With the season coming to a close, and both my AFL and local team treading water, here are some thought bubbles from the season.
Contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on
Last year, we had Bryce Gibbs wanting to be traded with three years to run on his contract, while Port Adelaide tried to move on Hamish Hartlett, who had four years to run.
Gary Ablett still apparently wants out of his contract to go back to Geelong, even though he has another year to go. Reports that Ablett will walk from footy if he doesn’t go to Geelong sounds like buyer’s remorse for signing a contract extension for three years.
What is the point of contracts if they are so flimsy?
The fact players can dictate to clubs what they want, and veto if they don’t like it, puts way too much power in their hands.
Clubs aren’t in the clear either, shopping for players during the season, which is against the rules.
How does the AFL fix it though?
Trading needs to be beneficial to all parties, without the AFL getting involved. The last thing we need is the AFL topping up trades with draft picks because clubs can’t pay (or aren’t willing to pay) but the players want to go.
Do we just go full trade only for the start of a career, then full free agency at the end? Clubs wear all the risk of developing the kids, then ship them off to successful clubs when they turn 25.
There are so many different paths to explore, and I am confident we will stumble through some over the summer.
The momentum-killing pre-finals bye needs to go
Coaches don’t like it, players don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, and it’s a free kick to the NRL.
It doesn’t stop tanking in the last game – if players are carrying niggling injuries and the results don’t matter, they won’t play. They won’t go super Saturday and play everyone at the same time to protect results, it isn’t practical for broadcasters.
Just put things back to the way they were – it asn’t broken to begin with. Fremantle didn’t win the premiership on the back of tanking the last match to St Kilda.
Having open air for the EJ Whitten game and an exhibition women’s game is nice. But with AFLW taking off, we don’t really need token exhibition games – a few will be playing in their own finals in the domestic comps.
Giving SANFL, VFL and WAFL prime coverage won’t be a big draw either. If you are already in that eco-system, you watch games. If you’re not, I am doubtful you will pick it up at the end of the season.
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Score reviews
They are fine, keep them. Geelong kicking a ‘goal’, even though it hit the post in the 2009 grand final, and all the line-ball calls.
Get it right, sure. But can we speed the process up? It is so boring to stop and wait.
A simple fix is the umpires call and you have 30 seconds to prove they aren’t correct. If it is so line ball that you can’t tell immediately, then let it stand.
I understand they sold the sponsorship rights to the decision review scoreboard, but it soaks up about ten seconds each time. Scrap it, and put a ‘decision pending’ animation on the replays. Fixed!
Homebush and Geelong stadiums
Yes, Simmonds Stadium is the home ground of the Geelong cats, but the AFL own the finals series, not the home teams, so you play where you are told.
Once the stadium renovations are finished, I would give them Simmonds over Docklands, but not the MCG. You’re going to the MCG if some 25,000 fans are going to miss out.
For Greater Western Sydney on the other hand, stop pushing ANZ Stadium as an option. Nobody wants to play there and there are two decent stadiums in Sydney. Use the showgrounds for small crowds, and the SCG for bigger games.
Homebush will eventually become a rectangular stadium, so the option won’t be there. Locking out fans because it’s your home ground is fine for home games when nobody shows up.
Again, for finals the AFL own them. They can tell you where to play. Go to the SCG, fill the stadium and worry about the football.
Draft lottery for bottom 12
The bottom 12 teams – including the first two eliminated in finals – should go into a lottery for first ten picks, with protections so you can’t go worse than four down from your original position – meaning 18th team would get Pick 5 at worst.
It wouldn’t change much, the high finishing teams are next to no chance of improving their position, and it really just shuffles the deck chairs.
Might be something a maths guru could run with? The AFL like events, and having another dinner and show for the draft lottery is something the AFL would totally consider.
The fixture
The 2-2-1 format works fine – it generally produces the best eight teams at the end of the season, and if a team gets in that probably shouldn’t, they get bundled out of the finals anyway.
Leave it alone.
Moehawk
Roar Rookie
Must get rid of the bye week. Disadvantage for finishing top 4 and winning first final. 1 match in 4 weeks destroys momentum. Also all the sooky la la about home finals, cry me a river. Almost every other football league plays on neutral grounds. The "home" final is to satisfy the clubs members, but some grounds cannot cater for finals crowds. MRP needs some work on consistency, and eligibility for the Brownlow needs revisiting.
republican
Guest
......this pre season bye is a smoke screen for some AFL commercial advantage surely. It has naught to do with players resting and all to do with television contracts I reckon. The season is too long as is, due to the farcical pre season round robin that is often exposed to mid 30C degree days, while the Cricket season is not even wrapped up. Footy should finish in Sept, end of story............
Cat
Roar Guru
The real issue is players out of contract, who do not qualify for free agency, setting demands about where they go. They haven't earned the right to pick and choose and shouldn't be allowed to do so.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Contracts are only not worth the paper if both club and player agree. In Gibbs case, the club held him to his contract. Theres no problem here. Theres a perception issue - if a player wants to leave you have to let him go...well no you dont. The pre finals bye doesnt threaten the integrity of anything. What rubbish. It would threaten the integrity if it was only offered to some clubs in the finals and not others, but the fact is its offered to ALL clubs in the final series. and the top 4 still retain a double chance. it does give some players an extra week of recovery to be ready for finals footy and thats good for everyone.
Will
Guest
The Draft issue arose because certain clubs suppressed performance towards the end of a season in order to get the first (or a priority) pick. The AFL appears to have misunderstood the problem, by choosing to eliminate the priority pick before pick #1, all they realy did was shift the problem. The temptation to tank remained, just the reward changed slightly. If instead the AFL had retained the priority pick, but gave it to the worst performed team of the last 5 years they would have removed the problem. A team could suppress their performance in the 5th year to get the priority pick before #1, but it wouldn't really matter - because the team getting the prize would have been aweful for years, and therefore truly in need of help.
Redbacks fan
Guest
The best change that the AFL could make is to bring in a player re-signing period post season. It would have to occur before the draft and any player exchange periods and it would be the only time in which players can re-sign with their club. Having all of the signings happen in a condensed period might seem like a nightmare for list managers, as opposed to the 12 months of the year that they currently operate in. However, negotiations can take place and be agreed upon at any time of the year like they presently do, only players will not be able to sign on the dotted line - and clubs cannot announce signings - until the specified post season period begins. A player re-signing period would likely remove a large portion of the articles that plague news papers and football websites at this time of the year about players who are potentially moving clubs and replace them, hopefully, with passionate opinion pieces, insightful analysis and frenzy building previews. Media relating to player movement saps the excitement out of what is the most exciting time of the year, finals time. Having a dedicated re-signing period would give players like Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly, and Jake Lever and their clubs alike, who are all constantly hounded by journalists, an easy answer when asked about their contract status - "contract negotiations will occur post season like they do with every other player coming out of contract". Any proposal for a period such as this would no doubt be met negatively by media outlets who rely on these stories to fill pages, and likely the AFL administration who are committed to expanding the game and who appear to be motivated by the mantra: their is no such thing as bad publicity. But as football fans in general, we can see that the game would be a greater spectacle if were to pick up news paper and read a skillfully articulated analysis like we regularly see from Ryan Buckland here on The Roar rather than yet another re-hashed story questioning whether Dustin Martin will stay or go at seasons end.
Cat
Roar Guru
He is due $600k next year if the story doing the media rounds is true.
Cat
Roar Guru
He wasn't the only player GC named and then pulled out.
Cat
Roar Guru
Don't wait to the last minute. Plenty of people were walking up to the ticket window at the Polly Farmer gate and getting tickets on the day.
Neil from Warrandyte
Guest
Only seats left were single seats at highly inflated prices on resale site or seats not taken up by reserved seat members. Try booking for family/ friends you want to sit with down at Geelong.
Cat
Roar Guru
Please name one time you couldn't get a seat for a game at KP? There was almost 2000 spares seats still empty when Richmond came down to Geelong a few weeks ago.
Cat
Roar Guru
Not according to the club Slane. Ablett allegedly did not pass the fitness test. Why a fitness test would be given directly AFTER naming a side, I have no idea.
Mattyb
Guest
Why would the GC name him then pull him out within 30mins. Sounds more like a regulation dummy spit for some reason more than the clubs fault.
Shane
Guest
Neil, are you whinging because your club sold out its home ground advantage and now you expect other clubs to do for your supporters what your own club didn't? Incredible. Grow up. Get your own home ground.
Shane
Guest
Wow, three of your points feature Geelong examples for change, Wayne - I reckon you are a Richmond supporter. "Once the stadium renovations are finished, I would give them Simmonds over Docklands, but not the MCG. You’re going to the MCG if some 25,000 fans are going to miss out." Yeah, if that is the case then it should be the same for EVERY single team. GWS, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, WCE, FREO, anyone at Etihad - your bias is showing on this one as well - there are plenty of home finals where 25,000 fans will miss out, but you specify that only Geelong can be pushed around. So sick of this Melbourne-centric entitled whinging, either every team earns the right to play their final at home, or no team should have the right - that is the ONLY way to preserve the integrity of the competition.
King Bob
Guest
Can we bring our own beer and not drink out of plastic cups.
King Bob
Guest
"Again, for finals the AFL own them" No they don't. The Members own the game, not the Administrators or the TV companies The members deserve a fair competition and to watch their team at Home.
Neil from Warrandyte
Guest
At least GWS, Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast can fully accommodate opposition supporters. I've never had a problem getting seats with friends and family to any of those venues. Agree with North (and Hawthorn) down in Tassie where tiger fans have difficulty getting seats. At least they don't lobby to have finals played down there. A true home ground advantage where opposition fans are locked out gives home sides a 'free kick' (or several) before the first bounce in more then one respect.
Slane
Guest
He pulled himself out.
Cat
Roar Guru
Ah, didn't see it. Odd move for GC to make, name him then pull him out so fast. Torpedoing any value Gary might have had left.