Opinion
The 2020 AFL season has given footy fans a look at what a 17-game season looks like.
In March AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan announced that due to COVID-19 the 2020 season would be shortened by five games, with each team playing each other only once.
The 22-game season forces teams to play five clubs twice. This can have a big impact on a side’s finals hopes depending on who they play a second time.
If each team played each other once, the 2019 season would end with some major differences.
Brisbane and Richmond benefited most from the 22-game season, going 5-0 when they were playing a team for a second time. Collingwood and Essendon also performed strongly the second time around, winning four times and losing only once.
Meanwhile, Fremantle, Gold Coast and Melbourne struggled, losing on all five occasions. Sydney only won one game and lost four.
Carlton, Geelong, Hawthorn, St Kilda, West Coast and the Western Bulldogs went 3-2 when playing a team for the second time. Adelaide, GWS, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide went 2-3 on these occasions.
This modified ladder omits the second occasion for teams who played each other twice.
Revised 17-match 2019 AFL ladder
| Pos. | Team | W | L | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Geelong | 13 | 4 | 139.6 per cent |
| 2. | West Coast | 12 | 5 | 110.3 per cent |
| 3. | Collingwood | 11 | 6 | 122.5 per cent |
| 4. | GWS | 11 | 6 | 121.3 per cent |
| 5. | Brisbane | 11 | 6 | 108.3 per cent |
| 6. | Richmond | 11 | 6 | 105.1 per cent |
| 7. | Port Adelaide | 9 | 8 | 113.0 per cent |
| 8. | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 8 | 106.6 per cent |
| 9. | Fremantle | 9 | 8 | 106.3 per cent |
| 10. | Hawthorn | 8 | 9 | 105.6 per cent |
| 11. | Adelaide | 8 | 9 | 99.4 per cent |
| 12. | North Melbourne | 8 | 9 | 96.9 per cent |
| 13. | Essendon | 8 | 9 | 91.4 per cent |
| 14. | Sydney | 7 | 10 | 96.6 per cent |
| 15. | St Kilda | 6 | 11 | 80.1 per cent |
| 16. | Melbourne | 5 | 12 | 81.1 per cent |
| 17. | Carlton | 4 | 13 | 79.9 per cent |
| 18. | Gold Coast | 3 | 14 | 63.5 per cent |
With a different ladder, a 17-game season produces a different finals series.
Brisbane and Richmond would have fallen out of the top four, missing out on percentage. West Coast and GWS would take their place. The Eagles jump up three places to second compared to their fifth-place finish.
Port Adelaide would have made the finals while Essendon would have dropped out of the eight. Port Adelaide move up three positions to seventh.
Essendon drops the most positions in a 17-game season, falling five places to 13th.
Fremantle gain the most positions but still miss out on finals, albeit by the narrowest of margins. They would finish ninth and equal on points with Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, missing out on the eight to the Bulldogs by just 0.3 percentage points.
Collingwood, Sydney and Melbourne all move up one spot while the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn, St Kilda and Carlton drop one spot.
Geelong, Adelaide, North Melbourne and Gold Coast stay in the same position.
Revised 2019 finals, Week 1
Qualifying final 1: Geelong vs GWS at GMHBA Stadium
Elimination final 1: Brisbane vs Western Bulldogs at the Gabba
Elimination final 2: Richmond vs Port Adelaide at the MCG
Qualifying final 2: West Coast vs Collingwood at Optus Stadium
The AFL is expected to return to a 22-round season next year.
What do you think, AFL fans? Should the AFL move to a 17-round season permanently?
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