Here is a review of the latest in the AFL this week.
I give you, the AFL Three.
1 and 2. Byes and TV
The dreaded byes are in full swing – three rounds of six games. Yes, 6-6-6 – clearly the work of the devil ruining the momentum of the AFL season.
It’s been tumbleweeds for AFL on free-to-air TV. The last two Sundays have had stand-alone blockbuster fixtures of West Coast versus Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda versus Gold Coast in the 4:40pm twilight time slot on Foxtel only. No free-to-air football the last two Sundays – this has been going on for years and really needs to stop.
As I see it the AFL have a three alternatives.
They can keep the current arrangement of split rounds and bye rounds, but the AFL, Channel Seven and Foxtel need to sit down and restructure the broadcast rights agreement to make sure that every weekend of the home-and-away season has at least one game on free-to-air TV every Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
The AFL might also want to consider fixturing a half-decent game on a Sunday if it’s a stand-alone game. Also should the only Monday night football game of the season, St Kilda versus Carlton, really be on Foxtel? It seems pointless playing on Monday night if it’s not on free-to-air TV.
If the broadcast agreements can’t be changed then at least use the available AFL-free airtime to showcase different levels of football. The AFL Under-18 Championships started on Sunday with Vic Country playing Vic Metro at 11am in suburban Sandringham. This game could have been played as a curtain raiser to the St Kilda versus Gold Coast game at Etihad Stadium and broadcast on TV.
The Western Bulldogs versus Melbourne in the Women’s Exhibition Match is coming up on June 29, but what better way to give this game exposure than on a Sunday afternoon in one of the bye rounds with no AFL on free-to-air TV.
Thirdly, the AFL could reconfigure the way clubs are given their two breaks during the season.The AFLPA want two byes in the 22 game home-and-away season so we are looking at a 24-week season. However, rather than taking the byes in blocks why not have rolling byes. Have nine games in the first three rounds and the last three rounds of the season and eight games in all the other rounds.
Two teams would have a bye each week which could mean Thursday night football, a time slot the AFL are dabbling with currently, could be come a permanent fixture through the middle 18 rounds of the season. The two teams who had the bye on the weekend could then meet on the Thursday night the next week to start the new round. Of course with the standard round now containing eight games the broadcast deals with Foxtel and Channel Seven would need to be renegotiated.
3. Umpires
They just can’t take a trick. Umpire Troy Pannell was knocked out in an accidental clash with Sydney’s Nick Malceski in the Essendon versus Sydney game. Well played Essendon fans, not content with booing one of their own players, Brent Stanton, a few seasons ago, they have now booed an injured umpire as he was stretchered of the ground.
The umpires were also in the firing line for not hearing the three-quarter-time siren during the Adelaide versus Collingwood match at a noisy Adelaide Oval. The solution is obvious: the umpires need to be wearing Foxtel ‘Alert Shirts’.
The Alert Shirt is a shirt with an attached electronic device wired up to live-game data that “converts this data into powerful sensations that simulates the live sporting contest”. Basically, if a player gets crunched in a tackle you get electronically crunched by your fancy shirt. It sounds like a pointless gimmick but it could have a practical use.
Sounding the siren in the umpires’ earpieces may make them aware the quarter has ended, but hooking them up with an ‘Alert Shirt’ and giving them a fair dinkum ‘electronic’ hip and shoulder as the siren sounds is guaranteed to alert them to blow their whistle. Of course an alternative is the ground could install louder sirens. No, I think the Alert Shirt is definitely the way to go – shocking the umpires into awareness that the quarter is over.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Swings and roundabouts. The bolter will be more likely to be playing weaker teams twice.
vocans
Guest
3 lots of TV at primer times instead of 2
Cat
Roar Guru
Still the same problem I outlined above, what happens when one team has a bye round 4 vs a team with a bye round 19? You can try and predict who will be in finals and make it somewhat fair but you'll always have the bolter that will be the odd team out.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
The system Ross has suggested is three full rounds at start and end, so all finals bound teams enter the finals on equal terms. We all know the PA is looking for two byes per annum. I think Ross' suggestion is quite good. Benefits: 1. PA gets their two byes; 2. equal finish for all finals bound teams at end of home and away season; 3. there's an 18 week period of 8 games per round where we are spreading 8 games over 3 or 4 days rather than 9 games (one less clash); and 4. helps the AFL push the home and away season out to 24 rounds.
Cat
Roar Guru
Rolling bye does not work, we effectively had a rolling bye the first year the Suns entered the competition when we had an uneven number of teams. The scheduling of the byes can greatly help one team far more then another depending when its scheduled. Geelong that year having a round 22 bye benefited far more heading into the finals then say Collingwood who had their last bye of the year back in round 13.
mds1970
Roar Guru
I like the rolling bye system you've mentioned. For most rounds in the season, there'd be 8 games; so you'd barely notice the difference except for the two rounds when it's your team's turn for the bye. The other thing that system does is enables Thursday night to be a regular thing, involving the two clubs that have had the bye the previous weekend. To evenly spread what would be a timeslot not particular popular to attend but very popular for TV; I would suggest that Thursday night football happens 18 teams, with each team having one Thursday night home game.
Shouts Chen
Guest
Please bring 18 rounds of AFL. We dont want a Bye for this! It really drives me nuts.
Jack from Liydale
Guest
They've even managed to compromise a bye round!!! Giving NRL free kicks galore. Off subject a little, Bring back the VFL as it is now known as curtain raisers, was always great to get there after half time in the reserves and be able to keep an eye on the youngsters and the oldies coming back from injuries. Would guarantee a lot more would be there earlier rather than later. Telecast the whole lot also. Reality check, this is the AFL and so many vested interests that don't give a fig about the fans so that will never happen. We don't even get the telecast in HD! Third world coverage, and I'm including the commentary. McAvaney should go back to athletics or something, his inane stats and overall rambling drives me nuts, can't hit the mute button fast enough.
Gyfox
Guest
The bye is a disaster for fans!
John Hamilton
Guest
I think that the AFL has the structure right. We just want more footy. Broadcasting non-AFL games would be helpful. The OP suggests broadcasting the under 18s or the women's match. Both these are excellent ideas. If it is possible to schedule a foxtel cup game that may work as well. If all else fails why not a WAFL, SANFL, NEAFL or VFL match broadcast into each state?
Michael huston
Guest
Why can't all 18 teams have a bye on the same week? I know a footy-less week would be frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as having just six games per weekend for three consecutive weeks. It would just get it over with. It would also be fair as all the teams would be equal coming back (the bye effects teams differently). As for the umpires, they can't ever win really so my recommendation to anyone is: DON'T BECOME AN UMPIRE!