The Coon Dog
28-05-2009, 06:54 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?
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?