On the week before the AFL finals six teams must travel interstate for their clashes. Facing a potential elimination match the following week against an opponent who may have had a much more restful preparation, it is an unfair situation that must be rectified.
The solution is simple: local derbies!
Thursday
Eagles vs Dockers
Friday
Crows vs Power
Saturday
Saints vs Bulldogs
Swans vs Giants
Lions vs Suns
Bombers vs Tigers
Sunday
Cats vs Hawks
Pies vs Blues
Roos vs Demons
These fixtures would be the same every season, with home-ground advantage alternating. The interstate matches would be played first to alleviate travel time lost for a potential finals game.
Victorian clubs may feel aggrieved if they face a short turnaround from their games, but compared to the week-to-week travel of the interstate teams, they have little to complain about.
And if, say, West Coast and Fremantle were to host Round 1 finals against teams who played on the Sunday, those matches wouldn’t get the Friday night timeslot.
The quality of these derby games would be so much greater than the current set-up, providing a better tune-up for the top-eight teams, and meaningful clashes for those out of the finals race.
In this year’s draw, Sydney, who could finish anywhere from second to sixth, host a Gold Coast side with little motivation to even turn up. Imagine if Sydney instead were to play their ‘little brother’, who would be keen to play havoc with the Swans’ finals charge.
The Suns would instead play a Brisbane side wanting to restore a bit of pride after a failed season. The spectre of tanking would be potentially reduced in such a scenario, given that supporters would not want to see their side ‘lay down’ against a bitter rival.
Assuming Brisbane won, Carlton would be facing the prospect of coming last, and Collingwood would delight in thumping them to achieve this end.
Games with teams out of the running would still draw bumper crowds, and a finals atmosphere would be generated a week early.
The competition deserves scheduling that is fair on all teams, and maintains the interest of fans all the way to the end.
jax
Guest
Dogs lost to Brisbane - put money on Peel
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Only if he's a top bloke.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
This is worthy of its own article.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
This week would be tricky, but both sides would be keen to land a psychological blow prior to a potential rematch in week 3 or the grand final. And the North situation is a joke. My hope is that derbies would at least make clubs consider putting out legitimate teams.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
It's a risk, undoubtedly, but smart teams know about self-preservation and not doing anything that will lead to a needless suspension. The Rabbitohs and Roosters play in the NRL final round tonight, as they have done for several years now, and they seem to make it work.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Only if he's a top bloke.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Thursdays suck, but I included it here for the sake of rest time. Alternatively, two games could be played on Friday night. And maybe the WA teams would reconsider if offered a choice of timeslot (or blackmailed with final round away games each year). It's not just for their sake, but for teams who have to cross the nullabour.
damo
Guest
Want to stop tanking ? I think it could be relatively straight forward & I have two ideas about it. The first one might be a bit random but that is exactly how it should actually be done- randomly, so that no team can be sure of gaining an advantage by tanking. Roll out the Lotto machine, with teams given a ball with the place they finished on the ladder as their number, & away you go. For sure, the best teams might get lucky, but that is all it would be. Just as much chance that it could be the bottom team, or any team lower down the ladder. I'm sure there are ways to make it way over complicated, but it was just a thought. My other, more serious idea, is that the bottom six teams (or some arbitrary number) get the top picks, but they get them in reverse order. the incentive is to fight hard for every point, to be 'top of the bottom' so to speak. I know this contradicts the intent of giving the worst team a leg up, but I have two points on that. My team, Carlton, have had the benefit of quite a number of top picks etc, but what have we really done with them ? Not to mention the horse trading that goes on to secure the players you might see as more beneficial to your plans etc. Top pick is really more a of a bargaining tool than a guaranteed selection, regardless of what type of player that may be. Anyway, a little sidetrack to the main point of the article but if the bottom teams were fighting hard for every point then maybe we wouldn't have to construct exciting match ups.
13th Man
Guest
North weren't going to go to Adelaide anyway unless Dogs lost to Brisbane.................. thats as likely as Peel winning this weekend! I don't have a problem with it. I don't see much difference to the Freo one. Teams have a right to prepare the best they can for Finals, if that means resting, then rest! Adelaide are the loser here as they lose the possibility of hosting a final. It was unlikely anyway!
Xavier Smith
Roar Rookie
I'm much more worried about North tinkering with their form before the finals than "tanking", though you could argue changes needed to be made after our dismal effort against the Bulldogs...
johno
Guest
10
Pope Paul VII
Guest
North: Not tanking, waving.
jax
Guest
That's exactly right Vocans. The integrity rule states that a team cannot field a team or manipulate a game so as to gain an advantageous placing in the finals. The AFL has back flipped on their own integrity policy (ironic) and once again they are making things up as they go along. I'm not commenting on whether or not North should or should not be allowed to rest players. I'm simply pointing out the fact that the AFL has approved the breaking of its own rule. With North fielding a B side against the Tigers (who they will most likely play again in week 1 of the finals) they can instruct their B players to absolutely smash the Tiger players so that they are battered and bruised for next weeks final. North has beaten the Tigers the last 5 times they have met, maybe 6. North prefer to play the Tigers in week 1 and avoid travelling to Adelaide to play the Crows. The AFL has opened up a massive cans of worms with this decision.
andyl12
Guest
No, they're avoiding the Bulldogs at the MCG- the only way North could be sent to Adelaide is if the Bulldogs lost to Brisbane which is very unlikely. How many are the Roos planning to rest?
Vocans
Guest
If I read it right, Freo has nothing to gain from losing this round, but the Roos do. In that case, Freo are not tanking but the AFL are rubber stamping the Roos who are by fielding an understrength team. It's not draft picks they're possibly after, but to avoid the Crows at the AO.
Anonymous
Roar Pro
Ridiculous. It is to unfair given the variant of who your opponent may be. I know in the Formula 1s they introduced this for the last round of the season but that is a completely different proposition given each driver is competing against every other driver. It just couldn’t work in the AFL given one team could be playing the likes of Carlton/Essendon and another Hawthorn/Freo.
Sharon
Guest
DOUBLE POINTS FOR THE FINAL ROUND. Might stop the 'holidays'? Thoughts anyone?
Walls Porter
Guest
Forget Thursday night football. Not a good thing for families with younger school children. A Friday night game on the east coast and a Friday night game on the west coast. Final home and away game as local derbies , bring it on.A mini state of origin
Perry Bridge
Guest
This year is an interesting case with both WA teams 1 and 2 - and so only one of those travels the week before. The local derbies works best if both teams miss finals but can wrap up with effectively local bragging rights. One wonders were it a local derby this week - how would Freo and Eagles approach it. Freo resting players. Eagles need to win to secure top 2. I reckon both clubs prefer their chance to host a derby to be more of a 'live' game than a potential end of season dead rubber. North v Rich tomorrow - I'm going nor not taking the family as North would prefer to lose. It's a Rich home game, we need to upgrade our memberships for reserved seats and therefore fork out $89 more. Stuff that. Save coins for finals week after.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Given the sheer intensity of the SA & WA derbies it would more or less ensure that a swathe of the Crows, Port, Dockers and Eagles list would be carrying injuries into the finals.