That is the average losing margin for the round. Have the expansion teams created this disparity between teams? Is it just a period in time? I can't remember a time in footy history when there were so many floggings each and every round. Naturally it saddens me that the Dees are one of the main contributors but in a bid to maintain sanity I am trying to focus on the whole competition.

I can't believe that Vlad seriously expected there to be this level of imbalance between teams when the expansion plans were first mooted. My view is that there simply aren't enough elite players in the pool to support all the teams and we are looking at a long road back as a competition to being a genuinely competitive one.

Any thoughts?

You're blaming it on the expansion teams when our losing margin is around 80?

I am not blaming it on anyone; it is a conversation starter more than anything. I have been following footy for well over forty years and can't remember a more unbalanced time. I think I mentioned in the OP that I was trying to not just focus on Melbourne for this thread.

I just noticed on BF a thread about just this point.

Paraphrasing, the AWM over the past 3 decades ranges from 34-37 points. Surprised me tbh. Notably the most competitive period was the decade ending 2007 when the AWM was 34. Who would hve thunk it.

Any how that is that.

Maybe fitness is an even bigger factor then it used to be.... also, there's less flooding now so teams can run over the top of other teams and kick more goals in a hurry

(e.g dees vs gws last quarter)

It was also an aberration of a week. Practically every game had a clear favoutite; in fact, I'm willing to bet that more than 50% of tippers got all nine games right this week.

There always has and always will be blowouts in VFL/AFL footy! Nothing new here

It was also an aberration of a week. Practically every game had a clear favoutite; in fact, I'm willing to bet that more than 50% of tippers got all nine games right this week.

Whereas next week has plenty of tantalising games with difficult tipping choices to make, viz:

Geelong v Essendon

Port v Richmond

Hawthorn v Sydney

Fremantle v Collingwood

Melbourne v Gold Coast (not so tantalising, but difficult for tipsters)

Paranoia thread.

40 points in todays game is nothing. The fitness and skill level of todays sides, especially at the top of the table is unprecedented. Teams can score at a goal every couple of minutes when on a roll.

yes there are clearly weaker teams (GWS, GC, us, dogs etc) and maybe a couple of standouts at the top, but i actually think the top 10-11 sides are pretty even.

GWS and Gold Coast certainly weren't meant to be this bad. I bet the league wanted them to get much more experienced talent and then supplement it with the best kids. Not go all out on kids!

The other effect I think is the league didn't realize the potential difference in a bad team like Melbourne getting picks shuffled back so far in drafts with 10 of the top 40 picks already missing. The closer you are to pick 1 in those drafts the more harm you likely take because you usually deserve stars but when you pick at pick 4 they are all gone. Same with trading pick 12 for Clark. Good move but we were bad enough to earn a top 5 talent I'm truth.

That said if we didn't stuff all the drafts and development before the expansion we'd be going nicely now

That is the average losing margin for the round. Have the expansion teams created this disparity between teams? Is it just a period in time? I can't remember a time in footy history when there were so many floggings each and every round. Naturally it saddens me that the Dees are one of the main contributors but in a bid to maintain sanity I am trying to focus on the whole competition.

I can't believe that Vlad seriously expected there to be this level of imbalance between teams when the expansion plans were first mooted. My view is that there simply aren't enough elite players in the pool to support all the teams and we are looking at a long road back as a competition to being a genuinely competitive one.

Any thoughts?

Merely a reflection of the Draw: there were 9 very clear favourites. Picking nine winners in a Multi paid of the order of $5.

Have the expansion teams highlighted a lack of depth in the AFL? Well, in the short term, yes. The big issue is whether that lack of depth will be corrected over time as the expansion teams draw more juniors to Aussie Rules.