Say Bye-bye to the VFL Byes

[Enrico_Misso]

For some reason the VFL fixture has each team playing 18 games and having four byes over a 22 week season.

So with 13 teams and 22 rounds it means each team plays 18 times.
7 rounds of 6 games (with 1 team having a bye) = 42 games and 7 byes
Plus
15 rounds of 5 games (with 3 teams having a bye) = 75 games and 45 byes
Equals
22 rounds with a total of 117 games (where 117 = 13 teams x 18 games / 2 teams per game)
And 52 byes or 4 per club (13 x 4 = 52).

Why so many?
It stuffs up players trying to come back from injury.
It stuffs up players trying to get some form back.
It stuffs up players serving suspensions.


Why not play 20 games with just 2 byes per team?

The breakdown then would be
20 (instead of 7) rounds with 6 games or just 1 bye = 120 games and 20 byes
Plus
2 rounds (instead of a MASSIVE 15) where there are 5 games and a triple BYE = 10 games and 6 byes
Equals
22 rounds with a total of 130 games or 20 games each (where 130 = 13 teams x 20 games/2 teams per game)
And 26 byes or 2 per club (13 x 2 = 26).

[stkildathunda]

They need the byes to accomodate the Foxtel Cup, every state league is the same. This weekend is the State Game.

[saintspremiers]

They need the byes to accomodate the Foxtel Cup, every state league is the same. This weekend is the State Game.

True. But the Foxtel Cup is a wank.

The purpose of the VFL is a reserves comp for the AFL not to appease Foxtel.

I wish Foxtel would broadcast a few normal VFL games. That would be better.

[Saint_Ash]

They need the byes to accomodate the Foxtel Cup, every state league is the same. This weekend is the State Game.

True. But the Foxtel Cup is a wank.

The purpose of the VFL is a reserves comp for the AFL not to appease Foxtel.

I wish Foxtel would broadcast a few normal VFL games. That would be better.

THE VFA/VFL has been around longer than the VFL/AFL and is a competition in it's own right. To say the purpose of the VFL is to be a reserves comp for the AFL is downright disrespectful to the history and traditions of the VFA/VFL.

[Life Long Saint]

THE VFA/VFL has been around longer than the VFL/AFL and is a competition in it's own right. To say the purpose of the VFL is to be a reserves comp for the AFL is downright disrespectful to the history and traditions of the VFA/VFL.

You are right that the VFA has been around longer than the VFL/AFL...But it stopped being a significant competition the moment the VFL was formed in 1896.
No teams have been "promoted" to the VFL/AFL since 1925 and since the mid-late 90's it has been a feeder competition to the AFL. There was a time when most of the Victorian AFL teams had their reserves teams playing under their own names in the VFA.

Now we only have two (soon to be three) teams doing that.

But, with the exception of Port Melbourne and Frankston, it is a competition for Victorian AFL teams to give thier players that arent in the senior team a game of football!

Don't get me wrong, I used to love going to the VFA and watch the mighty Seagulls play at Gellibrand oval but that stopped when Williamstown aligned themselves with Footscray and, worse still, Collingwood. They even changed their theme song from "It's a Grand Old Flag" to "Good Old Williamstown Forever" during the Collingwood alignment. If one of the oldest teams does that then it doesn't say a lot for the competition.

The VFL is now simply a cheap way for Victorian AFL teams to provide games to the players that aren't in the senior 22 each week. If money wasn't an object every team would have their own reserve team and the VFL would struggle.

[B W and R all over]

If the AFL didn't play their reserves players in that competition, the league wouldn't exist anymore. Do we not remember how close the whole competition came to folding about 10 years ago?

[Saint_Ash]

I'm not doubting any of the points made, I just think that saying the purpose of the comp is to be an AFL reserves comp belittles the league.

I guess that's probably the Port Melbourne side of me speaking, stood strong on traditions even through the years the club was aligned.

[saintspremiers]

I'm not doubting any of the points made, I just think that saying the purpose of the comp is to be an AFL reserves comp belittles the league.

I guess that's probably the Port Melbourne side of me speaking, stood strong on traditions even through the years the club was aligned.

and may Conan always be with you!

Yes, Port are an anomoly.

[Enrico_Misso]

The point is with so many Byes it makes list management a lot more difficult for the AFL affiliates.

Just when you want to get games into injured or out of form players they have a couple of byes.

[8856brother]

The point is with so many Byes it makes list management a lot more difficult for the AFL affiliates.

Just when you want to get games into injured or out of form players they have a couple of byes.

It's ideal for guys like Markworth.

[dragit]

The point is with so many Byes it makes list management a lot more difficult for the AFL affiliates.

Just when you want to get games into injured or out of form players they have a couple of byes.

It's ideal for guys like Markworth.

Also perfect for ruining Ledger's career

[Dr Spaceman]

The point is with so many Byes it makes list management a lot more difficult for the AFL affiliates.

Just when you want to get games into injured or out of form players they have a couple of byes.

It's ideal for guys like Markworth.

Also perfect for ruining Ledger's career