With the excitement of the AFL finals growing and some mouth-watering first up-matches, a horrible last month of football has been somewhat over-shadowed.
Terrible blow-outs, teams shot with injury lists as long as the Flemington straight, and others resting stars prior to the finals made for an underwhelming end to the regular 2015 season.
One-sided affairs and games with no bearing on the season were played out in front of terrible crowds and with poor television ratings.
The answer appears to be quite simple… Shorten the season.
The current 23 weeks are simply too long and the strains on AFL lists are there to see for all football fans. By shortening the season not only will you alleviate the aforementioned problems, but also create a fairer fixture.
A season of 17 rounds would ensure every team only plays each other once and the long-held debate about teams receiving an unfair advantage would be redundant.
With fewer games, injury lists should be shortened and teams at the lower end of the ladder will not be out of finals contention for more than a few weeks, rather than a few months in some cases this year.
If there are fewer games, each will take on more significance and rivalry games become once-a-year blockbuster events that provide real bragging rights.
It would also allow for a revamped All-Star or State of Origin game, which has been mooted in recent years as a fun way to once again showcase the talent across the league.
More importantly though it opens up the possibility of extending the finals. Clearly the best time for supporters and players alike is having your team in the last eight, and by shortening the season you can extend the series.
Many teams have often used all their petrol by mid-September just making the finals, meaning those in the bottom half of the eight have virtually no chance of making a grand final. Shortening the season makes the road easier to cover for these teams and an upset more likely.
Imagine also adding a wildcard round to kick off the finals, where seven through ten play each other for the right to play against the top six, who have a week off as their reward for finishing higher.
The second week could see further elimination games, with the winners of the wild card facing the fifth and sixth teams while the top four battle for another week’s rest.
You certainly won’t see teams or coaches complaining about having an additional week off during the finals, and extending the coverage for five weeks would be appealing to sponsors and fans alike.
This also gives the sides finishing fifth and sixth a week off at the start of the finals, improving their chances of having a genuine run at a premiership, which can only add interest and intrigue.
Of course I’m a realist.
I understand that money makes the sporting world turn and that as long as television rights are the number one money provider for the game we are unlikely to see the season shortened.
But by the time the next rights are up, surely a tighter fixture could be looked at, with more emphasis on single blockbusters and extended finals series along with a potential All-Star game that could still see 23 weeks of football?
Gillon McLachlan has shown that he is happy to listen to fans, so enough with the rubbish Collingwood versus Essendon anti-climactic games in Round 23! Let’s shorten the regular season and extend the finals to add fairness and excitement for player and supporter alike.
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