Michael Cowley wrote about the need for an ‘Us vs them’ type game in the AFL earlier this week on The Roar.
Many (mostly supportive) comments were offered, and a good few made the central point as to why AFL Origin doesn’t work. Simply, the best/better players will not take (or be allowed to take) the risk during the season and usually put high priority on injury remediation straight after the finals (or sooner) each year.
So, while there are still 18 clubs playing a single division AFL competition, this would be my suggestion:
An ‘Us’ (Vic) vs ‘Them’ (non Vic) game is played as a curtain raiser to the grand final each year with players selected from clubs outside the top eight.
Participation is mandatory for all of those 10 clubs, but they have the right to have selected players made unavailable for the game on legitimate/demonstrable grounds, subbing in an alternative player.
The coaches for each of the two Us/Them teams are the coaches of the winning final series played between the bottom 10 clubs, in a season format as follows:
1. All 18 teams play each other once (ie 17 rounds).
2. Top four play next four in the ‘last’ round to decide the final ladder positions for the main finals series.
3. Bottom 10 do the same thing, deciding their ladder positions for a concurrent finals series.
4. Top eight finals series played as per current format.
5. Bottom 10 teams play their final series as curtain raisers to the main finals, with their grand final played before the main preliminary final.
6. This concurrent finals series is a competition for priority draft picks, incenting those clubs to field their best available players for those games.
Top ten draft picks are prioritised for the bottom 10 in order of their finals finish. They can be traded initially between those teams and then in an open draft as the market demands.
What are the benefits? Well, here are some.
– As a non-tribal grand final curtain raiser, the Us vs Them game would have some wide entertainment interest.
– The Bottom 10 finals series gives all supporters something to cheer for during the finals period.
– In turn those clubs have more to give/sell to their sponsors/members.
– Their players get “finals”experience, which many never get.
– They earn their priority picks rather than ‘not earn’ them.
– AFL might work on a ticketing scheme for the venues that makes them more money via gate turnover, TV rights and sponsors.
– We do not see four or five useless round games in weeks 18 thru 23.
Yes, I follow a club that (all but) always makes the finals. But, I am an advocate for changes to the format that gets more out of the sport for all concerned.
Theo
Guest
This is an incredibly bad idea. The last thing players will want to do after a long season is play a fake finals series and risk injury when they could be enjoying their end of season trips.
Dean
Guest
Totally agree with."glidagida". No one from the states outside Victoria would feel any loyalty with a combined origin team. Typical Victorians who feel the God given sense of right that the game belongs to them.
glidagida
Roar Rookie
You VICs just don't get it do you. To you the 'US' is the BIG 'V' of course so you can genuinely have a 'TRIBAL' loyalty. What about the THEM? [Really as a ***VIC*** who cares] we are US and we can be TRIBAL but forget it if you are the 'THEM' from SA, WA, or Tassie, There is no tribal feelings for a 'mixed team', this is why VICs vs the ALLIES were such a flop. WE the rest of Australia cringe at these sorts of suggestions, but its typical of the VFL arrogance which has being carried into the AFL. I believe most players want STATE OF ORIGIN, most of the THEM states want it, but a few precious former VFL clubs and their presidents put their vested [club] interest and their precious players, ahead of the good of the game nationally. Rugby shows us how important the ORIGIN concept can be.
michael RVC
Roar Pro
Hi Ryan, Aussie rules across this country is set up in divisions and both junior and adult level, always has been, for obvious reasons. Maybe you missed what I said. I am not suggesting we break the 18 AFL team into two divisions. No. As I said, they all play each other once as part of the main season and everyone gets a chance to make up the top 8. In most, if not all seasons, after round 17 or 18, there is stuff all material change to the ladder. Certainly by this point of each season half the clubs are just playing out the remaining rounds with a focus on various plans for the next season. You've stretched my suggestion as meaning across the competition from start to finish. I made it clear that it's only a way to (a) have a "SOO" concept and (b) finish the season off with a little more interest across the fan base. I don't know how long you've involved yourself in aussie rules, but let me suggest to you that there has always been and I believe always will be a top third a second third and a bottom third club cluster. The clubs rarely move between and even when they do it is short lived. I believe the way the AFL is run this will become more prevalent, not less. Even for GCS and GWS their "momentum" will eventually flatten out and they will take up a position in one cluster or another and that's where they will be for 9 years out of every 10. For most Vic clubs, history now tells us that it is 19 years out of every 20. Boring?
Ryan Ranger
Roar Rookie
The AFL is NOT a junior footy competition. It doesn't need the competition split up after a certain number of rounds, where all the "good" teams go into "Divïsion 1", and the "mediocre" teams get put in a separate comp so that everyone gets a chance to play finals and feel good about themselves. (Certainly that does happen here in the junior competition here in Brisbane, I'd imagine it does elsewhere as well). What you've proposed isn't as bad as some of the (often deluded) ideas others have thrown up on this site and elsewhere recently - usually those involving State of Origin concepts. But there won't be as much interest in a "Bottom 10 finals series", from fans and players especially. Footballers play the game to experience the ultimate feeling of winning a premiership and the glory that comes with it. The motivation just won't be there for players to play in a second-rate, finals-based comp solely to achieve the highest possible draft pick for their club.