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Opinion
After two weeks of the AFL finals series, there are four teams solely focused on winning the flag in 2022, while the remaining 14 teams have turned their focus to 2023, working out where it all went wrong this year, and what they can fix going into next season.
No doubt the fixture, which will likely be released in October or November, will play a big part in the fortunes of each team. The AFL has a weighted system based on the previous season’s standings in an attempt to even out the double-up games, but what if there was a fairer way to do it?
What if each team just played each other once for a 17-round competition? Not enough games right? Got to keep those broadcasters happy.
What if the competition was then split for the remaining home and away fixtures, with all teams keeping points and percentage accrued to that point?
The top six play each other once for five more games. The top three get three home games, while 4-6 get two. At the end, the top four after these rounds get a second chance as per usual, while fifth and sixth will be joined in the elimination finals by the teams which finish up top in the second tier.
The next six play each other once for five more games, with the two remaining finals spots up for grabs. It’s the same as with the 1-6 tier: 7-9 get three home games, while 10-12 get two.
The bottom six would therefore play each other once; given their focus is draft picks, it makes sense to have the most successful team in this tier ‘win’ the number one draft pick.
So in the competition’s entirety, each team ends up playing everyone once before joining their bracket of 6 and playing another 5 games. Each team would play 22 games (the same as the 2022 season) in total and between 10 and 12 home games.
Rounding out the fairness, the teams that played away against a team in one season would then host that same team the following season. For instance, if Richmond played West Coast at home in the first 17 rounds, the Eagles would then host the Tigers in the next season.
Dejected Carlton players walk from the ground after losing to Melbourne. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
It’s naive to think that coaches and fans won’t still complain about short turnarounds, travel and a range of other things. But this would be a simple approach to ensure that when teams enter their six-team bracket, they deserve to be where they land.
This would also eliminate so many meaningless games towards the end of the season, with the majority of teams having something to play for right until the end.
As an example, after each team had played 17 games in 2022, this would be the middle bracket:
Carlton – 44 points
Richmond – 36
Western Bulldogs – 36
St Kilda – 36
Port Adelaide – 32
Gold Coast – 32
With a potential 20 points up for grabs, all of those teams would be a chance of making the top two of that bracket and making the finals.
The current weighted system is based around the previous season’s results: however, with most teams changing their roster, coaches and tactics teams can look very fit from one year to the next. At least this model splits teams based on their most current form.
No doubt if the AFL competition was expanded to 19 teams or more there would be some further considerations required, but for the time being, this is an option the AFL should explore.
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