Geelong coach Chris Scott has criticised the proposed wildcard spherical, declaring it might solely additional expose the AFL as “one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine”.
Incoming AFL chief govt Andrew Dillon met with all 18 membership CEOs this week and mentioned the fixture, the location of byes and potential modifications to the finals system.
Watch each match of each spherical of the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The league is contemplating introducing a wildcard spherical earlier than finals in a daring proposal that may shake up the standard prime eight system.
It could be much like the NBA’s play-in match, which has proved an enormous success because it was established in 2020.
If accepted, the wildcard spherical would pit seventh in opposition to tenth and eighth in opposition to ninth on the weekend that’s presently reserved for the pre-finals bye.
A wildcard spherical would allow the AFL to pull out the race for the highest eight and preserve curiosity through the pre-finals bye, which has grow to be a useless zone because it was launched in 2016 to stop groups from resting half their gamers within the final spherical of the season.
Two-time premiership coach Scott wasn’t an enormous fan of the thought, stating the very fact there are 24 rounds for an 18-team competitors, means the AFL fixture is inherently uneven and unfair.
For occasion, just some groups get to play weaker groups like West Coast and North Melbourne twice in a season.
“We just have, in elite sport by global standards, one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine,” Scott stated.
“Uneven numbers (of games against opponents), let’s just throw in a Gather Round, compromise the competition even more, if these things are really, really important from a fan perspective or from a commercial perspective they are worthy of thought.
“I would just ask the integrity of the competition is given as much thought.”
If it’s launched, the wildcard spherical could be one other change to the AFL fixture after the season was prolonged from 23 to 24 rounds to accommodate the Gather Round in Adelaide.
“We’re going to be in Adelaide for another three years aren’t we, for Gather Round? I’m assuming they’re all Showdowns,” Scott stated.
“It kind of has to (compromise the integrity of the competition) on first blush, but on the other side of it, I’m a big advocate of thinking these things through.
“If we think out loud in public, no one should be held to account for those thought bubbles, I think they’re good to publicly debate.
“Maybe when you’re administering a competition the integrity of the actual, and the fairness of the draw, should be pretty close to your number one priority.
“Usain Bolt doesn’t start at a 10-metre disadvantage in the Olympics final just because he’s better than everyone else, but we’re sort of forced into that situation because it’s probably right that if Collingwood win the premiership that they shouldn’t have the easiest draw the following year.
“To actively manipulate it to make the competition more even is a conversation worth having, and would the wildcard help it or hurt it? I haven’t thought through it enough.”
Source: www.news.com.au
