Kyle Hardingham of Essendon evades Dane Swan of Collingwood during the AFL NAB Cup Grand Final match between the Essendon Bombers and the Collingwood Magpies at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne. Slattery Images
The AFL fixture is released Friday, with the usual series of leaks already underway: a standalone GWS-Sydney clash, Mitch Clark facing his former side and a Collingwood-Hawthorn re-match are all likely to take place in Round 1.
One other piece of information we can already lock in is that the NAB Cup will have a slightly different format next year, according to an AFL media release in June.
The tournament’s first round will be as it was last year, with six groups of three playing two shortened matches each on a single afternoon or evening. However, unlike last year, teams will not progress to a knockout competition and will instead have two weeks of regular pre-season games.
There will still be a “final” under the new system – the two teams with the most wins and percentage will play off.
The AFL have flirted with such a system before, and it was apparent then that fans preferred the knockout competition to bringing their calculators to games attempting to work out what their percentage their team might be on.
But, leaving aside the past use of the system, an interesting question is raised by going down this path – why did they need to continue with shortened games?
The three-way shortened games didn’t exactly set the world on fire in their first season. Most fans were happy the “real stuff” – or “practice real stuff” – was only a week away. Fans engaged in planning for the upcoming Dream Team and Supercoach seasons were less likely to phrase things in a glass-half-full context.
As for the coaches and players, I’m not so sure they got anything from the concept that they wouldn’t get playing just one normal pre-season game. Coaches got to mix and match what players they used, but the extended bench lets them do that anyway.
It was all a bit of fun, sure, but there really wasn’t too much anyone could take from the games. Certainly, it got a bit annoying every time a commentator would say something like, “Player X has 23 possessions – he’d be on track for 50 in a real game!”
The shortened games were introduced to keep the knockout system going. And they served that purpose. However, with no more knockout system, why are the AFL keeping them?
If the only thing determining who is in the final is wins and percentage, then it doesn’t really make much of a difference whether you squeeze two games into the first week or not.
Surely, the majority of fans, coaches and players – after four to five months of waiting – just want four quarters of footy, not some three-in-one gimmick.
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October 25th 2011 @ 8:30am
The Cattery said | October 25th 2011 @ 8:30am | Report comment
I thought the triple headers of shortened games last year were quite well received.
I see a four advantages:
1. it fits well with 18 teams;
2. still being cricket season, you need only 6 grounds rather than 9;
3. coaches get to test extra players against different teams; and
4. it helps differentiate the pre-season games from the main competition.
What I haven’t understood is whether the triple headers of half-games continues for three weeks?
October 25th 2011 @ 11:04am
Michael DiFabrizio said | October 25th 2011 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Cattery, the triple headers are for the first week only. It’s regular NAB Cup-sized games after that.
I’ll pull you up on the point “it fits well with 18 teams” – yes indeed it did fit well while the knockout format was still going (it helped cut 18 into 8 within one round) but now that there’s no more knockout comp, I’m not sure it fits any better than just playing nine normal games.
October 25th 2011 @ 4:00pm
The Cattery said | October 25th 2011 @ 4:00pm | Report comment
Yes, fair enough – there might be an advantage early in the season (mid-Feb) to only needing 6 grounds instead of 9.
Also, you can imagine a lot more players, including rookies getting a run in that first week because of the two half-games in one day type of format.
October 25th 2011 @ 10:37am
stabpass said | October 25th 2011 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Pre season 9′s ….. shortened games … a few teams grouped playing at Etihad, Subi and Metricon, maybe even Blacktown, then maybe finals at one ground the following week, then pratice matches in the bush.
October 25th 2011 @ 11:56am
Greg Mac said | October 25th 2011 @ 11:56am | Report comment
I too liked the shortened games…
I’d probably prefer to see 3 weeks of the triple headers, followed by a GF…
October 25th 2011 @ 4:02pm
The Cattery said | October 25th 2011 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
Yeh, that sort of appeals to me (if we’re to have a pre-season comp, make it something a little different).
I also don’t mind stabpass’ idea of maybe having one week of AFL9s, in a lightning premiership type of format.
October 25th 2011 @ 12:11pm
Holbrook said | October 25th 2011 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
Could not care less what they do in the pre-season. I’ll be tuning in for Round 1.
October 25th 2011 @ 4:02pm
The Cattery said | October 25th 2011 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
How’s the submarine going?
October 25th 2011 @ 6:08pm
stabpass said | October 25th 2011 @ 6:08pm | Report comment
What ?, Holbrook eh, bit below the Barassi line, what comp are they in ?…..Hume ?.
October 25th 2011 @ 4:16pm
Lachlan said | October 25th 2011 @ 4:16pm | Report comment
I thought there was talk of 2nd tier teams being included
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October 25th 2011 @ 7:56pm
Seige said | October 25th 2011 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
Just get rid of it and allow teams to organise their own pre-season games
October 26th 2011 @ 11:45am
Michael DiFabrizio said | October 26th 2011 @ 11:45am | Report comment
2012 NAB Cup draw here: http://www.afl.com.au/nabcup/fixture/tabid/15297/default.aspx
Interesting no FTA games until the final.
October 27th 2011 @ 3:01pm
Brendan said | October 27th 2011 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
Michael thanks for outlining new format.Checked out format via web link you provided.It practise matches between sides are now not going to be played.There will be many dead rubbers in the last round before the final particularly if two or three sides win by large margins in the earlier games.