watched and enjoyed every game except for the first leg of MV vs SFC which I missed out on watching.
I was against 6 team finals when it was first brought up, thinking it would totally devalue the regular season but that hasn’t been the case. It was an exciting Premiership race and then when the finals start you realize that finishing 5th or 6th is not as good as 3rd vs 4th and 3rd or 4th is much worse than 1st or 2nd. Teams will realize this from now on and if you want to qualify for the ACL you want to finish in the top 2 or you are really up against it. Tony sage was wrong to say Mitchell only needed to make the finals to keep his job, he should have specified top 2, 4 or 6 because their is a big difference.
I think it’s been a great series, but I can see that the teams who finish first and second play each other too many times. As the standard keeps rising though that probably won’t be a problem as I would expect the teams that finish 1st vs 2nd next year and every year on from now to be very good football teams.
March 19th 2010 @ 10:35am
Dogz R Barkn said | March 19th 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
Yes – there’s no doubt that the top six has been a success (although the SFC home crowds have been a bit worrying).
March 19th 2010 @ 11:06am
AndyRoo said | March 19th 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I think the one weakness of the finals set up as is is that premlinary game.
The away team is obviously on a huge high as they have just won two consecutive finals games but the home team has just experienced a big let down.
I am not sure what they can do because in fairness the team that finished in the top 2 deserves to host it. Perhaps just acknowledge that 1 game of 6 is going to be a hard sell and play at a smaller/cheaper venue where applicable and don’t mark up the ticket prices.
March 19th 2010 @ 11:43am
Realfootball said | March 19th 2010 @ 11:43am | Report comment
Agree, the Prelim final is a lame idea – and the attendances sure reflect that. This “double chance” idea is silly. The Premiers are already the Premiers. Throw all the 6 teams up in the air and see what happens. The way the system is structured now we have far too many instances of the same teams matching up 3 times in 4 weeks.
March 19th 2010 @ 1:23pm
Dogz R Barkn said | March 19th 2010 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
Here is my proposal for a new final 6.
First week of finals:
1st vs 6th, 2nd vs 5th, 3rd vs 4th – the higher ranked team gets the home final.
The three winners and the highest ranked loser go through to the semi finals (thus 1st can’t get eliminated, but need to win to maintain the home ground advantage, and 2nd can ony get eliminated in exceptional circumtances).
Second week – semi finals:
Winner of 1st v 6th plays the highest ranked loser from the previous week
the winners of the other two games play off.
Third week – grand final
oops – just realised that that doesn’t work, becuase if 6th beats 1st, it must play 1st again as the highest ranked loser – ok forget that one….
or – if we get to a situation where there are 14 teams, why not a top 8 where it’s knock out from the first week: 1st vs 8th, etc, so three weeks of finals consisting of quarters, semis and the grand final.
March 19th 2010 @ 1:32pm
Realfootball said | March 19th 2010 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
Nice try.
March 19th 2010 @ 11:11am
Gibbo said | March 19th 2010 @ 11:11am | Report comment
i dunno, the finals series has been fantastic so far… hasnt everyone been enjoying it?
March 22nd 2010 @ 5:08pm
Football Person 2 said | March 22nd 2010 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
yes but no more than I would be enjoying South Melbourne vs Melbourne Victory at ( now Ive gone and forgoted SM’s stadium )
South Melbourne’s Home ground in a quarter final of the national cup competition.
March 19th 2010 @ 11:40am
Realfootball said | March 19th 2010 @ 11:40am | Report comment
The ACL isn’t working. It isn’t just crowds here – with the odd exception and finals elimination matches, the attendances are disappointing to say the least. I don’t know how you build tradition over such a vast area of wildly disparate cultures with no real connection to each other. Well, actually, yes I do – you spend money. Gazillions of dollars and make it a comp that is so rich that no one can ignore it. Will that happen? No.
Football as a sporting culture is pretty thin in Asia compared to Europe or the Americas. The ACL is going to take a long time to embed itself, if ever.
March 19th 2010 @ 5:54pm
Australian Football said | March 19th 2010 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
Realfootball,
The ACL not working— didn’t you see what it did for the Adelaide United? Now this year there is an increase in prize money and all accommodation and travel expenses are paid by the ACF and their sponsorers. I think it’s working quite nicely and growing in stature.
March 20th 2010 @ 11:35am
Realfootball said | March 20th 2010 @ 11:35am | Report comment
Good point – it does seem to have done good things for AU. And I suppose the jury is out for Melbourne – they haven’t had much of a chance to show what they or their supporters can do.
However, over the WHOLE comp, if you look at attendances, with exception of knockout games (and even some there) they are very poor. I suppose it depends on how you define “working”.
March 19th 2010 @ 1:08pm
BrisbaneBhoy said | March 19th 2010 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
I would go a step further then that of the OP. I would get rid over the final series altogether. With the FFA wanting (and needing to pull in line with AFC) an nation cup competition, I would disband the final series comp and form a FFA Cup that also allowed the state teams to play.
Most players accept the first past the post as the real winners as does a lot of the fans. Unfortunately, the FFA felt it needs to follow the AFL and NRL to try and please those sports fans and hope the jump on the football bandwagon. The FFA has dropped the pre-season cup (similar to that of the AFL thingy) after realizing it isn’t what the clubs nor fans wanted, so who knows, maybe with a proper nation comp comes along, with will lose the final series comp – One can only hope anyways.
—
The ACL should be (and I think it is for the clubs) of real importance. The prestige and money for the competition is to big not to take seriously. With added exposure around the world can only be good for the domestic game.
But in saying all of that, I personally won’t cheer on the likes of Gold Coast, Sydney or Newcastle against Asian opponents, as I don’t like those three clubs mentioned. I would still watch the match but would cheer for their opponents
—
As for ‘Dogz R Barkn’ comments about – soccer purists – if it was left to them, they would immediately introduce 4 divisions, get rid of the salary cap, scrap finals, have a cup competition that involved every soccer club in Australia.
4 division?? no – 2? Yes.
Get rid of the salary cap? No – Raise the Cap? Yes
Scrap the finals ? Yes
Have a national Cup competition? – Yes
March 22nd 2010 @ 5:04pm
Football Person 2 said | March 22nd 2010 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
The concept of the right teams in the ACL seems like a beautiful dream………..
March 19th 2010 @ 5:40pm
DiCanio said | March 19th 2010 @ 5:40pm | Report comment
the ACL isn’t just about gate sales. There is prizemoney up for grabs and the prestige can entice clubs from around the world to consider aleague teams suitable venues for pre-season tours, and if you can entice well known clubs out here for preseason matches theres plenty to gain there as well.
The grandfinal is an FFA money spinner which appeals to the casual fan or looky-loo. I understand it’s neccessity, but I prefer to watch my team at home or the pub and write a cheque for my club instead. After the woeful lack of marketing this year I really see no reason to shell over cash to the FFA while players paid my club take the field.
March 19th 2010 @ 5:46pm
Australian Football said | March 19th 2010 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
Now prize money for the Premiers Plate is a disgrace.. Especially when the ACL is a cash cow.
March 19th 2010 @ 5:42pm
Australian Football said | March 19th 2010 @ 5:42pm | Report comment
BrisbaneBhoy,
you have some good points there—I too would like to see a genuine FFA national cup—two divisions and an increase in the salary cap..
March 19th 2010 @ 9:29pm
Cpaaa 2018 said | March 19th 2010 @ 9:29pm | Report comment
I do like the finals series but for that extra Asian Cup spot. At the moment its just a case of ” we are the best”, and “there is always next year” . The FFA will still get their gates revenue and probably more interest from fans if we were only educated to what is on offer. It was said earlier that the ACL dosnt have that punch about it…yet. I agree. But it is a higher standard of Competition, with cash incentive. It is also a chance to display an Australian City/Club to the international audience.
I couldnt imagine too many people waking up at 2 in the morning to watch for ex. Urawa Reds V Pohang Steelers in an ACL match. I would even struggle to name more clubs and players.
What I dont understand is if Fox have the rights to the ACL then why wouldnt they release non Australian games to SBS.
This would educate the Football fan of Clubs and players competing in Asia. Therefore making it more interesting and in time, more in demand.
March 20th 2010 @ 11:41am
Realfootball said | March 20th 2010 @ 11:41am | Report comment
The thread so often comes back to the FFA. The performance of Buckley and his team this season has been a disgrace. While they have turned their attention to an improbable WC bid, the A-League has been left rudderless, without promotion or marketing.
I hold on to the forlorn hope that they are planning a grand media blitz for the start of next season after the WC in South Africa. This does make some strategic sense, but actually I don’t believe it. I think Buckley is failing and that Fraser only does crisis management. As for their marketing and promotions people, perhaps they died at their desks and no one noticed. Merciades left for a good reason, and I think that reason has to be that she could no longer work under Buckley’s incompetent regime.
Please, Ben, surprise me next season. At the moment I think you are an utter disaster.
March 20th 2010 @ 12:42pm
Rob said | March 20th 2010 @ 12:42pm | Report comment
Ditch the finals series, bring on the FFA cup open to anyone who wants to enter. Seed the A-league teams into the last few rounds which start at the end of the premiership. Seperate 1 and 2 into opposite sides of the draw so that they can only meet in the final…Sorted
March 21st 2010 @ 9:25pm
AA said | March 21st 2010 @ 9:25pm | Report comment
After last night, I’d have to say that Premier’s Plate is better than Champions plate, Premier’s Plate is a truer test of who’s the better team.
The game last night reminded me of a World Cup Quarter Final, sometimes the better team doesn’t get through, and that if you can’t beat your opponent in 90 minutes, then you should replay the game.
The game last night was devised to get a ‘result’…it wasn’t necessarily the best result though.