Interesting to hear the AFL have decided on some of the broader details of next years season fixture.

NAB Cup will be played

24 Rounds in the regular season, plus finals

State of Origin

Each team will have 2 rest weeks during the year. Love to hear thoughts on this format as I think it would further compromise the integrity of the draw, if it has any to start with.

Where'd you hear this from?

Or is this known news, and I just forgot?

I highly doubt State of Origin will return.

How would they go about a NAB Cup with 17 teams? It means it would have to stretch to 5 weeks, which nobody wants...please just scrap it.

Finer details are yet to be decided on the format of the NAB Cup. This isn't common knowledge yet TU, but comes from the rumour mill within AFL house.

I imagine when they say 24 rounds, that it will be 22 rounds over 24 weeks.

22 games over 24 weeks?

although some teams must only get 1 bye? or are we having weeks where 3 or 5 teams are having byes?

nab cup i thought they had to play as they were under contract. cant see it surviving past 2011 into 2012 though.

state of origin is brilliant, i love it. play it on friday night of grand final week. let the 2 teams in teh grand final off the hook with their players. [censored] yeah im there

22 games over 24 weeks?

although some teams must only get 1 bye? or are we having weeks where 3 or 5 teams are having byes?

nab cup i thought they had to play as they were under contract. cant see it surviving past 2011 into 2012 though.

state of origin is brilliant, i love it. play it on friday night of grand final week. let the 2 teams in teh grand final off the hook with their players. [censored] yeah im there

The problem with playing it in GF week is that you might have players like Pavlich, Davey, Sandilands, Cox, Naitanui (in the future), Goodes, Jurrah and so on in the team despite not having played football for nearly a month. I think we should either have a break between the last round and the finals and play it then, or we should play it mid-season in one of the bye weeks.

Interesting to hear the AFL have decided on some of the broader details of next years season fixture.

NAB Cup will be played

24 Rounds in the regular season, plus finals

State of Origin

Each team will have 2 rest weeks during the year. Love to hear thoughts on this format as I think it would further compromise the integrity of the draw, if it has any to start with.

How does it 'further compromise the integrity of the draw'?

It seems quite similar to me.

22 games over 24 weeks?

although some teams must only get 1 bye? or are we having weeks where 3 or 5 teams are having byes?

The template from the last seasons with byes were that we had 24 rounds of football with one round where 7 clubs had a bye and every other round with just one club on a bye.

This gives every club 2 weeks off while playing 22 games.

The exception is '93 where 22 rounds were played with 3 weeks where 3 clubs took a bye and each club had 2 weeks off and played just 20 games.

I would expect we'll return to the former model for next season.

I don't know about the integrity of the draw but it seems like a heavey load. IMO NAB Cup should be scrapped, let teams sort out between themselves (far in advance) who plays who in practice matches, and just have the season at the suggested 24 rounds.

While we're on it, the biggest decision the AFL has to make regarding format with the new teams is the finals system. IMO it should stay exactly as it is, keep it as top 8 because at least that way there'll be prestige with making the finals, you actually have to be among the best of the comptetition to get there.

Don't see how it's a heavier load. 22 games played over 24 weeks instead of 23, as Rogue said - pretty similar.

I suppose the only problem is team's getting a week off at weird times of the year (round 1 for instance)

I wonder what will happen in 2012.

I think they will be forced to go with Each team playing 22 games over 24 Rounds.

19 of those Rounds will have 8 games (1 team has the bye).

The other 5 Rounds will only have 7 games (3 teams with the bye).

One key of this will be how close the bye is for teams finishing in the finals. Teams will rightly cry foul if they have to play against a team coming of a Round 24 bye the first week of the finals. One possible way to avoid this is to have the 8 temas who miss the finals this year have the byes in the final 8 rounds. The wooden spooner has the bye in Rnd 24, 2nd last in Rnd 23 etc etc. Unless a teams has a monumental jump up the ladder the teams in the finals will have similar lead ins (ie several weeks since their last bye).

However it turns out it will suck. I hate even now with the mid-season break not seeing Melbourne play for that week. Two weeks off will be even worse.

Agree with Rogue.

If we're talking the fixture for 2011, I'd like to see 2 Friday night home games for the Dees. That's probably asking a bit much though. Just need a little improvement & excitement from the side this season to help proceedings.

How does it 'further compromise the integrity of the draw'?

It seems quite similar to me.

Unless each team plays each other once only or twice only the draw is always compromised. If you're a team who is competing for the top 6-8 and you have to play the top 5 teams twice in one season, it can affect your final result, especially if your competition for that spot has played the bottom 5 twice.

Who gets the bye in the NAB cup ???????

Who gets the bye in the NAB cup ???????

The new format for the NAB Cup is yet to be determined. It may not be a knockout competition, but as the NAB has a contract for the pre-season cup next year, the AFL will honour it. As I said before, all I have thus far are the broader details. As more details come to hand I will post them up here.

Either reigning NAB Cup champ or 2010 Premier I would suggest.

Unless each team plays each other once only or twice only the draw is always compromised.

I agree...but that doesn't mean this is 'further compromising' the integrity of the draw.

There's an extra team, and sides play an extra game.

Status quo ahoy.

I agree...but that doesn't mean this is 'further compromising' the integrity of the draw.

There's an extra team, and sides play an extra game.

Status quo ahoy.

See your point. I was referring to the distribution of the bye weeks. Fancy being the poor team that has a bye in Round 1 (pointless) and then next in round 12 and having to play first week of finals against a team who has just come off a bye?