The Premiership cycle.

[droversdog65]

Another week without footy, another look a footy myths and misconceptions.

Around about the time the then South Melbourne Footy club and Fitzroy Footy club were obviously on their knees the VFL apparently started to realize that it simply couldn't continue to operate as it always had and started to dream big dreams.

Teams such as them and StKilda and a lesser extent Footscray and North Melbourne were not only in financial trouble but had entrenched debt with no prospect of alleviating it and becoming competitive again.

The big problem seemed to be that failure at board and administrative levels led to failure on the footy field which worsened the bottom line, leading to less competitiveness and the ability to attract good players. A vicious cycle that the powerhouse clubs of the League took full advantage of.

Thus the rich and powerful clubs became yet more rich and powerful by standing upon the shoulders of the lesser clubs and further drove them under, perpetuating and reinforcing the cycle.

These circumstances then - in this man's simple opinion - must have been contributing factors at least towards the birth of the national draft and various equalization schemes and the imperitive to spread the league into new markets so that poorer clubs such as South Melbourne and Fitzroy might survive in some form through exploiting the untapped markets.

Now we have a national game - supposedly - with a national market and an imposed premiership cycle through the national draft and equalization measures - supposedly - but on the surface to me it just doesn't seem to be working.

South Melbourne were the first to fly the coop and they are still being propped up heavilly by the AFL. Also look at the Brisbane Bears and the Crows once the AFL removed their heavy hand from protecting them.

So what is the answer?

Better recruitment?

Better administration?

Or should the AFL be made more answerable to the member clubs who have ceded it responsibility for the direction of the game?

That organization seems to think that what is once conferred cannot be rescinded.

In this poor old Pies supporter's modest view the League has lost contact with it's constituency in chasing the corporate and media darlings and forgotten that 'imposing' a premiership cycle is in a way exactly the same as rigging a game - only on a larger scale.

[Pies2016]

Nice work DD. A very valid post and a topic that should be flagged to all those impatient Pies fans calling for Buckleys head.
Im not sure whether the " good " clubs can recruit or adminster much better than they currently do but if you dont get these departments right, then you have absolutely no chance at all.

[stui magpie]

Nice OP but an under simplification of the issues.

One of the major issues contributing to to imbalance was zoning.

When zoning was originally introduced it was supposed to be moved around, but with the commission as it was then requiring clubs to vote on decisions, those who had good zones were never going to agree to give them up so the zones staid and the same clubs prospered and suffered year after year.

The draft fixed that fundamental imbalance, and the salary cap stopped the wealthy clubs being able to pay overs to recruit via form 4 and stockpile stars, and also prevented clubs from becoming insolvent by paying more than they could afford.

[Pies2016]

Oh for the good old days. Form 4, a brown paper bag and set of new car keys.

[perthmagpie]

Yeah we got a poor zone that included some good teams in Mount Gambier who we couldn't recruit from cos the SANFL stopped us. Then you had Hawthorn who effectively got two suburban zones when they were gifted the Mornington Peninsula from Portsea to Edithvale. I'd guess there was double the amount of talent in the leagues in that so called country zone that there was in our decapitated Western Border zone. It was like giving one club two top ten picks in the draft every year and one club one only one. Then there was Carlton with whole of Bendigo and the surrounds. No wonder those teams voted against the zones being rotated and no wonder they kept recruiting champions.

[droversdog65]

[Lazza]