Which AFL Fixture System Would You Prefer?

Option 1 - Current System

Option 2 - Three Conferences.

Conference changes every year based on the previous years ladder positions.

1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16

2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18


Team 1 for example, will play teams 4, 7, 10, 13 & 16 twice.

Team 1 will play the remaining teams once.


Option 3 – Extended Finals Series

• Each team plays each other once.
• Finals series has four rounds.
• Round 1 has 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 play in a best of three series match. Teams 1 & 2 get two home field advantages.
• Teams 5, 6, 7, 8 play a best of seven finals series
• Teams 5 & 6 get four home field matches compared to three.
• Once round 1 is complete the winner out of 1 vs. 4 & 2 vs. 3 will get the break. Let’s say 1, 2, 5 & 6 get the wins.

Round 1
1 vs. 4, 4 vs. 1, 1 vs. 4 (best of three)
2 vs. 3, 3 vs. 2, 2 vs. 3 (best of three)
5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8th (best of seven)
6 vs. 7

Round 2
3 vs. 6, 6 vs. 3, 3 vs. 6 (best of three)
4 vs. 5, 5 vs. 4, 4 vs. 5 (best of three)
Round 3
1 vs. 3, 3 vs. 1, 1 vs. 3 (best of three)
2 vs. 4, 4 vs. 2, 2 vs. 4 (best of three

Round 4 – Grand Final
1 vs. 2 (one match only)

CNB1990 said:

Option 1 - Current System

Option 2 - Three Conferences.

Conference changes every year based on the previous years ladder positions.

1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16

2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18


Team 1 for example, will play teams 4, 7, 10, 13 & 16 twice.

Team 1 will play the remaining teams once.


Option 3 – Extended Finals Series

• Each team plays each other once.
• Finals series has four rounds.
• Round 1 has 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 play in a best of three series match. Teams 1 & 3 get two home field advantages.
• Teams 5, 6, 7, 8 play a best of seven finals series
• Teams 5 & 6 get four home field matches compared to three.
• Once round 1 is complete the winner out of 1 vs. 4 & 2 vs. 3 will get the break. Let’s say 1, 2, 5 & 6 get the wins.

Round 1
1 vs. 4, 4 vs. 1, 1 vs. 4 (best of three)
2 vs. 3, 3 vs. 2, 2 vs. 3 (best of three)
5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8, 8 vs. 5, 5 vs. 8th (best of seven)
6 vs. 7

Round 2
3 vs. 6, 6 vs. 3, 3 vs. 6 (best of three)
4 vs. 5, 5 vs. 4, 4 vs. 5 (best of three)
Round 3
1 vs. 3, 3 vs. 1, 1 vs. 3 (best of three)
2 vs. 4, 4 vs. 2, 2 vs. 4 (best of three

Round 4 – Grand Final
1 vs. 2 (one match only)

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Why would team 3 get 2 home games?

Sorry finger slipped on the keyboard, it's meant to be 2.

The system most people want you did not include in your poll.

A rolling concurrent fixture.

Option 4. Rolling draw.

So the rolling draw is when you play the teams you've played round 1-4 through round 19-22?

The way it used to be? Well if you want that fixture just stat it in your post.

Definitely prefer the current system.

Not a fan of the complications involved with a conference system but would certainly prefer a fairer fixture. I reckon a random draw from AFL house with full transparency would be fairest. Although it wouldn't maximise revenue, money should never compromise integrity. If a computer program was programmed to have 11 home games for each team inputted, I reckon it would make decent telly to watch a fully randomised fixture unfold game by game on Fox Footy. Some teams would get a great run - others a howler. That's the nature of the beast and it would all even out over a few years under a random system. There would be less blockbusters & no guarentee certain teams would play each other twice (Carl v Coll, showdowns etc) but hey, thats life.

I like a conference system. Works a treat in the NFL. But I do think they have to have some geographic skew. The system Stevens describes in this article is pretty good I think - although it does not factor in the final standings at all.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/expert-opinion/forget-the-blockbusters-afl-just-fix-the-fixture/story-fncqi979-1226344945306

No finals should be a series

Skystyler said:

I like a conference system. Works a treat in the NFL. But I do think they have to have some geographic skew. The system Stevens describes in this article is pretty good I think - although it does not factor in the final standings at all.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/expert-opinion/forget-the-blockbusters-afl-just-fix-the-fixture/story-fncqi979-1226344945306

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I like this tri-conference model... for those who do not have a Herald Sun digital pass and are unable to read the article here's the system:

FELDMAN'S AFL TRI-CONFERENCE MODEL

KEY POINTS:

- Three conferences of six teams. Play each team in your conference twice and teams outside your conference once (total 22 games)

- Top two teams from each conference make the finals with the remaining spots being granted to two wildcards (teams with the best record outside the top two of respective conferences)

- Final eight teams to be ranked by record over 22 games

- Current final eight system to be retained

- Conferences to consist of three non-Melbourne and three Melbourne teams (Geelong is considered a non-Melbourne team due to its unique home ground)

- Conferences to rotate over a four-year period to ensure seven local derbies for SA, WA, QLD and NSW teams over four seasons and the nine Melbourne teams play five times each over a four-year period.

- Draft picks 1-8 to be based on records of non-finalists

- Draft picks 9-16 based on positions after finals.

POTENTIAL CONFERENCE ROTATIONS:

Year 1

Group A: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Geelong, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Carlton
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Melbourne, Hawthorn, Richmond
Group C: Sydney, GWS, West Coast, St Kilda, North Melbourne, Collingwood

Year 2

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Geelong, Essendon, Melbourne, St Kilda
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn, North Melbourne
Group C: Sydney, GWS, Port Adelaide, Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood

Year 3

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood
Group B: Sydney, GWS, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Richmond, St Kilda
Group C: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Carlton, Melbourne, North Melbourne

Year 4

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Sydney, Essendon, Richmond, North Melbourne
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Collingwood
Group C: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, GWS, Carlton, Hawthorn, St Kilda

Current system, easily.

Of those two options, definitely the current system.

The AFL would never go for a system with changing conferences, especially one which would see the big clubs not drawn against each other in certain seasons.

Games involving two of Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon & Richmond are huge revenue raisers for the AFL.

Carlton plays Collingwood twice per season not just because they are enormous rivals, but because of the financial benefit the AFL gets as a result. Don't tell me you honestly think the AFL would consider entertaining the notion of not having a Carlton v Collingwood clash in any given season. There's not a chance in hell of that eventuating.

As for my preferred fixturing system, I prefer a rolling fixture. Play each team once, then play the teams you play in the early rounds again in the latter rounds. Keep in mind that these rounds would largely be 'rivalry' or 'blockbuster' rounds for a number of clubs.

-18 Rounds.
-Play everyone once + 1 rivalry round.
-9 home games, 9 away.
-Everyone travels to each state once (not including Victoria, obviously)
-Final 8 under current system.

The current system is fine. There's no such thing as a fair draw until we play each team twice.

peterbuch74 said:

Year 1

Group A: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Geelong, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Carlton
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Melbourne, Hawthorn, Richmond
Group C: Sydney, GWS, West Coast, St Kilda, North Melbourne, Collingwood

Year 2

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Geelong, Essendon, Melbourne, St Kilda
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn, North Melbourne
Group C: Sydney, GWS, Port Adelaide, Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood

Year 3

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood
Group B: Sydney, GWS, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Richmond, St Kilda
Group C: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Carlton, Melbourne, North Melbourne

Year 4

Group A: West Coast, Fremantle, Sydney, Essendon, Richmond, North Melbourne
Group B: Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Collingwood
Group C: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, GWS, Carlton, Hawthorn, St Kilda

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Hawthorn would be loving that draw!!

There are always going to be discrepancies people!!! How can the AFL know who are going to be the big improvers/sliders??

I had Port as being a certain win and the D's as a maybe? ATM that's not the case!!

The Roos have a leg up this year but we screwed last.

Keep it as it is!

I prefer 3 Conference but they need to be fixed and each conference have 2 groupings.

i.e. Conference 1 - Group B plays Conference 2 Group A at Home and Conference 2 Group B Away and Conference 3 Group A Away and Conference 3 Group B at Home and Conference 1 Home and Away.

With fixed conferences you can award a title to the conference champion, and you build rivalries inside the conference.

Finals places awarded to the Conference Champions and the 5 teams with the best records who aren't conference champion.

Top 4 is the Conference Champions + the best non Conference champion.

This would be better long term.
2 team States have both teams in the same conference but different groups. Retaining the local derbies and equalising travel better for all teams. i.e. for a victorian team unless you are in the conference you only have to travel to each state once.

I think people need to understand rolling draw doesn't just mean playing the same teams in rounds 1-5 again in rounds 18-22. It means playing different teams twice each year. So if Melbourne plays Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon twice one year, they play Freo, Geel, Haw, North Melb & Richmond twice the next year and so on so that over a 3-4 year period everyone plays everyone the same amount of times.

My preference would be for 17 rounds, you play everyone once and rotate H&A the following year.

Second choice would be the "conference" (actually it's a division) system or a rolling draw.

Demonic Ascent said:

I think people need to understand rolling draw doesn't just mean playing the same teams in rounds 1-5 again in rounds 18-22. It means playing different teams twice each year. So if Melbourne plays Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon twice one year, they play Freo, Geel, Haw, North Melb & Richmond twice the next year and so on so that over a 3-4 year period everyone plays everyone the same amount of times.

My preference would be for 17 rounds, you play everyone once and rotate H&A the following year.

Second choice would be the "conference" (actually it's a division) system or a rolling draw.

Click to expand...

A rolling draw is exactly as it sounds, the sides you play in rounds 1-4 you will play in rounds 19-22, whoever you played in round 5 will be your first opponent the following year. Just keeps going around in circles. A rolling concurrent fixture.

I am concerned for Dan's welfare.

Not one post.

What about 34 rounds, no pre season cup (each club gets two pre season trial games (randomly selected)), every one play each team twice in a rolling draw?

Stamos said:

-18 Rounds.
-Play everyone once + 1 rivalry round.
-9 home games, 9 away.
-Everyone travels to each state once (not including Victoria, obviously)
-Final 8 under current system.

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I love it!

People don't understand that the only thing that needs to be sorted out are the return matches. Everybody plays each other once = 17 games. It's only the extra 5 games (or 6 under my system) that need to be evened up.

My system is the best, and is the ONLY way we can ever have a "fair" draw without playing each other once or twice. (which will never happen, because 17 games isn't enough, and 34 is too many)

My system works as follows, and is extremely simple:

1. We still have ONE ladder. There are NO groups, or "conferences." However, when the AFL are creating the fixture at the start of the year, they split the clubs into 3 groups of 6 teams based on the previous year's ladder positions. (1-6, 7-12, 13-18) These groups are ONLY used for creating the draw. I'll explain...

2. All 18 teams play each other once. That goes without saying. So there's the first 17 rounds sorted. All is fair so far.

Now, it's just a matter of sorting out the return matches.

3. Every team is then allocated return matches against 2 teams from each group. Remember, these groups are never "seen." We still have ONE ladder. They are only a tool used to even up the return matches when the AFL are creating the fixture at the start of the year.

So now, we have a 23 round season. Everybody plays each other once, and then everybody plays return matches against two teams ranked 1-6, two teams ranked 7-12, and two teams ranked 13-18.

It's so simple.

The AFL can even pick whoever they want to play each other again. They can still have their "blockbusters" and "derbies." The only rule is that every team MUST play return matches against 2 teams from each group.

The ONLY slight flaw is that teams obviously get stronger and weaker each year. So your team may be drawn to play a return match against a 13-18 side who are actually now sitting 7th on the ladder. Obviously, the solution to that would be to actually create the rest of the fixture AFTER Round 17 of the current season, and use the current ladder positions to determine the last 6 games. (still using the method above) But that will never happen for obvious reasons.

Therefore, it must be based on the previous year's positions.

It's not completely perfect (only 34 rounds would be completely perfect) but it's the next best thing, and miles better than what we have now.


As for a "Rolling Fixture", people don't understand that it doesn't actually solve anything. It doesn't even up any particular year. Premierships are won over a SINGLE season. Evening up the fixture over several seasons solves absolutely nothing as every year still has teams being advantaged and disadvantaged... but now you're just applying a method to the madness. The very same thing applies to "conferences" that are based on anything other than strength of opposition.

You HAVE to even up the return matches based on the strength of the teams. Seeing as the fixture must be created at the start of the year, then basing it on the previous year's ladder positions and allocating a fair spread of games against stronger opposition, medium opposition, and weaker opposition (as my system does) is the only fair way.

And for the record, my preference would be to play each other twice as it's the fairest. 34 rounds. Second preference would be to play each other once. 17 rounds. But neither of those will happen.

Third preference is the system above as it's the next fairest.

can't believe people want conferences, that is the worst idea i've heard for a fixture

Everyone plays each other once then they swap the next year and so forth (Geelong plays the Eagles in Perth in 2013, then plays them at Karindya Park in 2014). Then there can be state of origin and the season isn't so taxing.

This will never happen but hey.

Don't like the finals series idea at all. Works for the NBA and NHL, but couldn't honestly see it working for a football code.