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One of the most frustrating things about the AFL is the structure of the draft and the inequities of the draw. They both need to change.
If the AFL was really concerned with making the competition as fair as possible (as they should be) they would institute two new systems (beginning in 3 years time).
The AFL Draw could be very simple. (Year 1) Each of the 16 clubs should play their 15 opponents through rounds 1-15 and then repeat who they played in rounds 1-7 at the opposite home grounds. (Year 2) Each of the 16 clubs continue playing the teams they had not played twice the previous year and then start playing the others for a third time until round 22 is reached. The process would then keep continuing for each subsequent year.
Of course each year does not have to be rigid in making sure that the each team is played one after the other (like in Year 1), just that they need to play those teams as scheduled in that year. That way the AFL can still schedule the ANZAC day clash etc as they like.
The AFL Draft (while being complex to initially establish) could also be very simple. The AFL needs to create 16 different draft positions for teams to take. Each one would try and be as fair as possible (although they would still be ranked 1-16). So if you had one team with the #1 pick they would not then receive pick #17 - maybe they would receive #32. I am not a mathematician, but there would be a way to structure it so that each year was as equitable as possible (this would basically reduce the gap between 16 different draft positions that currently exist).
The AFL would then need to establish a 16 year schedule for the draft that again made the order as equitable as possible - mathematician needed - so that it did not just run in an ascending/descending order (the goal again is to reduce the gap between the 16 positions over the 16 years).
A lottery should be used to determine the starting order for the original 16 year schedule - at the end of which the order would just be repeated.
No priority picks, no possibility of tanking to receive a better pick in the draft - all teams would simply play each and every game for either a position in the finals, or for club pride (no reward would be issued by the AFL for finishing last).
The individual success of clubs would then be determined by their skill, list management and teamwork.
It is really a philosophical change in how you want the AFL to be. At the moment the AFL is promoting the idea that it is cyclical and every team who spends time at the top will then spend a period at the bottom before climbing the ladder again - I hate this philosophy (plus it does not really work that well).
Every fan should want the field to be as even as possible - each and every year. They don't want their club to have to finish on the bottom in the hope of future success.
If anyone can make sense of the mess above -
- I would love to know your opinions.
If the AFL was really concerned with making the competition as fair as possible (as they should be) they would institute two new systems (beginning in 3 years time).
The AFL Draw could be very simple. (Year 1) Each of the 16 clubs should play their 15 opponents through rounds 1-15 and then repeat who they played in rounds 1-7 at the opposite home grounds. (Year 2) Each of the 16 clubs continue playing the teams they had not played twice the previous year and then start playing the others for a third time until round 22 is reached. The process would then keep continuing for each subsequent year.
Of course each year does not have to be rigid in making sure that the each team is played one after the other (like in Year 1), just that they need to play those teams as scheduled in that year. That way the AFL can still schedule the ANZAC day clash etc as they like.
The AFL Draft (while being complex to initially establish) could also be very simple. The AFL needs to create 16 different draft positions for teams to take. Each one would try and be as fair as possible (although they would still be ranked 1-16). So if you had one team with the #1 pick they would not then receive pick #17 - maybe they would receive #32. I am not a mathematician, but there would be a way to structure it so that each year was as equitable as possible (this would basically reduce the gap between 16 different draft positions that currently exist).
The AFL would then need to establish a 16 year schedule for the draft that again made the order as equitable as possible - mathematician needed - so that it did not just run in an ascending/descending order (the goal again is to reduce the gap between the 16 positions over the 16 years).
A lottery should be used to determine the starting order for the original 16 year schedule - at the end of which the order would just be repeated.
No priority picks, no possibility of tanking to receive a better pick in the draft - all teams would simply play each and every game for either a position in the finals, or for club pride (no reward would be issued by the AFL for finishing last).
The individual success of clubs would then be determined by their skill, list management and teamwork.
It is really a philosophical change in how you want the AFL to be. At the moment the AFL is promoting the idea that it is cyclical and every team who spends time at the top will then spend a period at the bottom before climbing the ladder again - I hate this philosophy (plus it does not really work that well).
Every fan should want the field to be as even as possible - each and every year. They don't want their club to have to finish on the bottom in the hope of future success.
If anyone can make sense of the mess above -
- I would love to know your opinions.
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