My Ideas For An "Even" Competition.

Swanny21 · Joined: 24 Mar 2001 Location: Bundaberg, Qld

Hi everyone:)

I don't post often, so I hope you all digest this before you jump down my throat.

One of the most hated aspects of our great game (for me) is the fact that we don't get to play each other twice, therefore making the competition uneven, and unfair. Well I've thought long and hard and this is what I've come up with.

After round 15 the real fun begins. The top 8 will play each other once more, and the bottom 8 will do likewise. Ladder positions will change only in each half of the draw. i.e. a top 8 side can't drop into the bottom 8 and vice versa. (Still with me? Smile

After 22 rounds we have a top 8 and bottom 8 and played each other approximately the same as we do now, but the final 8 is yet to be decided.

Top 6 sides get a week off while teams 7 & 8 of the top 8 plays 1 & 2 of the bottom 8 for the final two spots.

Home ground advantage for the top 4 sides in a knockout comp through to the grand final at the G.

My only problem is working out where to play the semis, though the G sounds good to me:)

I'm not sure, but I don't think the season will be much longer. I'm very confident that crowd figures would increase, especially for the bottom half clubs who still have a chance of finals footy.

Radical I know, and I understand that the scheduling of matches after round 15 is problematic, but it can be done.

Be gentle:)

Swanny

Dr Alf Andrews · Posted: Sat May 17, 2003 4:13 am

Back to the drawing board, mate. That idea has got feathers on it.

The part I particularly don't like is that when you've finally narrowed it down to the last 8 teams, you then suggest a straight knock out system from then on.

That is really unfair to the side that finishes on top. They won heaps more games than the team that just scrapes into the 8, and yet the only advantage they get is a home ground advantage in week 2 of the finals.

Forget it.

The finals system should always give a big advantage to the teams that have done the hard yards during the year. Your system would allow a team to play like utter crap for the first 15 rounds, then win a few games against weak opposition in the last 7 weeks of the home and away ... and then go into the finals on an almost equal footing with the team that has dominated the home and away season.

Not a chance, mate.

Not a hope in hell.

Swanny21 · Joined: 24 Mar 2001 Location: Bundaberg, Qld

Hi Alf,

I did think about that one, but figured that the home ground advantage is a huge bonus, especially for the interstaters (and us:).

How about the same idea to decide the final 8, and then keep the same system we have now to decide the Grand finalists?

Anyway, thanks for being gentle:)

Anyone know how to find the ladder positions after round 15 last year? I'd be intersted to know, just to test my theory:)

haiku bob · Posted: Sat May 17, 2003 10:20 am

"interstaters"
it's all relative
isn't it?

H (8 sideways is infinitive) B

Blanch · Joined: 01 Jul 2002 Location: Back in Perth!

The Prototype · Posted: Sat May 17, 2003 10:02 pm

Home Ground "advantage" is a very overrated phrase, if you can't win away from a ground you regularly play out, you might aswell just hang yourself now and forget about the seaason ahead. The only reason Brisbane and the 2 Western Australian teams are good in their own state is because of 2 factors.

1 The heat, and the trip to the state from say Victoria (and Sydney) the SCG is an advantage to Sydney because of it's size, and the same with Football Park (aka AAMI Stadium)

2 Both the 'Gabba and Both grounds in WA are very hard on the feet, the 'Gabba has lots of holes in it, which was proven when Collingwood played there. And at Subiaco moves under your feet, as quoted by Brendon Parker (former Glenorchy Football Club GM/Premiership Player) he is from WA (not sure what club though) and he mentioned how the ground moves under your feet.