The AFL’s NAB Cup pre-season competition is good, but why isn’t it great? The current system, as part of round one, has a round-robin system where there are three teams and three games in one day/night.
Each team plays each other once and has a rest during the other game. Each game only lasts for the equivalent of an AFL half.
During round two and three each team plays another team once, in a traditional game, with half the games played in rural areas of Australia and the others at traditional AFL venues.
During round four the same structure applies, except that the two-top finishing teams on a mini-ladder – which records all games played prior to the round 4 of the NAB Cup – play-off in the NAB Cup Grand Final.
The AFL have had a pre-season competition since 1988. Prior to 1988, the then-VFL had a night series competition running from 1977-1987. This was mostly a mid-season competition, but did feature during the pre-season as well. At times it featured teams from the WAFL, SANFL and state and territory teams. It was mostly a knock-out series but it did feature qualifying rounds.
Prior to 1977, there was the first night series competition, which operated during the finals series of the VFL and featured all teams that didn’t qualify for the finals. It was purely a knock-out series, and it operated from 1956-1971.
The pre-season competition has come a long way since it was first began 1988, but it still needs work.
The AFL are very keen to keep it running and so are the clubs and players.
The players use it to start to prepare for the season and cement a spot in the final 22-team squad. The teams want it so that they can get things moving again and trial young players. And the AFL want it to trial new rules and reach out to communities around Australia, along with the Australian Post Community Camps.
The triangular format is a dud, as it isn’t fair. Either way teams are going to be disadvantaged.
If you play the first and second game, your body won’t be able to reach its peak in the second game and will be unable to develop any kind of momentum and motivation. If you play first and third, you’ll be able to have a break and be fresh for the third game (this is ideal). If you play the second and third game, you will suffer the same problems as playing the first and second games.
So my conclusion to the triangular format is scrapping it. It fits well into the calendar, by having 3 games over the weekend, but that’s it. Why not have the same format as rounds 2 and 3?
I propose a few alternatives.
Proposal #1
Exhibition round – two or three games played overseas, prior to the beginning of the NAB Cup. Scores don’t contribute to NAB Cup results.
Round one – Nine games from around Australia
Round two – Nine games from around Australia
Round three – Nine games from around Australia
Round four – Nine games from around Australia
Final round – teams are listed on a mini-ladder. This round is essentially the finals round. The team that finishes first plays the second ranked team; number three plays number four; and so on until 17th plays 18th.
In total, not including the final round, there are 36 games, 18 of which must be played in rural areas (grounds/towns that don’t host AFL games).
Proposal #2
Exhibition round – two or three games played overseas, prior to the beginning of the NAB Cup. Scores don’t contribute to NAB Cup results.
Round one – Nine games from around Australia
Round two – Nine games from around Australia
Round three – Nine games from around Australia
Round four – Nine games from around Australia
Round five – Nine games from around Australia
Of these games, 20 – 22 must be played in rural areas (grounds/towns that don’t host AFL games). There is no NAB Cup Grand Final. Instead the team that finishes first on the mini-ladder wins the pre-season competition.
The teams that each team play is based on the previous year’s AFL ladder.
Originally, I thought that the top six, middle six and bottom six could be put together and they will only come up against each team in their “group”.
But my second thought was that teams want to play the better teams as well, to see where they are at. As such, I’ve decided to keep the “groups but change who are in them.
Group 1:
1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th
Group 2:
2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th
Group 3:
3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th
These formats last the same amount of time as this year’s Cup. The exhibition games are an added extra, for supporters to get their footy fix a week earlier. Furthermore the AFL can use them as expansion-type games.
It’s not a huge change, but it’s more structured and can work well. The AFL can capitalise on the TV ratings and can also give rural Australia a taste of AFL football.
Justin Cooper
Guest
Just keep it simple I say. The NAB Cup/NAB Challenge worked fine, the round-robin triangular series gets confusing and really not ideal for any club's preparation for round one. Would like to see the pre-season comp return to its knockout format for 2013.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I think we are talking slightly different ideas here. I was including representative side from the state leagues, you appear to be considering the top two teams from each of the leagues. Both have their merits, but I suspect that rep sides frm the main four, including the NEAFL, could win games while a club side would not (except if somebody like Centrals drew GWS this year). Club sides, especially in Victoria, are also very reliant on their AFL affiliates - who would be playing the likely VFL players in the Cup anyway when resting their AFL top-line players. State league representative teams could be all without AFL listed players, and I believe be competitive.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I actually would not mind going the other way, and eventually going to 4 subs and 2 interchange. Bring back the war of attrition and players having to pace themselves through games. The genuinely skilled could break their tags, the hard run required for the rolling flood and smilar tactics would backfair by the end of a game. It would need to be a gradual move over a number of years, but I suspect it would return the game closer to the type of thijng seen before the interchange bench was expanded, but still leave room for injury replacement.
Justin Cooper
Roar Pro
I prefer the knockout competition - full four quarter games, no confusion with how it works with results, etc. I also thought the NAB Challenge - for the clubs eliminated in NAB Cup comp - had plenty of merit because plenty of practice matches were played right across the country. I can see what the AFL are trying to do but it makes it tough for clubs preparing for round 1 with a round-robin format - shortened games, shared player rooms at the ground venue. I also think the AFL should revert to the original 6 interchange bench, that was in place before the sub rule. I do like the sub rule but I'd propose a 5 man interchange bench with a sub. And for this 2 sub trial this year, it would surely be better with 4 interchange players instead of just 2!
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Its also a great way for FANS to see the young guys and rookies running around in the team colours before the fade back into the obscurity of the state league. This in turn allows the FANS to see what the future may hold. Im a big fan of the tri series concept, especially when it gets vic clubs out of victoria for an extra game a year.
Brian
Guest
I like this idea. It can even be done more strategically but basically the 10 who don't make the Finals play in Round 1 so Pre-Week 1: 2 Overseas Knock out games for 4 AFL clubs who did not make the Finals Week 1: The other 6 non-finalist AFL clubs v VFL (Top 2), SANFL (Top 2) WAFL (Top 2) Week 2: 8 Finalists plust 8 winners play knockout Week 3: QF Week 4: SF Week 5: Final
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
"If you play the first and second game, your body won’t be able to reach its peak in the second game and will be unable to develop any kind of momentum and motivation. If you play first and third, you’ll be able to have a break and be fresh for the third game (this is ideal). If you play the second and third game, you will suffer the same problems as playing the first and second games." I think this is a feature, not a bug. One of the most important things you can learn about a person is how they react when things get hard. By making you play two short games in a row against a team that didnt, as a coach you get to learn who can currently be relied upon and who cant.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Angry Anderson said the other night on AFL360 that the current format of the NAB Cup is delivering a lot of what AFL clubs have been asking for, in particular, some greater certainty of where their matches would be - that's one big change that has been introduced in comparision to previous years. On the question of the first round lightning premiership format, it does have the advantage of allowing the club to play most of its list, including draftees and rookies, giving many young kids 40 min of game time. There is an element of disadvantage in the way the three games have to be spread out on the one night, but to be honest, we've got a problem if an AFL player can't run out 80 min, with a big break in the middle. The other advantage is that over those first two weeks, the AFL only needs to find three grounds on each weekend - and that's important at the tail end of the cricket season. Also, it's not really that important to make the pre-season cup overly attractive, it's only the entree to the season proper. It's a means of clubs getting ready for the season, and it heralds the start of the season to many supporters, but it doesn't have to a great product of itself.
Lachlan
Roar Guru
That's true. Probably the only thing holding the competition back. Which is pretty major too. That's why the competition should still be played in rural areas
AndyMack
Guest
I like your Proposal #1. The AFL tried this 3 game business, and sounds good in theory but you are right, it isn't fair. The major problem is the fans don't really care about the pre season comp. Yes, if my team made the final I will cheer them on, but would much prefer the team planned for round 1.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I would prefer that all matches were knockout and the tri-series abolished. That would mean bringing in a qualifying round. The main state leagues could also be included in qualifying. eg. 1st to 10th qualify automatically, and may have a pracrice game in the qualifying week. (The draw would be random, but the below gives an idea of what may happen) 17th v 18th 16th v 15th 14th v NEAFL 13th v WAFL 12th v VFL 11th v SANFL (The TSL is too far behind to be considered) One ie two qualifying games could be held a week early at overseas venues if it was deemed desirable. The pre-qualified 10 plus the six winners makes 16 for the first round of the cup proper. Qualifying and the first round would be played exclusively in regional areas, as would all practice (ie Challnge) matches. Practoce matches after the first round would be where rules are trialled, etc, not so much the Cup proper. This gives an incentive to stay in the competition, the chance to play under rules closer to the real season, and to play on regular AFL venues for better preparation heading into the premiership season.