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The Coon Dog
28-05-2009, 05:54 PM
Is it a waste of time 'selecting' teams on a Thursday night?

All too often the selected side differs from the one that actually runs out on the field.

I reckon clubs would just prefer not to go through a pointless exercise & just hand in a team sheet 45 minutes before the game commences.

The 'ducks & drakes' exercise looks simplistic at first glance; 'it's a bullshit exercise that doesn't really fool anyone', but it's more complex than that & necessary in order for clubs like ours to avoid a fine.

For example, if we knew of our oppositions team selection in advance, we could then select ours accordingly. This sometimes occurs due to VFL rostering & if you are undecided whether or not to include a tall or a short as the last selected player, it sure helps if you know the opposition make up.

Unfortunately, to do this, you have to 'select' an injured player, who then withdraws, accompanied by a medical certificate. All in order to avoid a fine.

Now the AFL will say a team selection on Thursday night is a requirement for the printers of the Football Record. Why not print all the players?

Those entering footy tips might say it inhibits their selections. It may do, but under the current system of 'ducks & drakes' where late changes seem to be the norm, you could argue they're not really any worse off.

The bookies & punters will squeal like stuck pigs. Sorry, don't have too much sympathy there.

In the major European soccer leagues, team sheets are handed in very close to kick off. I venture to say much more is wagered each week on those, than what would be the case in the AFL.

Is the reason we a) 'select' teams on a Thursday & b) line them up in order of what the 'notional' positions are, when they themselves in either a) position or b) personnel bear no resemblance to the actual line up, purely because 'we always have'?

Is it time to change?

mighty_west
28-05-2009, 05:58 PM
It would be ok if most coaches didn't play games like they do, i mean seriously, they all have spies, they all pretty much know who's playing and who isn't, and even if a side did make a late change for whatever reason, does it affect the overall game after the first minute of the game of getting your match ups right?

Rocco Jones
28-05-2009, 06:23 PM
I would at least have a squad of 25 being named on Thursday/Friday.

CJ09
28-05-2009, 06:29 PM
It annoys me, if every club was upfront and honest then no one gets an advantage and it makes it easier for supporters to know what's going on, would also help me when picking my super coach team as well!!

The Coon Dog
28-05-2009, 06:32 PM
It annoys me, if every club was upfront and honest then no one gets an advantage and it makes it easier for supporters to know what's going on, would also help me when picking my super coach team as well!!
But clubs will never be upfront, as long as they think they may have an advantage. It's all a bit of a farce isn't it? That's why I reckon it's a redundant exercise.

Wouldn't matter what I did, I'd still be awful at Supercoach/Dreamteam. :(

boydogs
28-05-2009, 06:50 PM
What do we gain by removing the Thursday team lists? Whilst they are not entirely reliable I would say they are better than nothing

Mofra
28-05-2009, 06:58 PM
What do we gain by removing the Thursday team lists? Whilst they are not entirely reliable I would say they are better than nothing
We gain by keeping them - the palpable excitement of fans whenever a new player is listed, even as an emergency.

The Coon Dog
28-05-2009, 07:08 PM
What do we gain by removing the Thursday team lists? Whilst they are not entirely reliable I would say they are better than nothing

Not sure we need to gain anything to be honest. It was a suggestion given the number of instances this season where we have played with a 22 that was not the same as the 22 named & the cynicism it has attracted on these boards.

Scraggers
29-05-2009, 12:41 AM
There are a lot of ducks and drakes with selections ... most within the rules.

I like the fact that they are named on the Thursday; for me, it serves as a reminder to me who is certain to miss with injuries ... this helps with the footy tipping.

It's never accurate, but it is a good guide

The Pie Man
29-05-2009, 08:11 PM
But what would the Footy Show talk about?
(I don't care, I don't watch it)

Is it seen as part of the AFL theatre? The week unfolds with teams on a Thursday an integral part of the build up

Honestly, I'm playing devils advocate - as there's a perfectly reasonable argument that this, like the bounce, is an archaic AFL ritual that could be discarded with little lost.

Stevo
29-05-2009, 08:15 PM
It would be ok if most coaches didn't play games like they do, i mean seriously, they all have spies, they all pretty much know who's playing and who isn't, and even if a side did make a late change for whatever reason, does it affect the overall game after the first minute of the game of getting your match ups right?

We would just about have to be the worst at it and it has gained us no advantage. In most cases the gig is up well before the game anyway.