AFL to move to a Conference system (a la NFL) and 12-team finals series?

[one-eyed]

AFL's conference call
By Adam McNicol
Fri 18 June, 2010

The options unveiled by the league on Friday, which all involve a 22-round fixture, are:

• Dividing the 18 clubs into two conferences - play 13 games against sides in their conference (play five teams twice and three teams once) and nine games against teams from the other conference. At the end of the home-and-away season, between four and six teams from each conference qualify for the finals.

• Dividing the 18 clubs into three conferences - play all teams in the same conference twice (10 games) and the teams in the other two conferences once (12 games). After the end of the home-and-away season either two or four teams from each conference qualify for the finals.

• All teams play each other once in rounds one to 17. After round 17, clubs are reallocated into three divisions based on their ladder positions (top six, middle six and bottom six). The top six play each other in the last five games and jostle for ladder positions. The middle six play each other in the last five games and battle for the last available places in the finals (a final eight or 10 could be used). The bottom six play each other in the last five games, but they are already excluded from finals contention.

• All teams play each other once in rounds one to 17. After round 17, clubs are reallocated into three divisions based on their ladder positions. In contrast to the previous model, division one includes the clubs that are first, sixth, seventh, 10th, 13th and 18th on the ladder. Division two is the clubs who are second, fifth, eighth, 11th, 14th and 17th. Division three is made up of those that are third, fourth, ninth, 12th, 15th and 16. Clubs play the others in their division in the final five games of the season, then the top two or four from each division qualify for the finals.

• The fixture is locked in for three years at a time, meaning clubs play each other four times (twice at home and twice away) over that period.

The changes to the regular season fixturing have also prompted the AFL to review the way the pre-season competition will work from 2012 onwards.

At present, three proposals are up for consideration:

• Clubs take part in only a limited number of practice matches.

• The pre-season consist of practice matches and representative games, allowing for state of origin football to possibly return.

• A lightning premiership-style competition, for which the 18 clubs are divided into pools of three. The pool games take the form of two 20-minute halves. Teams meet the other two members of their pool in the first round, with the games played at one venue on one day. The top club in each pool progresses to a second round of shortened matches. The two best performed clubs then advance to the grand final, which is a full-length match.

Full article at:
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/96547/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

AFL considers 12-team finals series
By Adam McNicol
Fri 18 June, 2010


On Friday, three draft options for a revamped finals series were released to the public. They are:

• A final 10, in which the finals are played over five weeks. Under this model, the top two teams have a bye in week one. The teams that finish seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th on the ladder would need to win five finals to claim the premiership.

• A final 12, in which the finals are played over four weeks. In week one, the teams that finished between fifth and 12 on the ladder play in elimination finals, while the top four sides are sent straight through to week two. There are four semi-finals in the second week, with the winners progressing to the preliminary finals and the losers eliminated. There are no double-chances.

• A final 12, in which the finals are played over four weeks and all teams play in week one. Another major difference to the previous model is that the top two sides have a double chance. They play each other in week one with the winner progressing to a preliminary final.

Full article at:
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/96544/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Here's the official site for this with more detail - diagrams listing teams in conferences etc...:

My AFL Season..
http://www.afl.com.au/AFLHQ/MyAFLSeason/tabid/16355/Default.aspx

[mightytiges]

The idea of fiddling with the draw post round 17 is dodgy. Don't like it at all. If you were 12th on the ladder you'd tank before round 17 to finish 13th and in the bottom so you'd get the best draft pick. No point at 12th trying to aim for finals in the last 5 rounds to just miss out. That's recruiting suicide.

I'd prefer sticking with the traditional one ladder even with 18 clubs but the 3 conferences where you play the teams in your conference twice and the rest once doesn't look too bad. Seems the fairest of the alternative ideas and a bit like old times if the Big 4 are put in the same 6-team conference. Crowd wise it would swamp the other two conferences. In the old days if you won all 6 games (3 home/3 away) against Coll, Carl and Ess you were well on you way towards a flag.

I wonder how the draft order will be determined from a conference system. I'm guessing it'll be similar to in the States with the worst win/loss ratio earning first pick and so on.

[the_boy_jake]

The one thing we should take from the NFL is the concessions they put in the draw.

That is if you finish last you should have the easiest draw and first you should have the hardest. Everyone plays each other once and the remaining games are worked out based on the previous years ladder positions.

Would mean the top teams play each other more, more rematches from the previous years finals and up-and-coming teams play each other more establishing rivalries of their own.

[mightytiges]

While that's a fairer system Jake, the AFL will never do it as the "blockbusters" are money spinners and the AFL wants interstate derbies twice a year every year to boost interest and local crowds. Financially even if just 1% of Americans are watching that's still 3 million people and you'd still make decent money; whereas in Australia it's only 220k and tv networks wouldn't cop it for the money they are currently paying for the tv rights.

Also in the NFL the teams don't play each other once. There's 32 franchises but only 16 regular season games. You play the teams in your division twice (6 games) and then the other 10 matches are spread against the rest.