17 Match Season

[darylcowie]

I've loved the relative fairness and satisfaction achieved by every team playing each other once this year.

Personally, I think since the AFL went to a 23-round season it has been way too long and uneven.

I would do it all again next year and give the players an extra month of pre-season training, since they will be getting back to training a month later than normal anyway.

Round 1 shouldn't start until the end of April, not March and since Collingwood and Essendon have done the hard yards to make ANZAC Day their day, that match should start the season, which is a SUNDAY!

Then the rest of Round 1 would be played the following weekend.

I would maintain the mid-year BYE and continue to spread it over 3 weeks in late June and early July, where 3 rounds x 6 matches would be played across rounds 9-11.

Their would be 18 rounds again, but no pre-finals BYE, since every team had one just two months earlier.

I know commercial interests will prevent this from ever happening, but I would love to see this happen next year at least.

[remboy]

It’s great in terms of equality but will never happen. TV revenue would be cut but 25% meaning that the players would have to take a pay cut, which will never happen.
I’d say it’s more likely there will be more than 22 rounds next year.

[shanegrambeau]

But the prefinals bye needs to go.

Momentum killer.

..and notice that both Grand finalists lost in the first finals final anyway..

As if it never happened.

Undoubtedly, Eddie and the TV-rules-all-else consortium want to eek out every last TV penny so I suppose the games will be twenty two.

The super long half time break in the GF gave Richmond a huge chance to regroup too....

So I hope it’s day or twilight at latest GF in ‘21

[sunsaint]

I loved this season modified draw
but it worked because of hubs - which wont happen again
unless...
so if we do go back to a normal draw next year - the familiar cry of biased n rigged will be back again

[Otiman]

17 game season
3 week mid season 'break' with:

mid season draft/trade period
state of origin mini-series
overseas exhibition matches (actual teams less state of origin players or state team 2nds)

There's plenty of money in those

Throw in the idea of a yearly frenzy - 3 rounds in 2 weeks.

[desertsaint]

17 round season and a genuine pre-season comp. with big money. four groups. four semi finalists.
two groups of five teams, two of four. groups based on previous years ranking. i.e. group 1 = 1,5,9,13. no mickey mouse stuff - genuine games as in the halycon days of the comp. gives interstate and non mcg vics a chance to see a grand final at their home ground. every team plays one round robin game at a regional centre.

[Jacks Back]

Not sure about the 17 match season but make sure the grand final is the traditional day game with a red ball (no yellow ball bulls***). Gives the players and supporters a chance to really celebrate that night instead of the next day only.

[Sanctorum]

It’s great in terms of equality but will never happen. TV revenue would be cut but 25% meaning that the players would have to take a pay cut, which will never happen.
I’d say it’s more likely there will be more than 22 rounds next year.

Correct remboy, the current broadcast agreement between the AFL and 7/Fox is based on a 22 round season - 207 games, and with the 2020 season reduced to 17 rounds the AFL has lost $100 million and needs to recoup this, which can't happen if there are only 159 games in 2021.

With the expectation that there will be a vaccine for COVID19 available early 2021, you'd think that it will be all systems go!

[older saint]

Would love it but TV wont let it happen. Pity as apart from fairness a lot less meaningless games . Each game has more value and more excitement.

In many ways the Premiers 2020 won the most toughest and fairest year since the 12 team competition finished

[kosifantutti]

With a 17 game season, some teams play 9 home games and some play 8.

We really need a 34 game season. With 3 lots of byes we could stretch from late February through to the last Saturday in November.

[Yorkeys]

Could be feasible financially if comp was actually evened competitively and attractive flowing play was the go, to attract audience numbers relatively the same. And only a final 4. So no, its not going to happen. Alternatively AFL might consider letting Suns and GWS have 6 comp points start on all the other teams to give them a further advantage to add to al the others, with the wooden spooner getting 2 points start. If they all can't make finals with that sort of leg up just admit the experiment(s) has failed, artificial teams don't work and the even competition mechanisms are actually having the opposite effect.

[Ghost Like]

Totally agree with the OP and other comments. I really enjoyed the 17 match season, a fair, transparent draw. This could be made to work going forward but the media rights will not allow that.

I enjoyed them holding off on the full draw, including times and days. Releasing those a few weeks in advance. Not great for travelling fans but I'm sure television enjoyed the likelihood of better matches in prime slots.

I think or hope that all teams get to play each other once before the final 5 rounds & that those 5 rounds are played against the other 5 in the current group of 6, Top, Middle, Bottom - all those games should mean something then.

[older saint]

With a 17 game season, some teams play 9 home games and some play 8.

We really need a 34 game season. With 3 lots of byes we could stretch from late February through to the last Saturday in November.

or rotate over 2 years

[desertsaint]

With a 17 game season, some teams play 9 home games and some play 8.

We really need a 34 game season. With 3 lots of byes we could stretch from late February through to the last Saturday in November.

simple - co-home games for all derbies, and in vic designate teams to co-host based on home grounds. i.e. saints v dogs, north v hawks (in tassie), carlton v bombers, etc.
or simply alternate every two years.

[sunsaint]

With a 17 game season, some teams play 9 home games and some play 8.

We really need a 34 game season. With 3 lots of byes we could stretch from late February through to the last Saturday in November.

simple - co-home games for all derbies, and in vic designate teams to co-host based on home grounds. i.e. saints v dogs, north v hawks (in tassie), carlton v bombers, etc.
or simply alternate every two years.

it does work (aka) hubs
also I always thought the finals series could be expanded
yes it doesnt give the non competing clubs any exposure but perhaps they have already signed off for the year anyway

[Enrico_Misso]

Totally agree with the OP and other comments. I really enjoyed the 17 match season, a fair, transparent draw. This could be made to work going forward but the media rights will not allow that.

I enjoyed them holding off on the full draw, including times and days. Releasing those a few weeks in advance. Not great for travelling fans but I'm sure television enjoyed the likelihood of better matches in prime slots.

I think or hope that all teams get to play each other once before the final 5 rounds & that those 5 rounds are played against the other 5 in the current group of 6, Top, Middle, Bottom - all those games should mean something then.

Three requirements
1) Must go back to 20 minute quarters
2) Must go back to 22 rounds
3) Must go back to a DAY Grand Final at The G

Re 2) I sort of like the idea of a 17 match round robin alternating H&A each year, followed by a 5 round playoff within the 3 groups (top 6, mid 6, bottom 6).
But those last 5 games might have some issues e.g one group of 6 might have 4 teams that had 9 home games in the first 17 meaning it is impossible for everyone to wind up with 11 home games.
Also it could lead to tanking in the bottom 6.
Plus you wouldn't want to be 6th after 17 rounds and get the tough draw, and probably be overtaken by 7th/8th/9th in the easier group.

[Trev from the Bush]

With a 17 game season, some teams play 9 home games and some play 8.

We really need a 34 game season. With 3 lots of byes we could stretch from late February through to the last Saturday in November.

And we would at least get some value for our memberships and reserved seats.

This season was like a packet of Arnott's biscuits. 20% less football per game and five less games for the season. Yet some people seem to think it's the same product so nothing's changed!