http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/afl-must-expand-its-season/story-e6frfhqf-1226023555609
[video]http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/afl-must-expand-its-season/story-e6frfhqf-1226023555609[/video]
LAST night the AFL launched season 2011. After a disappointing off-field start to the year, the real competition starts next week.
But amid more rule changes, the AFL is floating the concept of a 10-team finals series.
However, that only weakens the standard of competition in the finals. Already the bottom four of the final eight are no match for the top four. To increase the finals group by two can be driven only by commercial considerations, not by the quality of the competition.
My message to the AFL is to leave the mix of the finals series alone, unless it is to restrict it to a four-team series. Now that would be novel move and a salute to real achievement.
At present, teams play each other once, and then the AFL by some formula decides which teams will play a second time to fill out the season. I would prefer a home-and-away season where each club plays the other once or, even better, plays each other twice. Can it be done? Of course it can. Is there the will to do it? I doubt it.
At present, clubs play a maximum of 33 weeks of competition. The NAB Cup lasts for five weeks, the home-and-away series is 24 weeks, followed by four weeks of finals.
Obviously if teams played each other once you would have a much shorter season. But a fairer option is for teams to play each other twice, thereby ensuring one game is played at each club's home ground. This would mean a home and away season of 34 weeks, followed by the four weeks of finals, leading to a total of 38 weeks.
Abolish the NAB Cup, expand the player list by an agreed number, to say 50 or 55 players, structure the home-and-away games within a 24-week time frame, thus giving coaches the flexibility to manage their players accordingly, to meet the requirements for the year.
That means some games may be played during the week, rest periods may be shorter for many teams or players, but you have the expanded list from which to select your players.
Is it possible? I say yes. In 1999, when Manchester United won the treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League) the club played more than 60 games that season.
The public and media would love an expanded AFL competition.
I challenge the AFL to at least work through my suggestion, with the intention of making it work -- in the interests of a fairer competition.