The AFL will reportedly float the thought of a “wildcard round” earlier than finals with golf equipment, in a daring proposal that would change the league’s finals system.
The Herald Sun experiences incoming AFL chief govt Andrew Dillon will elevate the thought with all 18 membership CEOs when he meets with them in Melbourne on Tuesday.
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On the agenda is a dialogue round fixturing innovation, the position of byes and potential adjustments to the finals system.
The AFL’s vastly profitable Gather Round was partly a results of dialogue with AFL captains about methods the league may scale back the pre-season load for gamers by changing a pre-season recreation with an additional home-and-away spherical.
The AFL has not but made any indication it would change its present eight-team finals system, however is it mentioned to be open to a dialogue about the way it can “maximise” the finals collection.
Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph mentioned on Fox Footy’s On The Couch: “One of the agenda items is fixture innovation. He (Dillon) wants to throw up this wildcard weekend — what would it look like, what would the bye situation look like.
“The league says it’s just a thought bubble but they just brought it in for the VFL this season. It’s gone gangbusters in the NBA.
“At its simplest — 8th vs 9th play each other — the winner gets into September in that pre-finals bye. Massive attendance, massive ratings.”
A transfer to a wildcard spherical would comply with within the footsteps of comparable system lately launched within the NBA.
The brainchild of NBA boss Adam Silver, the play-in event has proved a hit since its introduction in 2020, as groups ranked seventh to tenth in every convention compete for the final two spots within the playoffs.
The particular mannequin for an AFL wildcard spherical is unclear, but it surely may see the eighth and ninth positioned groups face off in the course of the pre-finals bye for the final spot in finals.
In the NBA play-in event, the seventh seed performs the eighth seed — the winner goes straight via to the playoffs and the loser will get yet one more probability towards the winner of a recreation between the ninth and tenth seeds.
With six rounds remaining within the house and away season, simply eight factors (two wins) separates Geelong in fifth and the Sydney Swans in 14th on the ladder.
Nathan Buckley mentioned on Fox Footy: “With the ladder looking as squeezed as it is, it sort of wants that you’ve got to win that last one on a wildcard weekend.”
Jonathan Brown added: “This year would be set up for it. It’d be fantastic trial.”
A wildcard spherical would allow the AFL to tug out the race for the highest eight and keep curiosity in the course of the pre-finals bye, which has grow to be a lifeless zone because it was launched in 2016 to stop groups from resting half their crew within the final spherical of the season.
It’s removed from a achieved deal, however the response from AFL followers and commentators was combined, with many towards the proposal.
The ABC’s Brett Sprigg tweeted: “Majority of AFL fans hate the idea of a wildcard round pre-finals so there’s nothing surer the concept will eventually get up.”
Jon Ralph posted: “Leave the game alone…. But Gather Round was new this year and it was a triumph. Worth the conversation about how it would work. It is a smash hit in the NBA.”
Podcast host Ralph Horowitz mentioned: “Could an AFL finals wildcard round that no one wants happen?
“On one hand it will bring extra money into the game & the executives who will make the call have salary bonuses based on more money coming into the game. On the other hand there is no other hand.”
SEN’s Matthew Donald posted: “Gather Round worked because it was a concept that was designed exclusively with the fans in mind. This is just an excuse to have more games than can be hyped up.
“If a team is good enough for finals, they won’t need a wildcard round to qualify.”
Dillon has talked about his want for the AFL Grand Final to stay within the conventional 2.30pm timeslot and for extra Thursday night time video games, however a wildcard spherical could be his first main transfer as AFL CEO whether it is finally launched.
Source: www.news.com.au
