Round 7: the other games. Time to get out the black texta?

[dejavoodoo44]

It's probably time to draw a line through some teams' chances for 2022, if they don't manage to pull off a win over the weekend. These are the teams that could end up 1/6 after the completion of the round. Yes, while I know that we made the finals in 2017 after starting 0/6, I don't think any of those currently at 1/5 have the quality of that team. Nor have any of them had to deal with the trauma, of being shafted by the umpiring in the previous season's grand final.

Tonight's game is a case in point. Unless West Coast can pull off a surprise win over Richmond, they will slump to 1/6, and I can't see them coming back from there. Alternatively, a loss for Richmond will see them at 2/5, and even if they soon get Dusty back, it's hard to see them being genuine contenders.

The first Saturday game is Geelong hosting Fremantle. Geelong are short priced favourites in this, despite Fremantle arguably having the better form. Though of course, Fremantle don't really like travelling to Melbourne, let alone Geelong.

The other afternoon game sees Adelaide looking to consign GWS to a 1/6 start. Which is on the cards. It seemed to me that GWS played a dire brand of stagnant football last week, and a famous catchphrase from Monty Python, would best describe the reappearance of Toby Greene. If they do lose, Leon Cameron might find himself replacing Ken Hinkley as the coach most likely to be sacked.

The twilight game has Melbourne and Hawthorn at the MCG. Hearing the news that Melbourne had four players out through H & S protocols, I thought that they might be vulnerable. Then I looked up who was coming into the side: Viney, Lever and McDonald. Ugghh!. Then again, who doesn't want to see Hawthorn slide further down the ladder?

Then there's a night match in Cairns, between St Kilda and Port. If Port lose, Hinkley will regain the title of coach most likely to be sacked.

The other Saturday night match is Carlton v North. Wouldn't mind seeing North cause an upset there.

The Sunday afternoon games are Collingwood v Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs v Essendon. I'll be interested to see what sort of reaction Cody Weightman gets from the Essendon fans, after he stated that he considered staging for frees to be part of his skill set. Will the reaction be hostile every time that he goes near the ball, or will it largely be barely remembered yesterday's news. Either way, I think it's stagers like Weightman, who will cause the end of the AFL's strict interpretation of their umpire dissent rule. That is, somebody will get a free from throwing themselves on the ground under no contact whatsoever, the aggrieved defender will make some sort of diving gesture and promptly get marched 50 metres. The stager will then smugly saunter to the goal square, to be further rewarded with an easy six points. This will then lead to much after game discussion, on whether we really want to give further incentives to blatant cheats.

But anyway, we should finish the round on a more positive note, by beating Brisbane and in the process, further establishing ourselves as premiership contenders.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Very much a meh round.

But given how badly Essendon are travelling, and given the Dogs fans will be thinking like they did before last week, now we get to make our run - go the Bombers! I have absolutely no faith in this aspiration coming true, but it'd be a joy to see, and it'd only be made better if victory was secured by a Bombers' player securing a free from a dive in the dying seconds to then kick the winning goal.

P.S: Essendon's chances just improved. They finally dropped Dylan Shiels. Soft as butter, doesn't defend, won't run two ways and can't hit a target. They're an instantly better side.

[barry]

I don't understand how with a rolling draw, we get west coast on Friday night?

[Mel_C]

I don't understand how with a rolling draw, we get west coast on Friday night?
When the fixture was released the games for rounds 1 to 9 were all assigned a time slot so this game was already scheduled for tonight.

[Sandridge]

Eagles in a world of pain already. Almost quarter time and 37 down.

[Hotpotato]

Half time and over 10 goals down in front of their devotees , will they head home now ?

[Mark26]

Half time and over 10 goals down in front of their devotees , will they head home now ?

The Eagles have lost more than this game. They are a shambles.

[Aprilbr]

Surely this is the worst loss in the history of the WCE? Being absolutely destroyed at home by Richmond. A big rebuild ahead for the Eagles.

[Faunac8]

I haven’t watched the game but was curious as to how Greg Clark the mature age Eagles recruit who has a good track record in the WAFL has performed. A big midfielder at 195 cm and 95 kg which not that long ago would have played ruck hate the Eagles but like an underdog story.

[neilfws]

Very much a meh round.

It really is. And I normally enjoy watching the Lions but of course, don't want to see too much from them this week.

Tonight's game was one of those I had to keep watching just to see how bad it could get for the Eagles, and the answer was "very". What a shocker.

[Aprilbr]

It really is. And I normally enjoy watching the Lions but of course, don't want to see too much from them this week.

Tonight's game was one of those I had to keep watching just to see how bad it could get for the Eagles, and the answer was "very". What a shocker.Agreed. There is something fascinating about watching a train wreck. I vividly recall watching the Dees being slaughtered by Geelong by 30 goals in 2011. It cost the coach his job that week. It was strangely compulsive viewing.

[Bangalore Swans]

Surely this is the worst loss in the history of the WCE? Being absolutely destroyed at home by Richmond. A big rebuild ahead for the Eagles.

Interesting that during the Swans 2019 and 2020 bottom four years, that we were never as bad as West Coast.

Every player battled hard and produced many narrow losses during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. They never got blown out of the water three weeks in a row.

I personally think that the Swans of 2019 and 2020 were the greatest bottom four team in AFL history. Lots of injuries, however a guys like Ryan Clarke came in and always gave 110% effort and intensity.

[Hotpotato]

The Swans do not bottom out, in this fickle town it spells doom, not for the true followers of course.

[i'm-uninformed2]

The best part is knowing Weagles fans are looking at the draw this morning for respite and seeing their next two games are … Brisbane and Melbourne

[Thunder Shaker]

Surely this is the worst loss in the history of the WCE? Being absolutely destroyed at home by Richmond. A big rebuild ahead for the Eagles.
No, West Coast have had worse losses, but only five with a margin greater than 109 points.

Essendon 25.10 (160) defeated West Coast 1.12 (18) at Windy Hill, round 15, 1989. That is West Coast's biggest loss and lowest score in the same game.

[Nico]

Are the WCE worse than we were in the 90's under Buckerina?

[Thunder Shaker]

The Sunday afternoon games are Collingwood v Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs v Essendon. I'll be interested to see what sort of reaction Cody Weightman gets from the Essendon fans, after he stated that he considered staging for frees to be part of his skill set. Will the reaction be hostile every time that he goes near the ball, or will it largely be barely remembered yesterday's news. Either way, I think it's stagers like Weightman, who will cause the end of the AFL's strict interpretation of their umpire dissent rule. That is, somebody will get a free from throwing themselves on the ground under no contact whatsoever, the aggrieved defender will make some sort of diving gesture and promptly get marched 50 metres. The stager will then smugly saunter to the goal square, to be further rewarded with an easy six points. This will then lead to much after game discussion, on whether we really want to give further incentives to blatant cheats.
If such cheating was penalised more harshly, there would be less incentive to do it. Cracking down on umpire dissent without also cracking down on staging for frees has left the game vulnerable to this farce.

In soccer, it's called "simulation" and attracts a yellow card. If we apply this to the AFL, staging for a free would be penalised with a $3000 fine for a first offence, plus suspensions thereafter. In addition, simulation that's caught by the umpire (or in a review bunker) should be penalised like an interchange infringement: a free kick from the centre, plus a 50-metre penalty, or a free plus 50. That's how harsh the penalties have to be to send a message that it's a blight on the game. Finally anyone who is found guilty of a staging offence loses their eligibility for best and fairest awards, including the Brownlow, because cheating is not fair play.

[Thunder Shaker]

Are the WCE worse than we were in the 90's under Buckerina?
That's difficult to judge after only a few games. At present, I would say no. We were quite awful in the 1993 season under Buckenara due to a lack of fitness. Then Barassi took over and got the team fit, and by the end of the year we had gone from losing to bottom sides by 20 goals to losing to a top side by a point. I am forever grateful to Barassi for what he did to get the side competitive again, and I have no problems at all seeing Barassi enjoying Melbourne's current success.

West Coast is having issues because they have not had any team cohesion. Only three Eagles players have played all seven games so far. Sides like Brisbane have had about 15 players play all games. One can only make so many replacements in a side before team structure is compromised. The Eagles are also down on confidence. I expect they will get back some team cohesion and be more competitive later in the season, but I still expect them to finish last.

[liz]

A starting point might be to instruct the umpires not to pay a free kick where they see exaggerated reaction from the player, regardless of whether the actual contact/action did merit a free kick. That might start to persuade players not to actively play for free kicks, especially since doing so frequently takes them out of the next play if they don't receive the free.

Following up with fines (and shaming) for the most egregious of instances (those where there was no contact at all to warrant the reaction) might further ram the message home.

[Aprilbr]

That's difficult to judge after only a few games. At present, I would say no. We were quite awful in the 1993 season under Buckenara due to a lack of fitness. Then Barassi took over and got the team fit, and by the end of the year we had gone from losing to bottom sides by 20 goals to losing to a top side by a point. I am forever grateful to Barassi for what he did to get the side competitive again, and I have no problems at all seeing Barassi enjoying Melbourne's current success.

West Coast is having issues because they have not had any team cohesion. Only three Eagles players have played all seven games so far. Sides like Brisbane have had about 15 players play all games. One can only make so many replacements in a side before team structure is compromised. The Eagles are also down on confidence. I expect they will get back some team cohesion and be more competitive later in the season, but I still expect them to finish last.All good points, TS. I read that WCE have not had a top 10 draft pick for 10 years! Some of that is due to their high positions most seasons, but a lot of it is deliberate - trading out draft picks to buy in ready made players like Kelly (a disastrous trade given what they gave up) and Yeo.

Compare them to us over the past 10 years. No big name signings since Lance (free agent) at the end of 2013, trading out reasonable players for draft picks (not always by choice eg Dawson) and going to the draft every year. Of course, the Academy has provided us with Heeney, Mills and Blakey which is elite talent by any measure.

[Aprilbr]

Are the WCE worse than we were in the 90's under Buckerina?We lost 25 in a row in that period around 1993. The worst team since then was Fitzroy who in their last season of 1996 only won a single game for the season. I don't think the WCE are anywhere near as bad as either of those two sides.

It was sad to watch the death throws of a failing club with a long and proud history. I live next to Fitzroy and some of the pubs there eg Napier still have loads of Fitzroy memorabilia on the walls - they treat the move to Brisbane as the death of their Club. This contrasts with us South supporters who largely embrace the Sydney move.

[KSAS]

A starting point might be to instruct the umpires not to pay a free kick where they see exaggerated reaction from the player, regardless of whether the actual contact/action did merit a free kick. That might start to persuade players not to actively play for free kicks, especially since doing so frequently takes them out of the next play if they don't receive the free.

Following up with fines (and shaming) for the most egregious of instances (those where there was no contact at all to warrant the reaction) might further ram the message home.

Instructing umpires not to pay exaggerated free kicks is the most direct solution. As for penalties, I would look at players being penalised with demerit points. This gives flexibility to penalise points based on level of exaggeration, repeated offences which then leads to suspensions. I think this will be more of a deterrent than just fining players, considering the wide range of pay scales players are earning.

[snajik]

One of my fondest memories as a Swans supporter:

The Swans on July 19, 1987, scored 30.21 (201) in defeating the West Coast Eagles by 130 points at the SCG.

Both sides were making a claim for a spot in the finals at the time.

[707]

Agreed. There is something fascinating about watching a train wreck. I vividly recall watching the Dees being slaughtered by Geelong by 30 goals in 2011. It cost the coach his job that week. It was strangely compulsive viewing.
Incorrect, 186 points = 31 goals :-)

[Aprilbr]

Incorrect, 186 points = 31 goals :-)It was a real shellacking then!

[Aprilbr]

One of my fondest memories as a Swans supporter:

The Swans on July 19, 1987, scored 30.21 (201) in defeating the West Coast Eagles by 130 points at the SCG.

Both sides were making a claim for a spot in the finals at the time.I assume that was part of that great run when we walloped several clubs including Essendon, one after another. I think Richmond was in there too.

[stevoswan]

Scores level at half time but Freo's inaccurate kicking denies them what should be a healthy lead.....currently 4.7 to 5.1. Cats only scored a behind in that second quarter and that was in the first minute. Dockers should probably be leading by 2 to 3 goals.

[stevoswan]

Crows bubble has burst as the Giants put them to the sword. 59 pts down at half time.....eeek!

[stevoswan]

Cats just got their first goal in nearly 2 quarters......still 12 pts down. Freo not making the most of their dominance.

[snajik]

I assume that was part of that great run when we walloped several clubs including Essendon, one after another. I think Richmond was in there too.

That's correct. 3 200+ scorelines across three weeks, (or was it 3 30+ goal scorelines?). Essendon and Richmond were the teams and all three I think were played on the SCG. Sadly everything went horribly wrong after that run of brilliance.

Didn't see that much improvement coming from the Giants. Or is Adelaide believing the hype?

[stevoswan]

Giants by 73 now, late in third quarter.

[dejavoodoo44]

Good tough win by Fremantle. Geelong starting to look a bit precarious.

[barry]

Geelong's time as up. They have been. Regular top 4 team, but now will be fringe bottom of the 8 / outside the 8, non contender.

[stellation]

Adelaide weren't great, but why the hell didn't the Giants coaching staff say "move it quickly" in some of their other games this season?

[Faunac8]

Melbourne opening up a gap over the Hawks in the third they have a really mature big bodied team and physically seem just a bit bigger and harder than whoever fronts up to play them each week.
Its a team that have grown and developed together and it shows in the confident way they play and the trust they have in their teammates.
Really looking forward to seeing how we match up at the G on a Saturday night in a month or so and have already booked my flights and accommodation now to get some tickets.
A month is a long time in footy but a win or even to run them close would be a great way to start the second half of the season.

[Faunac8]

Hawthorn coming back and having a real crack not playing the fourth quarter this week like they did last week

[KTigers]

Really getting tired of hearing about how great Melbourne are. Who cares? Weren't they the tanking team a few years back?
And really over hearing about how Max Gawn is the greatest human that has ever lived. Soon we'll be hearing about how
he grinds free trade coffee with the laneway graffitti artists on his days off. Tedious.

[wolftone57]

Melbourne opening up a gap over the Hawks in the third they have a really mature big bodied team and physically seem just a bit bigger and harder than whoever fronts up to play them each week.
Its a team that have grown and developed together and it shows in the confident way they play and the trust they have in their teammates.
Really looking forward to seeing how we match up at the G on a Saturday night in a month or so and have already booked my flights and accommodation now to get some tickets.
A month is a long time in footy but a win or even to run them close would be a great way to start the second half of the season.Melbourne had 5 players and the head coach out. Enough said.

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[wolftone57]

The other games are both hard to watch. The Cairns game, who is playing again? Ah yes, forgettable.

The other game Carlton and North seems more entertaining. Although the skills are dreadful. They were in the first anyway. I went to dinner then.

The Dees v Hawks was a very good standard game. Great pressure by both sides. But it was obvious several Dees players were missing. It was also obvious Brown​and Lever had just come back from injury. Lever was ordinary. If Petty was fit he would have played. Young Bedford was really good. One pick up was sensational.

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[wolftone57]

Saints are 3.13 and only 1 point ahead. @@@@. It was horrible to watch up until half time. Seems nothing has changed.

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[Faunac8]

Really getting tired of hearing about how great Melbourne are. Who cares? Weren't they the tanking team a few years back?
And really over hearing about how Max Gawn is the greatest human that has ever lived. Soon we'll be hearing about how
he grinds free trade coffee with the laneway graffitti artists on his days off. Tedious.

They were indeed guilty of pulling the reins for a few years and the drafts between 2013 and 2015 in particular set them up to be where they are now.
Petracca Brayshaw Oliver Salem and Weideman were all first round picks.

[Faunac8]

Melbourne had 5 players and the head coach out. Enough said.

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I am pretty sure the ins were probably an improvement on those going out Lever , McDonald and Viney would probably be best 22 at most clubs . Kossie Pickett was probably the only out that may have impacted. Also no first game coach has lost this year.
So, and this is a genuine question, given that would you say that it was a good win or lucky win for them as it’s hard to interpret your viewpoint from enough said ?

[Mark26]

Port have won by a point! Second win for the year and more importantly, the Saints have lost.

[Hotpotato]

How could you kick 4 goals and 18 points ….

[neilfws]

Found myself hoping for a draw in Saints-Port. It's the result that says "no winners, you were equally dreadful".

[Mark26]

43 - 42. What an anticlimactic score line.

[dejavoodoo44]

Found myself hoping for a draw in Saints-Port. It's the result that says "no winners, you were equally dreadful".
It was so dire to watch, that I switched the TV off and then listened to it on radio. Not having to witness all the fumbling, made it seem a better game. Hopefully, the AFL will learn that it's probably better to play Cairns games in June or July, when it's less warm, humid and slippery than late April.

[Thunder Shaker]

We lost 25 in a row in that period around 1993. The worst team since then was Fitzroy who in their last season of 1996 only won a single game for the season. I don't think the WCE are anywhere near as bad as either of those two sides.

It was sad to watch the death throws of a failing club with a long and proud history. I live next to Fitzroy and some of the pubs there eg Napier still have loads of Fitzroy memorabilia on the walls - they treat the move to Brisbane as the death of their Club. This contrasts with us South supporters who largely embrace the Sydney move.
The difference: South Melbourne relocated to Sydney, whereas Fitzroy merged with the Bears. The Fitzroy identity was shattered, some of it went to Brisbane, and there's also an amateur club competing in the VAFA that is called Fitzroy (https://www.vafa.com.au/sections/premier-b/fitzroy/) and plays home games at the Brunswick St oval.

Had Fitzroy relocated to Brisbane in 1987 instead of a new club being formed, more of the old Fitzroy supporters would have embraced the relocated club.

[KTigers]

They were indeed guilty of pulling the reins for a few years and the drafts between 2013 and 2015 in particular set them up to be where they are now.
Petracca Brayshaw Oliver Salem and Weideman were all first round picks.

Exactly. Take these guys out of the team and where would they and the world be. There would be smashed cheeseboards all over the
streets of Melbourne, every ski resort would be booked out for years to come and Tesla sales would be through the roof threatening
the very existence of the fossil fuel industry.

[barry]

The difference: South Melbourne relocated to Sydney, whereas Fitzroy merged with the Bears. The Fitzroy identity was shattered, some of it went to Brisbane, and there's also an amateur club competing in the VAFA that is called Fitzroy (https://www.vafa.com.au/sections/premier-b/fitzroy/) and plays home games at the Brunswick St oval.

Had Fitzroy relocated to Brisbane in 1987 instead of a new club being formed, more of the old Fitzroy supporters would have embraced the relocated club.

I have a slightly harsher view of what happened to Fitzroy. They were a VFL side who couldn't cut it in a national League (AFL), and so by a convoluted process, dropped back to the VAFA, which is where they belong.

It got a little heated because their fans thought they had a God given right to play in the highest league, which no one does, and the AFL and Brisbane saw an opportunity to improve the fortunes of a struggling outpost club in player, branding and supporter basis.

[Bloods05]

I have a slightly harsher view of what happened to Fitzroy. They were a VFL side who couldn't cut it in a national League (AFL), and so by a convoluted process, dropped back to the VAFA, which is where they belong.

It got a little heated because their fans thought they had a God given right to play in the highest league, which no one does, and the AFL and Brisbane saw an opportunity to improve the fortunes of a struggling outpost club in player, branding and supporter basis.

What a sentimental old softie you are.

[barry]

Three only thing soft is the AFL. In any other serious League. Eg EPL, NFL, Fitzroy world have been gone decades ago.

This talk of Tassie and 20 teams is more of these same. Tassie is not viable. Look at the boring nature of this round. We don't need more teams. 18 max, probably 16 is better.

[Goal Sneak]

Three only thing soft is the AFL. In any other serious League. Eg EPL, NFL, Fitzroy world have been gone decades ago.

This talk of Tassie and 20 teams is more of these same. Tassie is not viable. Look at the boring nature of this round. We don't need more teams. 18 max, probably 16 is better.

Do you think the AFL, a sport that predominately exists within 3 states of 1 single country, can afford to adopt the same cut throat approach to a sport with millions of supporters all over the world?

I agree that we don't have the coverage of talent to sustain a 20 team comp right now. Expansion is driven by TV rights, more games each week means more revenue. The league is always going to push the limits of sustainability but need to be careful not to get too greedy and spoil the competition by spreading the talent too thin.

[stevoswan]

Exactly. Take these guys out of the team and where would they and the world be. There would be smashed cheeseboards all over the
streets of Melbourne, every ski resort would be booked out for years to come and Tesla sales would be through the roof threatening
the very existence of the fossil fuel industry.

Sounds fantastic!

[Faunac8]

Three only thing soft is the AFL. In any other serious League. Eg EPL, NFL, Fitzroy world have been gone decades ago.

This talk of Tassie and 20 teams is more of these same. Tassie is not viable. Look at the boring nature of this round. We don't need more teams. 18 max, probably 16 is better.

I tend to agree that we don't need more teams and the existing 18 is probably an ideal number.
Someone mentioned that Fitzroy should have been relocated to Brisbane like the Swans to Sydney and in hindsight that would have been a much better solution than creating the Bears, although it wouldn’t have made a great difference to the level of support they received from the VFL who looked at the new licences as an income source to prop up the existing Victorian clubs.

The Eagles came in at the same time but being a football savvy state with a strong existing comp they were always going to be successful unlike the Bears.
They then renamed themselves the AFL in an attempt to prove how they had embraced the rest of the country and had nothing but noble intentions to grow and develop the game nationally.
However because it was still essentially the VFL in everything but name they were so beholden to the Melbourne clubs and supporters and didn’t want to face the inevitable backlash that another relocation would cause so they began to focus on mergers .
An option that would alienate two lots of supporters rather just one with a relocation.

The attempted merger with the Dogs came close but they rattled enough tins at Whitten Oval to avoid that. Peter Gordon and his contacts saved us from the Fitzroy Bulldogs .
The one that I really would have enjoyed was the proposed Dawks , sorry Melbourne Hawks which almost started a civil war in Melbourne at the time.
There were a few others floated at the time but they muddled through and lucked out with increased revenue from TV rights and the licence fees from Adelaide Fremantle and Port which helped subsidise the poorly performing teams.

They missed the opportunity to fix the problem when the Suns and that other mob came in and probably should have sent North and possibly the Saints interstate.
It seemed to work out alright for South Melbourne so there was a precedent that they could have referenced and refined.
I can only assume they were more interested in the potential increased revenue which they could then use to repeat the cycle and prop up the clubs who were then and now struggling financially.

In the NFL NBA MLB etc in the US because of the market size teams often simply move cities for better deals financially usually including better and bigger stadiums and state tax breaks .
Unfortunately with our population relocation options are much more limited but if it is deemed there are to be teams in new locations then I think that moving existing teams should be the first option explored.

[Roadrunner]

It is obvious that as 10 out of 18 teams in our competition, the AFL is the VFL renamed. Hence the focus on Melbourne based teams, which is understandable when you think about it. With 2 teams in each State, including the 2 “foreign” States, I think we have a pretty good balance and I don’t see the need for a 19th team, which would unbalance the competition.

Give some credit to the AFL as they try to even up the competition with salary caps and drafts, so that every team has a chance for success. It’s far from perfect but just look at the EPL- at this stage only 6-7 teams out of 20 have reasonable chances and billionaire owners determine a team’ s fate. At least our struggling teams can climb up the ladder if they are well managed and patient for 2-3 years. Brisbane is a case in point- they were pretty awful a few years ago: hope they will be awful today!

[Bloods05]

Three only thing soft is the AFL. In any other serious League. Eg EPL, NFL, Fitzroy world have been gone decades ago.

This talk of Tassie and 20 teams is more of these same. Tassie is not viable. Look at the boring nature of this round. We don't need more teams. 18 max, probably 16 is better.

[Barry] doth protest too much, methinks. We know you're a softie underneath all that.

[barry]

But as I said in another thread, the interstate teams are propping up the Victorian sides via preferential fixturing given to them.
By no measure should Victoria have more than half the sides in the comp, it's only this propping up, the legacy of the VFL, and a 'soft' administration which keeps it as it is.

[Aprilbr]

But as I said in another thread, the interstate teams are propping up the Victorian sides via preferential fixturing given to them.
By no measure should Victoria have more than half the sides in the comp, it's only this propping up, the legacy of the VFL, and a 'soft' administration which keeps it as it is.Its a pretty controversial and arguably, incorrect view to say the interstate teams are propping up the rest. If one looks at the financials of clubs broken down then WCE and Adelaide are in the top 6-8 teams, Freo, Port and Swans are middling and Brisbane, GWS and GC are at or near the bottom. These figures include AFL distributions which tend to be greater for the lower revenue clubs. If these were stripped out then the lower clubs would look even worse. There has been a lot written on this in places like "The Footy Industry" on Bigfooty.

Favourable fixtures help clubs at the top in terms of support like Essendon and Collingwood but don't help middling Victorian clubs much. The Swans have had several Thursday/Friday fixtures this season plus an Anzac Day clash. We have not been too badly done by in that department although today's blockbuster should have been on Friday or Saturday night.

[Mountain Man]

What if both Hawthorn and Norths are relocated to Tasmania?
8 Victorian and an equal number of non Victorian teams

[KTigers]

Do you think the AFL, a sport that predominately exists within 3 states of 1 single country, can afford to adopt the same cut throat approach to a sport with millions of supporters all over the world?

I agree that we don't have the coverage of talent to sustain a 20 team comp right now. Expansion is driven by TV rights, more games each week means more revenue. The league is always going to push the limits of sustainability but need to be careful not to get too greedy and spoil the competition by spreading the talent too thin.

Agree. You can't really compare the AFL to the major sporting leagues all around the world. The economy the AFL exists in is tiny compared
to them. Many of us in Sydney don't like the Melbourne focus of the AFL but if more Sydney people got on board and developed an interest
in footy then some of that focus would follow the money that would come from more people in Sydney being interested in the code.
I can't see the number of teams in Melbourne being cut for a long time. Look at the last 40 years. One Melbourne team was cut and one
was moved. That's it.

[mcs]

What if both Hawthorn and Norths are relocated to Tasmania?
8 Victorian and an equal number of non Victorian teams

In a perfect world, I'd love to see the comp at 14 teams. Right amount in my opinion for better spread of talent, ability to have a proper 26 round home and away season (could expand the list a bit to allow for the extra games). Finding 4 clubs to get rid of now will never happen however, unless the game hits a terrible patch and clubs literally go broke. I think it would be a better number to maximise quality of the game, and get a better balance as a national competition. They missed the chance to move to that when they didn't force someone to relocate for Gold Coast (they did try hard with lol@Norf granted), and GWS.