Let's make the draw a level playing field, writes Eddie McGuire

[bornadog]

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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.

[bornadog]

I tend to agree with Eddie on this one

[chef]

I'm not a fan. I would rather we have a rolling draw that just carries on the next season where the previous one finished and get rid of the set teams for special occasional games. Easy fixed. Plus keep the final 8.

[Remi Moses]

Not a bad idea.
The Scottish Premier league has the bottom tier playing each other at the end of the season.

[Happy Days]

Not a bad idea.
The Scottish Premier league has the bottom tier playing each other at the end of the season.

The only game I got to see after mid season was the round 23 one against the lions, and it was the deadiest game that was ever dead. 6 or so weeks of these would suck the life out of supporters and act as nothing more than a deterrent to the promotion of the game.

Not to mention that these would be rife with tanking, given they are for finishing position and nothing more. What is the point of winning in this situation?

[Scraggers]

If we are going to change the system (and believe me I think it needs changing) then I think we should go to conferences like the American Football (NFL)

here's and explanation :-

The NFL's 32 teams are split into two conferences, the American Football Conference and National Football Conference. Each conference of 16 teams is split into four four-team divisions, called the East, West, North and South, so the teams are generally placed in their divisions by geographic proximity. There is one notable exception, that being the placement of Dallas in the NFC East when there are numerous other teams further east than Dallas.

Each team in the NFL plays the teams in their division twice. They also play each team from a pre-determined division within their conference once each (the divisions rotate playing against each other). They also play each team from a pre-determined division in the other conference once a year. These determinations were set in 2002 and are not set to change any time soon. To fill out the 16-game schedule, each team plays a 'corresponding' team in the two divisions within their own conference. Example: Philadelphia finished fourth in the NFC East in 2007. In 2008, they will play twice against each team in the NFC East. They will also play all four teams in the NFC West and all four teams in the AFC North. Their final two games will be against the fourth-place teams from the NFC South (Atlanta) and NFC North (Chicago). Essentially, each team in every division plays 88% of the same games...the locations may change, but the opponents are the same.

For the playoffs, the division champions, plus the two non-division champions with the best records after tie-breakers qualify. Each team is seeded by record, and the top two teams receive a bye into the second round. The first round games are hosted by the two division titlists with the worst records, even if the wild-card teams have better records.

The second-round games are hosted by the teams who received byes. The highest seed plays against the lowest seed remaining, while the second seed plays the other first-round winner. The championship games in each conference are hosted by the highest remaining seed. The winners advance to the Super Bowl.

Obviously we don't have 32 teams, but this could work ... I think this is a fairer system

[bornadog]

If we are going to change the system (and believe me I think it needs changing) then I think we should go to conferences like the American Football (NFL)

here's and explanation :-



Obviously we don't have 32 teams, but this could work ... I think this is a fairer system

Kennett says the same thing here

[Scraggers]

Kennett says the same thing here

It scares me that Jeff and myself are thinking similarly.

[Flamethrower]

Conferences only work if you use a different ladder for each conference, as used by the NFL.
Can't see the AFL going down that path.

In an ideal world the AFL would expand to 20 teams, with each team playing each other once plus a return match between arch rivals. 20 rounds of 10 games (200 games) vs 22 rounds of 9 games (198 games) would satisfy the TV networks, and a shorter season with 2 extra teams (~80 extra players) would thrill the AFLPA.

Where to put the 2 expansion teams.....one in Tasmania is obvious, plus representing the southern suburbs of Sydney and Canberra is another possibility.

The major drawback is the potential dilution of talent caused by adding 2 more expansion teams to the Suns and Giants.

[craigsahibee]

18= 3 conferences of 6 teams each.
Play each team in your conference twice (home and away) and the other teams once for 22 games.
Conferences are made up from previous year's ladder positions.
Conference 1
Positions 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16
Conference 2
2,5,8,11,14,17
Conference 3
3,6,9,12,15,18

The negative to this is that some teams may be forced to travel up to 5 times just in their conference alone but at least it spreads the quality of competition across the board.

[craigsahibee]

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