Finals Fixtures Poorly Thought Out.

[desertsaint]

I don't get it - it isn't rocket science is it?
Look at the fixtures - some strange decisions made.

First - wouldn't it be fairer for the dogs to get the sat night game to get some reward & a little extra rest for last night's good win and third spot.

Instead they give lions the sat night game, meaning the crows play friday night.
Which gives the crows (or the dons) 8 days rest vs 6 days for the loser of saints v pies.

Why not:
lions v blues friday night - only one more day break for the winner against the cats or dogs.
crows v bombers sat arvo - one extra day break instead of two for the winner.
dogs v cats sat night, maximising the doggies break after a sunday twilight game.

at the moment the crows & cats would be happy, the doggies not so, and the loser of saints v pies a bit peeved - especially when it's so easy to make it fairer.

[bigred]

Third spot plays second spot....Second spot should get rewarded over third every time.

IMHFO...it should be:
1 v 8
2 v 7
3 v 4
5 v 6

In the first week.

I just think that a setup like that would give the top two sides an actual reward.

Chances are with that setup is that you would have the better teams in the latter weeks of the finals...

This year in particular throws up some really under performing sides making it into the eight.

[desertsaint]

Third spot plays second spot....Second spot should get rewarded over third every time.

no arguments there - my scenario has the same 7 day break for the cats -afl have said the only two binding rationales for this first week is that 1 and 2 both get 7 day breaks.

my bone of contention is that the lions game should be friday night, the crows saturday arvo.

as for 1 v 8 etc - i can't remember why they changed it - it got picked up, and is still in use, in the nrl.
i'd prefer the whole final 8 gets ditched - but more games=more money=undeserving teams play finals.

[kosifantutti23]

as for 1 v 8 etc - i can't remember why they changed it - it got picked up, and is still in use, in the nrl.

The fact that it is used in the NRL is nothing to recommend it.

The reason they got rid of it was because it was rubbish.
3 v 6 and 4 v 5 in the first week and usually they just rearranged the deck chairs and played each other again in the second week.

[ThePunter]

Does anyone at St Kilda really want to play Essendon?

The system in use since 2000 has been very good for the top four teams, with only twice in nine years (36 teams) have they missed the preliminary finals.

The old system saw 2nd miss the preliminary final twice in four years (1994 and 1997).

[rexy]

Does anyone at St Kilda really want to play Essendon?

The system in use since 2000 has been very good for the top four teams, with only twice in nine years (36 teams) have they missed the preliminary finals.

The old system saw 2nd miss the preliminary final twice in four years (1994 and 1997).

Spot on punter, for a top 4 side to not play in the prelim they have to lose two in a row, for a bottom 4 side they have to win 2. Good system IMO.

[desertsaint]

The fact that it is used in the NRL is nothing to recommend it.

true - i don't think there is a good system with 8 teams in the finals - the old final 5 was the best system. no one has ever won from 6th spot - the extra teams are just padding and revenue raising.

more scratching my head over the scheduling this year!

[bergholt]

true - i don't think there is a good system with 8 teams in the finals - the old final 5 was the best system. no one has ever won from 6th spot - the extra teams are just padding and revenue raising.

though if there was a final five this year, we'd have a week off this week - which i reckon is the last thing we need. i'd much rather have a tough, finals game, but one which we can lose and remain in the show.

[bozza1980]

Third spot plays second spot....Second spot should get rewarded over third every time.

IMHFO...it should be:
1 v 8
2 v 7
3 v 4
5 v 6

In the first week.

I just think that a setup like that would give the top two sides an actual reward.

Chances are with that setup is that you would have the better teams in the latter weeks of the finals...

This year in particular throws up some really under performing sides making it into the eight.

The problem with the system is that most seasons there is no reward for finishing 3rd as opposed to finishing 6th.

Then also most seasons the 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th finals were pointless as all 4 sides made it through to the next week regardless of winning or losing.

Throw in the fact that it also produced the scenario where a side finished 5th lost in the first week by 10 goals then later made the grand final or the scenario where a 6th placed side lost in the first week by 13 goals then played in a grand final 3 weeks later.

Although not perfect this system is better than the old one.

[bigmicka]

pretty easy to work out why this is.

The AFL will not schedule a game in Brisbane on a Friday night against Friday night NRL. They have not all this year and about the previous 3 or 4 years.

The unfair draw guarantees this.

It is like asking the question to Adrian or Andrew "why do St Kilda only play one game at the MCG?"

So the MCG has home tenants and the AFL has other clubs considerations in mind.

Melbourne is MCG home tenant and we played at their home game at the MCG this week.

Hawthorn is a MCG home tenant and at Hawthorns request we played their home game at Launceston.

Collingwood is a MCG home tenant and our only game against them was our home game at Etihad.

Richmond is a MCG home tenant we played their home game at Eithad instead of the MCG.

Only two others that play home games at MCG, Essendon and Carlton are also tenants at Etihad. Because we dont draw a crowd the MCG is not going to fight to have a Essendon V Stkilda or Carlton V Stkilda H&A game there. MCG does not want/like St Kilda as a tenant or an opponent, plain and simple.

mic

[desertsaint]

pretty easy to work out why this is.

The AFL will not schedule a game in Brisbane on a Friday night against Friday night NRL. They have not all this year and about the previous 3 or 4 years.

mic

well i reckon you may be on the money - but it's strange that next friday night there is no QLD team involved in the NRL, but the Titans are playing for second spot away to the premiers on saturday night - surely a much bigger tv draw than friday night.

If an afl final involving brisbane can't compete with a regular season nrl match with no qld team involved, you'd have to wonder about the chances of GC ever being financially viable.

[dcstkfc]

Third spot plays second spot....Second spot should get rewarded over third every time.

IMHFO...it should be:
1 v 8
2 v 7
3 v 4
5 v 6

In the first week.

I just think that a setup like that would give the top two sides an actual reward.

Chances are with that setup is that you would have the better teams in the latter weeks of the finals...

This year in particular throws up some really under performing sides making it into the eight.

Fundamentally, the problem with this system and the previous final 6 system was that your destiny did not lie solely in your hands.

In 1999, 6th placed Carlton; having already lost to Brisbane would have been eliminated if Sydney had beaten Essendon on the Sunday of Week 1. But Essendon won, and Carlton then defeated West Coast in the Semi and ironically then had their famous 1pt win over the Bombers in the Prelim before eventually losing to North in the Grand Final.