Conferences in the AFL

[Gregmond]

On the eve/day of the AFL Grand Final, I wonder whether the AFL's ongoing problems with fixturing could be solved by moving to a conference format (for the regular season only). Each conference would have eight teams, playing against the other teams in their conference twice (once home and once away), and playing the other the eight teams once each (home and away in alternate years).

Clearly, deciding the conferences would be the major difficulty, with the financial benefits of being placed in a division with all of the Victorian "power clubs" not to be ignored. However, I am prepared to give this a try, and would be interested in your feedback.

Tuck Conference:

- West Coast Eagles

- Fremantle Dockers

- Richmond Tigers

- Melbourne Demons

- Kangaroos (Canberra)

- Sydney Swans

- Collingwood Magpies

- Geelong Cats

Bartlett Conference:

- Adelaide Crows

- Port Adelaide Power

- Brisbane Lions

- Hawthorn Hawks

- Western Bulldogs

- Essendon Bombers

- Carlton Blues

- St.Kilda Saints

I have tried to keep the same-city rivalries alive, thus allowing those teams to match up twice per season. Geelong and Melbourne played the first ever game, and therefore must be linked, while Richmond and Melbourne were the first tennants of the MCG. St.Kilda and Essendon were likewise the first Dome tennants, and Essendon Hawthorn and Carlton have had many famous match-ups, particularly through the 1980s. I know I will cop some flack for splitting up Collingwood and Essendon, but those clubs have many traditional rivals aside from each other, and their once-per-season meeting could still take place on Anzac Day.

Thoughts?

[Alphabet Man]

don't worry mate, nobody likes Colingwood anyway.....

not a bad idea but whilst Dimwitfreo is in charge nothing that is good will happen

[Gregmond]

Thanks Aussie ... I think it would add some certainty to the fixture, and we could avoid the inevidable "such and such" got an easier draw that we go through each year!

[Alphabet Man]

Thanks Aussie ... I think it would add some certainty to the fixture, and we could avoid the inevidable "such and such" got an easier draw that we go through each year!

yeh i know how unfair is it? Notice how essnedon always start 2-0 cos they play Collingwood twice, and 6 other teams get that unfair advantage of playing Collingwood twice.....

[jr79]

I'm not a fan of a conference format for the AFL.

In the NRL and the old ARL and NSWRL they used to solve this by taking the ladder after everyone had played once, then using that to seed the draw for the following season.

I assume the AFL does something similar?

[Discrim]

i believe you're right: just divide it into this year's top and bottom eight. not sure how/if rivalries factor into anything (like would Freo and WCE meet twice anyway, despite the Dockers finishing out of the top 8?), but if ya throw that out, you got 2 matches against the other 7 in your end of last year's ladder, and 1 match each against the 8 teams on the opposite end. works out damn good, I'd say.

now then, I got a bone to pick wiht FSN, they moved the highlight show from 5 to noon here noon's a good time in and of itself, but 5 was perfect!

[Gregmond]

Dividing the ladder in half would never fly ... there is far too many "special" matches and far too much lobbying from the clubs for this to go ahead.

Although, with the 2005 finishing with Richmond, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Essendon and Carlton rounding out the bottom half, it would be a 2006 season chock full of Victorian-blockbusters ... but slightly unfair to St.Kilda, Geelong and Western Bulldogs who would have to do all of the travelling.

I think the key is the AFL needs to come up with a formula (either conferences, split-ladder, or something else) that guarantees the public a fixture that is consistant and free from bias. There needs to be some certainty there!