A Final 16

[thebaldfacts]

Think that after round 15, many on this board were saying we should tank to get a higher draft pick and that there was no point winning any more games.

The attraction to me of a final 16 is that it eliminates tanking as each team would try to win as many games as possible to try to get higher up the ladder to get an easier (or less difficult) game.

For instance, this year, we would have ended up playing against Sydney in Sydney under a final 16.

What the system does is it keeps the season alive for all clubs right up until the final round.

If you had a bad run with injury early, then at least by the end of the year if you had all hands on deck, you could have an impact come September.

[ronrat]

[quote="duke750"]I've often thought the 2 "conference" idea would allow teams to play each other twice in a season. But given 9 teams in each conference that means 16 games for the season. Not really long enough.

You play the teams in the other conference once. So 25 games. Still get 4 points (it really should be 2 as you can't get 1 or 3). No preseason competition. First round is a "derby" per se". So is round 25. No travel. In Melbourne we have Friday night MCG , Saturday Etihad, MCG Kardinia Park and Sunday Etihad.

It would probably mean loss of the bye round. You can still have the ANZAC day as it is. Forget the QB fiasco, Stuff the Dees. The 8 interstate teams get their respective state mate in their conference so they get the 2 rival games. Eg Sydney get GWS and say Eagles and dorkers twice and the SA and Qld clubs once. One away one home. Conference A has 5 Victorian clubs and 4 non victorian, Same in B. Victorian clubs may play 2 interstate tems away once. Then 2 others. one in each state. It means 6 trips but so be it. Teams can only move games away that are home games. Port must use a home game for China.

The finals revert to a final 4 in each conference. 1 plays 2 3 plays 4. As per what it was. The 2 winners of each conference play off for GF. the first 2 games are played on the same weekend with maybe the friday being 1 v 2 and Saturday night 3 v4. Other conference first final Saturday and Sunday. You still get 9 finals.

The draft is decided by a normal ladder integrated. The wooden spooner in Cone conference may in fact end up getting 3rd pick. Every 4 years the conferences are redrawn or perhaps every year 3 Vic clubs and 2 interstate clubs swap. Eg WA change with SA. Next year NSW with Qld.

GWS can keep Canberra as a second home venue. Hawks and North will have plenty of games (19) to service Tasmania. Of they slut themselves and lose home games they can explain it to their members. Same with the NT fixtures.

To get around the AFLPA saying players need a rest they do it now. Players are "managed" ie rested all the time. Bring in a rule that no player can play more than 22 games. Injuries will swallow most of those. Suspensions count as a player rested as well. It will be up to the clubs to see to it that they are not stuffed in the last 2 rounds. The NFL actually have accountants on the bench monitoring salary cap spikes for KPIs being met so it can't be that hard. A rested player may go home if so desire and miss a week of training. A sensible athlete will be running every other day anyway or doing weights.

The coaching staff can opt for a week off as well but really not needed.

In terms of things like superteams. so what. Totally irrelevant.

The only issue, and I am sure there is a way around it, is that 2 non vic sides can not play each other in the GF if from same state. Maybe some sort of crossover in week 2 of the finals. But it has never happened anyway.

So they could look something like this

Conference A. Crows B. Giants
Port Swans
Lions Eagles
Suns Freo
Richmond Geelong
Essendon Demons
Saints Hawthorn
Collingwood Bulldogs
North Carlscum


That gives an equal split of MCG co tenants and almost Etihad

Now wake up and go back to work.