With the season already two rounds down, and already being April, it’s clear the AFL have ticked some boxes over the last couple of months.
The women’s league was a fantastic expanded footprint for the game, and timing also ensured a great transition into the men’s season.
Already we are seeing patterns of games with higher scoring and a renewed emphasis on attacking footy from many clubs.
The big worry for me is the Gold Coast who have me thinking about how the AFL could look in a few years.
The Suns are cause for an early write-off following a huge line of attempts to crack the golden egg that is the Gold Coast market across AFL, rugby league and football. If the ‘Son of God’, Gary Ablett Jnr, thinks it is no good, then I think we have a significant issue.
With that in mind, I took the liberty of devising a conference-based national competition, without hopefully upsetting too much of the apple cart.
To start off, we maintain 18 teams, making sure to have a presence in every state and territory.
As it would work, North Melbourne move to Tasmania and Gold Coast is abandoned. Tasmanian and Northern Territory sides are introduced into the competition as well to ensure expansion across the nation.
The pre-season competition is abandoned. The draw also becomes something fans can understand, being divided into a two-conference system: an AFL Conference and a VFL Conference.
AFL Conference
Greater Western Sydney Giants (3 games in the ACT)
Sydney Swans
West Coast Eagles
Fremantle Dockers
Brisbane Lions (3 games in Cairns)
Darwin Dingoes (2 games in Alice Springs)
Adelaide Crows
Port Adelaide Power
Tassie Kangaroos (split between Hobart and Launceston)
VFL Conference
Collingwood Magpies
Western Bulldogs
Essendon Bombers
Carlton Blues
Richmond Tigers
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn Hawks
St Kilda Saints
Melbourne Demons
Under this format, the AFL and VFL play each other twice within their own conference and then play games against the other conference once.
This is a total of 25 regular season games.
The Grand Final is played between the winner of each conference, squaring off following a top 4 intra-conference knock-out qualifying finals system.
The top four play each other in each conference (1 versus 4, 2 versus 3) in a knock out style match up, and then a Conference Final determines the right to advances to the Grand Final. Effectively, this will be three weeks of finals.
In this model, the total number of matches for the year is 28.
To compare against how it currently stands, sides that make the Grand Final can play up to 29 games in a year, with 3 pre-season matches in the JLT Community Series.
Critics will come in and say that the AFL would not cop losing a week of finals and that Darwin doesn’t have the population to sustain a team.
My counter to the latter point is that northern Australia is AFL heartland (and the Government is certainly looking at heavy investment with the Northern Australia strategy) – and investing millions in a place like the Gold Coast is money better spent in NT.
This model maintains a home and away structure for Victorian clubs to play each other twice, and also allows sides in the AFL conference to see half the Vic teams at home each year.
It could well be argued that the travel impost on the AFL conference is too significant, but I think most of these clubs are used to significant travelling as it is and have structures in place.
Other concepts for the new structure, where I don’t pretend to have any expertise, but would think to be an interesting exploration, are the following:
Drafting
This would be lottery based for teams who do not make the finals in the previous year.
Bring back zoning
Teams would get 16-17 Rookie selections. Each side must take three rookie picks according to their local zoning/academies.
If you option these rookies at 18, you lose your first, second and third round picks (depending on how many you pick up), without arbitration on value. Those rookies that are not optioned at 18 go into the lottery.
Full-time and Neutral umpires
To destroy any notion of the conspiracy theorists, games are played with state-neutral umpires. So a West Coast-Sydney game could have two Vic and one SA umpires for example. Promote opportunities for a broader umpiring base to get more in the game.
Be interested in your thoughts, Roarers.
Chancho
Roar Rookie
more pokies?
Cat
Roar Guru
And yet not a single club is even close to the situation those clubs found themselves in. The AFL will simply never allow it to get that bad again.
Cat
Roar Guru
Not proof of anything. Always going to be 'handouts'. Always going to be some clubs that are in a down period. The AFL and clubs are now much better at managing it before it gets to the levels seen in the 80's.
Cat
Roar Guru
What do you think will happen to the finances of the clubs who are 'relegated' when members stop buying memberships until they get 'promoted'?
Perry Bridge
Guest
The slow decline was seen back in the '90s - when Hawthorn were on the verge of a merger with Melbourne. Clubs have turned it around. Even North Melbourne is making a (small) profit (without pokies) and got a new revamped Arden St training base. North also are eyeing off the future come the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel which will deliver a railway station at 'Arden'. The old inner urban industrial suburb has been changing over the last 20 years - gentrified. The ground could yet become a more highly utilised venue. So - I'm not sure North Melbourne - est 1869 - are going anywhere real quick.
Chancho
Roar Rookie
Instead of the conference suggestion, I'd go for a 2 league relegation/promotion option. This gives the struggling clubs (say Carlton, Freo, Melbourne and the Suns) a chance at building without the threat of getting smashed week-in-week out, and also, means that the new sides have to come up through the league. Might even alow for the use of suburban grounds in the lower league? Also, there could be a few less sides in the top league and each side plays 2 so it's a proper home and away season.
me too
Roar Rookie
Call them Darwin, then don't bother playing them in Alice. NT Thunder, or Territory Thunder will do.
steve
Guest
Nah this conference idea is terrible for a multitude of reasons, one being that under your system of conference winners playing in a grand final, it means we will never ever see again traditional rivals like Carlton Vs Collingwood etc play in a grand final. That you rule out the possibility of Victorian teams or the AFL conference teams ever being able to play each other is ridiculous. Its the same in the NBA. The three best teams this season are all from the Western Conference and they can never meet in the NBA Finals. Its ridiculous.
King Bob
Guest
What issues are you trying to solve? Yes an Australian game should be represented in all states and country areas. If that is your aim consider shifting some inner Melbourne sides to Vic/NSW country and Canberra and Hobart. Continue supporting Gold Coast which better value than all the money spent propping up too many Melbourne sides. The AFL/VFL grouping doesn't achieve anything except guarantee a Melbourne team in the grand final; not the best 2 teams. It also means less competitive games to watch. It makes it a much weaker competition.
Alicesprings
Guest
The 'Thunder' is already pretty popular..
Reservoir Animal
Guest
Hehe
Steve009
Roar Rookie
Proo it's unsustainable, how about how many Vic clubs, even the once powerful, are reliant on AFL handouts each year. How many Vic teams turned a profit last year? (Better stadium deals to Etihad tenants will help this). To many eating from the one pie.
Steve009
Roar Rookie
North are already there, they just don't know it yet.
Steve009
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure Carlton would be guaranteed an invite anymore.
Franko
Guest
The boys the debuted Friday night looked pretty handy.
Cat
Roar Guru
How is it any different than all the years the two best teams play in the prelim because they are on same side of the draw?
mr flibble
Guest
I agree Alicesprings. With conferences how do you get past the issue that the two best teams may be in the one conference but can't play off in the GF (as part of the broader issue you and others have raised that half the possible GF combinations can never happen). Better an expansion to 20 teams. Based on population and economics (though there has been a shift for the worse over the past year or so) a third team out of WA is the next logical expansion. Perth could support it where most of the other proposed destinations are less certain. So, the 20th team - take your pick. I'd suggest Tasmania but i wonder if NM and Hawthorn are viable without the money they raise in that market. and while i'm at it, what the Q clubs can't sustain is being reduced to nurseries for the clubs from the 'traditional' states to take young, high draft pick players as soon as their first contract expires; it runs counter to the hope of firmly rooting (sic) AFL in Queensland by giving fans and prospective followers some level of hope for the future. As things stand, both Q clubs are struggling now and not offering much promise down the track. e.g. it was reported on this outlet a few days ago there are strong rumours that Schache is Carlton-bound at the end of the year.
Believe Steve
Guest
The AFL wont want to throw in the towel with the Gold Coast Suns just yet. It was a 20 year project and I think something really bad would have to happen for them to pull the plug on the Suns. I think the Suns board are making the wrong decisions and the club is going backwards.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I think it's just a running joke now, K.
JamesH
Roar Guru
The balance is good but there would be uproar at the reduced 'rivalry' games. Hawks vs Cats, Blues vs Pies, Dons vs Hawks, Blues vs Tiges, etc... These would be once-a-season affairs under that structure. I don't personally mind it but there would be some strong opposition from fans and money-makers.