bornadog
14-02-2013, 01:27 PM
Link (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/lets-make-the-draw-a-level-playing-field-writes-eddie-mcguire/story-e6frf9jf-1226577803889)
WHAT a big week it's been in football. The Australian Crime Commission report into drugs in sport has thrown the footy world into a spin.
And there is more drama ahead for the game with Melbourne and the AFL set to go toe-to-toe over those tanking allegations.
Then get set for what is shaping as a big blue when the AFL and the clubs square up against each other over equalisation.
While it could be argued that the game is in disarray, I believe it gives football's thinkers a moment to recalibrate what is one of the greatest competitions in the world.
The AFL is one of the best-run sports. But like all organisations, what was right seven years ago probably needs a tweak.
One of the great successes of the game has been its understanding that marketing plays a huge role.
Against public opinion, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday twilight games have all been big successes. It's not that long ago it was against the law to play AFL on a Sunday!
The AFL has used its fixture as a huge weapon to boost television revenue and negotiate successful stadium deals.
But now I believe it is time for it to pull up on engineering a result for marketing purposes and run a competition.
First up, it's the AFL's own rules that cause the most problems with equalisation. Every team needs to receive a dividend from the AFL that allows them to pay 100 per cent of the total player payment bill.
We need an unencumbered draft and everyone must have the same salary cap. Get those things in order and you will go a fair way to giving every club the chance of competing. That is equalisation.
But while we are giving everything the once over, maybe it is time to wind the clock back to the essence of the competition: the draw.
For years now the AFL has been compromised as it jumped in size - from the perfect 12-club competition it was in the VFL days with a 22-round season and everyone playing each other twice - to what we have now, which is a mismatch of seedings, marketing, media and stadium deals that makes what should be the easiest aspect of the game the hardest.
The AFL draw is regarded as the most complicated in world sport.
So let's try something new. The obvious solution is to go back to the old days and play every team, home and away.
But 34 rounds of football, plus finals, is just too much. Imagine what sports scientists would have to come up with to get players through that marathon!
What about 17? Perfect for the players, as long as they want a huge pay cut. It's too short - and with contracts in place, it just doesn't stack up.
So how do we retain a season with 207 games plus at least nine finals and ensure it's even and exciting for all teams?
Here goes.
First up, the regular season can be made up of 17 games. Every team plays each other once. At the end of round 17, the competition is split up into the top 12 and the bottom six.
The top 12 play each other over a five-week period to determine the positions on the ladder at the end of 22 rounds.
The bottom six play five rounds to determine their finishing position.
That equates to 198 games, a shortfall of nine matches.
However a final 12 would see five weeks of play-offs with 15 games, so a negligible three-match differential is the end result.
But here's the trick. By making the break after Round 17, we will stop the unfair practice of positions in the finals being decided by the draw.
For example, last season's fixture was a good one for Adelaide: two games against Greater Western Sydney, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and Melbourne meant it was well on its way to a top four position before the ball was bounced in anger.
The draw, especially now we are 18 teams, is having too big an outcome on the finals placings.
CHANNEL 7 owner Kerry Stokes has made it clear over the years that he won't pay extra for ordinary games.
Under this plan, the last five rounds of the season will see the best teams playing each other and the worst teams fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.
A win to avoid the wooden spoon can be as big as a win to make the finals for a struggling club. Similarly, a battle at Round 17 for teams positioned 10-14 for a place in the finals will keep more teams interested for longer.
Under my plan, Round 19 would be the super weekend of football with teams 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6 and so on playing each other.
At the end of 22 weeks, the finals would be split into two groups: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 with two final six series played and the winners of each group facing off in the Grand Final.
That would mean six games in week one, four in week two, two in weeks three and four and then the Grand Final.
A total of 15 finals matches.
For the media it means there are no dud games. Even the bottom six games have competition and significance.
It means in the last five weeks of the year, television gets the best games in the best slots and allows clubs having a good year to get into prime time. In an imperfect draw it gives everyone a fair chance of winning and for all games to be a contest in the last five rounds instead of boring blowouts.
Melbourne University's mathematics department and a super computer work for months to come up with the current fixture.
I've worked this on the back of an envelope, so no doubt there will be some loopholes. But the feature of this draw is that it is fair and exciting.
And that is what football should be.
WHAT a big week it's been in football. The Australian Crime Commission report into drugs in sport has thrown the footy world into a spin.
And there is more drama ahead for the game with Melbourne and the AFL set to go toe-to-toe over those tanking allegations.
Then get set for what is shaping as a big blue when the AFL and the clubs square up against each other over equalisation.
While it could be argued that the game is in disarray, I believe it gives football's thinkers a moment to recalibrate what is one of the greatest competitions in the world.
The AFL is one of the best-run sports. But like all organisations, what was right seven years ago probably needs a tweak.
One of the great successes of the game has been its understanding that marketing plays a huge role.
Against public opinion, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday twilight games have all been big successes. It's not that long ago it was against the law to play AFL on a Sunday!
The AFL has used its fixture as a huge weapon to boost television revenue and negotiate successful stadium deals.
But now I believe it is time for it to pull up on engineering a result for marketing purposes and run a competition.
First up, it's the AFL's own rules that cause the most problems with equalisation. Every team needs to receive a dividend from the AFL that allows them to pay 100 per cent of the total player payment bill.
We need an unencumbered draft and everyone must have the same salary cap. Get those things in order and you will go a fair way to giving every club the chance of competing. That is equalisation.
But while we are giving everything the once over, maybe it is time to wind the clock back to the essence of the competition: the draw.
For years now the AFL has been compromised as it jumped in size - from the perfect 12-club competition it was in the VFL days with a 22-round season and everyone playing each other twice - to what we have now, which is a mismatch of seedings, marketing, media and stadium deals that makes what should be the easiest aspect of the game the hardest.
The AFL draw is regarded as the most complicated in world sport.
So let's try something new. The obvious solution is to go back to the old days and play every team, home and away.
But 34 rounds of football, plus finals, is just too much. Imagine what sports scientists would have to come up with to get players through that marathon!
What about 17? Perfect for the players, as long as they want a huge pay cut. It's too short - and with contracts in place, it just doesn't stack up.
So how do we retain a season with 207 games plus at least nine finals and ensure it's even and exciting for all teams?
Here goes.
First up, the regular season can be made up of 17 games. Every team plays each other once. At the end of round 17, the competition is split up into the top 12 and the bottom six.
The top 12 play each other over a five-week period to determine the positions on the ladder at the end of 22 rounds.
The bottom six play five rounds to determine their finishing position.
That equates to 198 games, a shortfall of nine matches.
However a final 12 would see five weeks of play-offs with 15 games, so a negligible three-match differential is the end result.
But here's the trick. By making the break after Round 17, we will stop the unfair practice of positions in the finals being decided by the draw.
For example, last season's fixture was a good one for Adelaide: two games against Greater Western Sydney, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and Melbourne meant it was well on its way to a top four position before the ball was bounced in anger.
The draw, especially now we are 18 teams, is having too big an outcome on the finals placings.
CHANNEL 7 owner Kerry Stokes has made it clear over the years that he won't pay extra for ordinary games.
Under this plan, the last five rounds of the season will see the best teams playing each other and the worst teams fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.
A win to avoid the wooden spoon can be as big as a win to make the finals for a struggling club. Similarly, a battle at Round 17 for teams positioned 10-14 for a place in the finals will keep more teams interested for longer.
Under my plan, Round 19 would be the super weekend of football with teams 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6 and so on playing each other.
At the end of 22 weeks, the finals would be split into two groups: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 with two final six series played and the winners of each group facing off in the Grand Final.
That would mean six games in week one, four in week two, two in weeks three and four and then the Grand Final.
A total of 15 finals matches.
For the media it means there are no dud games. Even the bottom six games have competition and significance.
It means in the last five weeks of the year, television gets the best games in the best slots and allows clubs having a good year to get into prime time. In an imperfect draw it gives everyone a fair chance of winning and for all games to be a contest in the last five rounds instead of boring blowouts.
Melbourne University's mathematics department and a super computer work for months to come up with the current fixture.
I've worked this on the back of an envelope, so no doubt there will be some loopholes. But the feature of this draw is that it is fair and exciting.
And that is what football should be.