Six coaches wanted the season’s length to remain the same, while three voted for an increase in rounds of footy.
But given the current issue about player injuries and the speed and demands of the modern game, an increase in fixtures probably seems to be a move in the wrong direction.
Plus it would likely result in the death of the traditional Grand Final on the final Saturday of September, with the season being expanded into October, which is opposed by many.
On the other hand, retaining the status quo with 22 rounds of footy appears a fixturing nightmare, with clubs to play only five other teams twice.
Under such a system, though, a club’s draw could easily dictate the success of their season. Considering the AFL has a salary cap and a draft to ensure a level playing field, such a system would be appear quite contradictory.
So the logical solution, as suggested by the coaches (and the ever-opinionated Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett), is a season comprising of 17 rounds.
As pointed out on the AFL website, American Football’s NFL employs a similar season length, given the demands of their game. Plus it provides a level playing field with all clubs facing each other once.
The problem, though, would be the loss of footy matches, which ultimately generate a lot of the revenue made in the game.
Under the current system, the AFL has 185 matches per season, including the finals series.
Under a 17-round system in 2012 with 18 clubs and a top eight finals system, the AFL would have 162 games.
A loss of 23 games per season would be a major setback to the coffers of clubs around Australia as well as the AFL.
Clubs would host fewer games, memberships would have to be cheaper, TV deals reduced, etc.
So the most logical idea to try and limit the loss of games, would be an expanded finals series, effectively ending the top eight system’s existence.
At yesterday’s survey, one coach even suggested a finals series comprising 10 to 12 teams which appears ridiculously radical. The majority of the coaches (ten to be precise) said they wanted the top eight to remain.
Indeed, since the inception of McIntyre System in 2000, the top eight has developed into an excellent, fair and exciting method to ascertain the AFL’s premier club for a given year.
The Roar’s Luke D’Anello wrote a good piece last month reiterating that point, that the top eight must stay.
That’s not to say a top 10 or top 12 couldn’t develop an exciting format, but the concept of more than 50 per cent of the clubs making the finals seemed flawed. It rewards mediocrity and devalues the finals.
But with a logical 17-round season for 2012 and beyond, unfortunately an expanded finals series seems the only solution.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
And my beloved Bulldogs in 2002. Salary cap is a farce, well in it's current format that the NRL uses.
Fivehole
Guest
Salary cap worked in the NRL - just look at the Storm!
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
As far as the NFL goes, the 18 games is just reducing the pre season comp by 2 games. So their is no extra product. It's just that 2 games that meant nothing, will now meaning something. I do think the NRL will have to look at reducing the amount of games somewhere along the line. Though this can only happen when memberships have reached a level high enough to sustain clubs properly.
davelee
Guest
Redb says; "There is no way the AFL should deprive Essendon fans of beating the Blues twice a year! The footy season is not long enough, I dont want it shortened. the AFL would be crazy to give its competitors any holes to fill or lose the revenue of over 20 games. 18 teams in 2012 may require 3 pools. Certainly by 2030 as Kennett suggests the AFL will be at 20 teams and pools will be the only way to work it out." Pools, how so? Would it work better than an extended finals series?
Lazza
Guest
The Salary cap works to make the comp even. The draft gives losers an advantage to rebuild quickly. That's not even and not necessary in my opinion. Now imagine if you finish 9th on the ladder and you had to play the top 4 twice. The teams that finish 7th and 8th only played some or all the top 4 once only. Is that fair?
Redb
Roar Guru
I think the NFL sits atop a pretty big pyramid though with massive support at lower levels. US College football games get 50,000- 80,000 regularly and are huge events in themselves. Oz is a much smaller market.
MyGeneration
Roar Guru
The NFL has been as successful as any footy code in the world with a 16 game regular season, and they are now arguing about whether to go to 18 games, with people worried that it will dilute the product. Of course, the US is a much bigger market, and the NFL is mostly one-team cities, but I've often thought this is a better model for high-impact contact sports like NRL, especially with the attrition rate through injury. With AFL, I'm not so sure, but the injury rate seems pretty high as well. But the NFL experience seems to indicate that sometimes less is more.
JamesP
Guest
"With such a tight league where percentage can determine whether you make the finals or even the top 4" You have just described all that is fat\ntastic about our game - the fact that there is a tight ladder and that any given team can beat the other on their day (well except for Richmond). Melbourne almost did it to Collingwood...and look how Freo are going this year! So yes, the draft and Salary Cap DO work!! As for the uneven round, unless you play EACH team once or twice, it will never be even.
Redb
Roar Guru
There is no way the AFL should deprive Essendon fans of beating the Blues twice a year! The footy season is not long enough, I dont want it shortened. the AFL would be crazy to give its competitors any holes to fill or lose the revenue of over 20 games. 18 teams in 2012 may require 3 pools. Certainly by 2030 as Kennett suggests the AFL will be at 20 teams and pools will be the only way to work it out.
Lazza
Guest
There was a lot of debate about the compromised draw a few years ago but no-one could come up with a solution so now it's just brushed over and ignored. Originally, the draw was meant to 'even out' over two seasons but then the AFL decided that 'blockbuster' games had to be played twice a season and too bad about the integrity of the competition. Money rules!
DB
Guest
I would support a 17 round comp, because an equitable draw goes to the heart of the integrity of the competition. But I know the AFL wont ever support it.
Lazza
Guest
"Considering the AFL has a salary cap and a draft to ensure a level playing field" The salary cap ensures a level playing field but the draft is certainly not even. It rewards losers, penalises success and encourages 'tanking' since the incentives are so great. Other sports that have 'even' competitions don't use or need a draft. The current draw is definitely not even. With such a tight league where percentage can determine whether you make the finals or even the top 4 then having a 'favourable' draw can be the difference between success and failure. If you're lucky enough to play the top sides only once and the weaker teams twice then you are going to have a good season.
CP
Guest
The AFL could learn a few things from football. Perhaps the first week or two of the finals could be home and away, Perhaps their could be one or two midweek rounds. Or maybe learn from NBA. Have a conference style split the teams into two conferences and have the finals from the top 4 in each conference. I say go to a play each team once then have an a 8 team finals series with home and away ties in the first 2 rounds.
JamesP
Guest
I don' think the AFL mind that there as some teams that play each other twice and some that don't. For example, Western Derby, Adelaide Showdown, and ensuring Collingwood, Essendon and Cartlon (and possibly Richmond if they ever get their house in order) play each other twice - and limit the Fremantle v Port Adelaide type fixtures to once a year. Personally, i think they will expand the season to 24 rounds (as of 2012), with the extra 2 weeks coming from an earluer start to the season thanks to a reduced NAB cup fixture.
Wayno
Guest
The one sure thing is there won't be less H&A games, there's no way the AFL are going to cook the goose that lays the golden egg.
sheek
Guest
You can still have a 22 round regular season. Everyone plays each other once for 17 games. Then divide 18 teams into 3 pools of six. They then play their other pool teams a second time for 22 matches. However, what might be behind the 17 round fixture is a desire to have an American style reason with distinct pre, regular & post seasons. With both the pre & post seasons being expanded. The preseason might see each team play 5-7 games. While the post season feature 8 teams playing 2-4 matches each. There might also be a desire to offer more titles each year (again like the Americans), so everyone can try for something - preseason champion; regular season minor premier; regular season pool winners; post season grand champion (flag winner). However, I would think a more pressing problem is how to preserve the career life of players with the game becoming faster, more physical & more intense. This might be the biggest issue of all.