The AFL - a national competition? (split thread)

[Blood Fever]

A grand final in Perth would be massive this week. Probably better than Melbourne because of the novelty of only rarely happening. Same with adelaide.
Slight risk with Melbourne and Sydney but small price for the rare chance it would happen. It would grow the game massively if it happened. A Swans V GWS grand final seriously would be bigger if hosted in Sydney than Melbourne.

Look the sad fact is the grand final is always going to be about the event, and as long as that is the case that event will be at the MCG. In Melbourne where events are the lifeblood of the city , and Melbourne do it better then any other city in the county ( although Adelaide are making a case ) We can whinge until the cows come home , that event is going to be at the MCG. Yes it is unfair , it hasn’t stopped the better team winning before and i can’t recall a GF where this fact has cost the other team the game. You make it to the big dance and you are better on the day or you are not. Yes we lost to the dogs here with some terrible umpiring having an influence but the fact is we had half a side not turn up. Scars from 2014, poor coaching , who knows. If it was held at ANZ , if we played like that we would not have won.


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If you think that last year's game would not have been different in Adelaide and the 2015 game would not have been different in Perth as well as this year's GF, you are living in a fantasy world. Home ground in a GF is a huge advantage let alone an undeserved one when ranked lower. Only big time competition in the world where this occurs. Embarrassment. Asterisk required on Hawks, Bulldogs and Tigers. Collingwood requires one because the home ground factor and support will probably get them home. Eagles would win in Perth I reckon. On second thoughts, make it two asterisks on Bulldogs to include umps performance.

[barry]

Of course. If the last 10 grand finals were played at different venues the results would be markedly different.

Josh Jenkins wrote a good article earlier this week how disruptive his preparation was prior to the game. It would have been less disruptive if he was home in bed in Adelaide.

As far as the feeling of grand final week in Melbourne. Here in Sydney, we aint feeling it at all.

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If you don’t get that I can’t help you , you also prefer ANZ stadium ( yuk ) over the SCG so again, can’t help you

Barracks for 2 teams too. Each to their own.

Oh please. You guys support a venue over your own team !

[Sandridge]

If you think that last year's game would not have been different in Adelaide and the 2015 game would not have been different in Perth as well as this year's GF, you are living in a fantasy world. Home ground in a GF is a huge advantage let alone an undeserved one when ranked lower. Only big time competition in the world where this occurs. Embarrassment. Asterisk required on Hawks, Bulldogs and Tigers. Collingwood requires one because the home ground factor and support will probably get them home. Eagles would win in Perth I reckon. On second thoughts, make it two asterisks on Bulldogs to include umps performance.

A big YES to all the points you've made here, BF! Well said!

[KTigers]

The reality is Australia is too small a country with not enough money or interest in AFL to support
a balanced, fair comp. There would need to be a 17 round season, every team would need it's own stadium,
and the grand final would need to be played at a neutral ground amongst other things. The NFL can afford
that because it's a comp that exists in a country with 335 million people. And so we end up with a slightly hokey,
amateurish affair whose intrinsic unfairness doesn't bother most of it's supporters, but also drives a small portion
of them crazy.

[Blood Fever]

The reality is Australia is too small a country with not enough money or interest in AFL to support
a balanced, fair comp. There would need to be a 17 round season, every team would need it's own stadium,
and the grand final would need to be played at a neutral ground amongst other things. The NFL can afford
that because it's a comp that exists in a country with 335 million people. And so we end up with a slightly hokey,
amateurish affair whose intrinsic unfairness doesn't bother most of it's supporters, but also drives a small portion
of them crazy.

Valid comments but non vic teams do make up 45 per cent of comp. Hardly a small portion even though they are obviously not affected by GF fiasco all at once.

[stevoswan]

I’ve made my points , all I can say is that I disagree barry. You can try to bring octoberfest to other countries but until you go to Munich, it isn’t the same


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Isn't Oktoberfest just about the piss?

Isn't the GF just about the footy?

I'm from Victoria and I just don't agree with this 'MCG holy grail' crap......it wouldn't matter where it's held, a Grand Final is a Grand Final. If you believe the atmosphere or the 'vibe' just wouldn't be the same, you only have to listen to the crowd at the SCG when Nick Davis did his thing.

Until the league accept the error of their unconscious bias (or conscious!), this will always be a bit of a mickey mouse league totally lacking credibility and while people, esp. even some fans of the Swans have this nonsense 'holy grail' attitude towards the MCG, Victoria and it's teams will always have the upper hand.....if your happy with that, good luck to you but you're attitude is flawed.

[barry]

The reality is Australia is too small a country with not enough money or interest in AFL to support
a balanced, fair comp. There would need to be a 17 round season, every team would need it's own stadium,
and the grand final would need to be played at a neutral ground amongst other things. The NFL can afford
that because it's a comp that exists in a country with 335 million people. And so we end up with a slightly hokey,
amateurish affair whose intrinsic unfairness doesn't bother most of it's supporters, but also drives a small portion
of them crazy.

The A league and big bash are examples of smaller comps in Australia which have a fair grand final venue. The NFL and champions League are examples of larger comps with fairer grand final venues

[Blood Fever]

Isn't Oktoberfest just about the piss?

Isn't the GF just about the footy?

I'm from Victoria and I just don't agree with this 'MCG holy grail' crap......it wouldn't matter where it's held, a Grand Final is a Grand Final. If you believe the atmosphere or the 'vibe' just wouldn't be the same, you only have to listen to the crowd at the SCG when Nick Davis did his thing.

Until the league accept the error of their unconscious bias (or conscious!), this will always be a bit of a mickey mouse league totally lacking credibility and while people, esp. even some fans of the Swans have this nonsense 'holy grail' attitude towards the MCG, Victoria and it's teams will always have the upper hand.....if your happy with that, good luck to you but you're attitude is flawed.

Live in Melbourne also- bemused that some Bloods fans fall for this deluded rubbish about the city and the MCG being sacred sites.

[Bloods05]

Oh please. You guys support a venue over your own team !

So did you Baz!

[dimelb]

Read this:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/pyke-questioned-fairness-of-long-term-mcg-grand-final-deal-20180928-p506no.html

[Blood Fever]

Read this:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...28-p506no.html

Thanks Di - what about the arrogance of McGuire?

[stevoswan]

Read this:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...28-p506no.html

Two parts of this article just about sum up the absurd situation we are faced with in this league.

Firstly this:

Back in 2015 West Coast was forced to accept second choice of change rooms, grand final night-function venue and was even placed beneath Hawthorn on the MCG scoreboard despite finishing ahead of the Hawks on the ladder. The AFL even pushed the Eagles to wear their clash jumper with the white background but the club refused.........

Just how out of touch with integrity and fairness is this league FFS? Just astounding!

....and this:

West Coast and the AFL dismissed a suggestion by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire that the Magpies deserved preferential treatment arguing that they were now the top-seeded club having defeated ladder leader Richmond in the preliminary final.........

It is only due to the deplorable attitude the league has to 'integrity and fairness' that a Vic-based club president would have the audacity to claim this drivel (and in turn, rewrite history) with a straight face. Again, just astounding!

A league which can't look in the mirror, egged on by 8 club presidents who, hand in hand with the league, also can't/won't look in the mirror, is doomed to be blind to the obvious and as such, almost the opposite to what would normally constitute common sense become accepted norms. If the non-Vic clubs don't keep the pressure on the league in regard to 'integrity and fairness', we are doomed to watching a basically semi-rigged league for years to come.

If you didn't laugh at the absurdity of it all......you'd cry. One thing is for certain, sporting leagues around the world are not flocking to Australia on 'study tours' to 'learn' off the AFL about integrity and fairness. If they did make that mistake, the AFL would be placed in the 'what not to do' column.

[Blood Fever]

Two parts of this article just about sum up the absurd situation we are faced with in this league.

Firstly this:

Back in 2015 West Coast was forced to accept second choice of change rooms, grand final night-function venue and was even placed beneath Hawthorn on the MCG scoreboard despite finishing ahead of the Hawks on the ladder. The AFL even pushed the Eagles to wear their clash jumper with the white background but the club refused.........

Just how out of touch with integrity and fairness is this league FFS? Just astounding!

....and this:

West Coast and the AFL dismissed a suggestion by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire that the Magpies deserved preferential treatment arguing that they were now the top-seeded club having defeated ladder leader Richmond in the preliminary final.........

It is only due to the deplorable attitude the league has to 'integrity and fairness' that a Vic-based club president would have the audacity to claim this drivel (and in turn, rewrite history) with a straight face. Again, just astounding!

A league which can't look in the mirror, egged on by 8 club presidents who, hand in hand with the league, also can't/won't look in the mirror, is doomed to be blind to the obvious and as such, almost the opposite to what would normally constitute common sense become accepted norms. If the non-Vic clubs don't keep the pressure on the league in regard to 'integrity and fairness', we are doomed to watching a basically semi-rigged league for years to come.

If you didn't laugh at the absurdity of it all......you'd cry. One thing is for certain, sporting leagues around the world are not flocking to Australia on 'study tours' to 'learn' off the AFL about integrity and fairness. If they did make that mistake, the AFL would be placed in the 'what not to do' column.

The AFL 'modus operandi' that you describe so well in the comments above should be included in MBA courses in a business ethics unit showing what egregious outcomes eventuate when not even lip service is paid to the principles of integrity and fairness. Extensive individual case studies would be under the following headings: Fitzpatrick, McGuire, Demetriou, McLachlan, Kennett and Melbourne Football Culture.

[barry]

i like the 3 game concept, but it's really just a workaround for the ridiculously long MCG deal of which McGuire was a key player.

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Ironically, if pies win tomorrow, it will move the comp closer to a 3 game gf setup.

[Blood Fever]

i like the 3 game concept, but it's really just a workaround for the ridiculously long MCG deal of which McGuire was a key player.

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Ironically, if pies win tomorrow, it will move the comp closer to a 3 game gf setup.

Never thought of that - would ease pain of Collingwood win if unfairness was seized upon and magnified. 3 games sound very taxing and would be opposed big time by AFLPA. Shambles could have been avoided just by simple decision of highest rank home ground or even neutral venue a la NFL.