Daisy slams the handling of the AFLW competition calling it a "simmicky tournament" after it was reported in the Herald Sun today that each club in the upcoming AFLW home-and-away season will play just six games, with two weeks of finals. This comes despite the league expanding to 10 clubs.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/08/02/a-gimmicky-tournament-pearce-slams-afl's-handling-of-aflw/

Interesting to see one of the games top players so openly speaking their mind against the AFL. I don't think we would see this happening in the men's game.  You'd think this smacks yet again of pretty poor stakeholder comunication and managment by the AFL.

If the six games only proposal is true, I'm woundering what the AFL's key motivation is?  I can think of a few:

1.  Releasing the womans games top players to keep a good saturation level for development of the talent at second tier levels and;

2.  It would blunten external calls of underpayment if the same level of remuneration is paid for less games.

Edited August 2, 20186 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Good on her.

The AFL really butcher everything they do. Even with only 10 teams they can't setup a fair fixture! Laughable organisation.

Six games? So some clubs dont play orher clubs? How the final ladder be in any way fair or an accurate representation of each teams true strength? Say geelong is crap but we dont get tp play them and miss our on percentage.

What a sham. Daisy is spot on. Has to be each clubs plays each other once, so a nine game season. Top 4 for finals. Top 2 get a second chance. 

Can I just add, that Daisy is probably only a shade behind Maxy in terms of being the MFC's best media performer. Insightful perspective on the game, and comes across extremely naturally on Radio and Television.

Also agree with her,  it's a total joke to have a 6 week competition for 10 teams... Especially if they have plans to add a further two teams in a couple more years.

Women's football is perhaps one of the greatest growth areas for the AFL, I believe it's a massive part of why we have record membership numbers this year, and locally here in Tassie, it's very noticeable that the game has taken off for women's footy. 

Daisy is right but the main point is that there should not have been any expansion clubs for quite a few years.

Daisy makes you love her even more.

"How about you get the women's competition right before you go into these Chinese frontiers and AFLX."

She is the leading voice in the comp and universally admired across the AFLW and the AFL.

Very compelling reasons she puts up against the 6 week/2 finals comp and against a 'conference' structured comp.  She has called the AFL out on their stupidity!! 

I reckon either have a proper comp or don't have one at all. 

Daisy is as courageous off the field as she is on.  So rapt she has taken the AFL on over this with no fear or favour!  Go Daisy!!

Edited August 3, 20186 yr by Lucifer's Hero

10 minutes ago, dl4e said:

Daisy is right but the main point is that there should not have been any expansion clubs for quite a few years.

I don't mind the idea of expanding the competition, but certainly the timing is critical. This year and the next couple are going to be crucial for both the WBBL and AFLW. They have both received a massive step up to being a premium women's sports products in Australia, and they have to continue to show growth and interest from spectators, membership etc... 

Other more 'traditional' womens sports haven't had this opportunity for media spotlight as easy as it has been for Cricket and AFL, although netball is getting some publicity through it's F2A deal on TV.

Why Daisy is 100% right is that traditionally AFL is seen as a men's sport and for the AFL to treat it as anything other than the showpiece and pinnacle of the sport for women, shows they aren't serious about it's success. They can't afford to allow it to lose momentum and fall away. Give the girls the chance to prove themselves in a competition that is equitable, i.e play each team once with finals. Sheesh, they can't even manage that with the men's comp currently!
 

On current form, AFL HQ will come up with a 'compromise' where the women's season is a full 9 rounds, but they play the finals at the start when there is TV space available

Actually kind of along those lines in a way, perhaps every AFL club to field a properly resourced women's team which plays through a normal season, absorbing the existing VFL/SANFL women's teams, and the 'pre-season' competition becomes a kind of champions league with, for example, the best six teams of the previous season playing five rounds and then a final.

Given that success in AFLW is at the moment hugely driven by the amount of resources put in, expecting clubs to really commit through a full normal season, in order to get their place in the spotlight for the women's champion's league, makes sense.

It would also ensure that the high profile games are always of the highest available standard.

Yes it really is an extraordinary story - love the way the AFL say that the Feb/March window is all they can afford for the AFLW because that is the time when no other sport is played.

Let's get to the truth;

1) That is the key time for almost every minor sport (aths, swimming, baseball) and also when A-League and WNBL play their finals. So quite frankly the AFL is rapt to wipe their coverage out.

2) Ultimately I expect it to be revealed that Channel 7/Fox decided they wouldn't cover games in late January or early April. In the case of late January both Seven and Fox and Nine are already knee-deep in tennis and BBL/WBBL coverage. Then in early April, both have AFL commitments plus Fox has Rugby league committments. TV and commercial realities drive the AFL and now the AFLW it seems.

3) And for some reason the AFL decided way back it did no want to impact state-run women's comp which begin in April. The fact that April is the best time for footy - grounds are in great knick (way softer than in Feb or March) and weather is generally better for players and fans has been overlooked to serve other interests and clashes with the main game.

To me, it just shows how bloody-minded and niggardly the AFL are and how they are happy to wipe everything else out, but on this occasion they appear to be about to fall on their own samarai sword and wipe AFLW out.

Logic says, as Daisy says, that with 10 teams it should be a 9-game season with two weeks of finals. If that means the finals is mid-April so be it. A few games could be played as AFL/AFLW double headers.

 

Good on Daisy, a disgrace once again by the Gil circus. Jeez AFL wide has gone backwards since his inception, needs to go. But at least he saw 1m members. Releasing the cream before the bad news. Snake oil salesman.

 

1 hour ago, MSFebey said:

Good on Daisy, a disgrace once again by the Gil circus. Jeez AFL wide has gone backwards since his inception, needs to go. But at least he saw 1m members. Releasing the cream before the bad news. Snake oil salesman.

Agree wholeheartedly. He has been a shocking CEO, constantly fiddling with the game to suit his agendas. I would even prefer Demetriou over this guy, even though he was the one who brought in the expansion teams.

11 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Too often the AFL lurches into something and then has to back track.  Recent examples are: testing new rules in so called 'dead rubber' AFL games in season; trying to 'modernise' club songs (sacrilegious), and now revamp of the AFLW fixture.  All display complete and contemptuous disregard for the people delivering 'the product':  players, coaches and clubs!

Damn shame Gil didn't talk to the likes of Daisy in the first place.

6 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Too often the AFL lurches into something and then has to back track.  Recent examples are: testing new rules in so called 'dead rubber' AFL games in season; trying to 'modernise' club songs (sacrilegious), and now revamp of the AFLW fixture.  All display complete and contemptuous disregard for the people delivering 'the product':  players, coaches and clubs!

Damn shame Gil didn't talk to the likes of Daisy in the first place.

He's a stain on our once great game, I'm surprised the media don't give him hell a lot more often. Has destroyed everything 

4 minutes ago, MSFebey said:

He's a stain on our once great game, I'm surprised the media don't give him hell a lot more often. Has destroyed everything 

The media can't - they are beholden to the AFL's favours. 

That is why I so admire that Daisy more or less said 'to hell with that, I'm saying my piece...Stuff Gil!!'

Edited August 3, 20186 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Cheap as Chips Gill has to go!

She's not wrong.

Women's football started with two teams that offered the best of the best. The league then added Brisbane, which immediately started stretching the talent pool. The quality is poor, with the gap between each club's most and least talented players unseen across any pro or amateur league. Low scoring, beltings,players that can barely run out a match.

So how does the league get money out of it without seeming to backtrack? reduce the number of games, focus on key players and matches, maximise return.

It should have stayed as a two team festival, with a new team added every two years.

A round-robin "festival", with team's competing for the cup.

The league was expanded too much, too soon, and it's ruined it.

2 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Too often the AFL lurches into something and then has to back track.  Recent examples are: testing new rules in so called 'dead rubber' AFL games in season; trying to 'modernise' club songs (sacrilegious), and now revamp of the AFLW fixture.  All display complete and contemptuous disregard for the people delivering 'the product':  players, coaches and clubs!

Damn shame Gil didn't talk to the likes of Daisy in the first place.

Sorry to Bob...

...the answer old Dill is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.

Trouble is it depends on the direction and that changes from moment to moment, day to day...

Good old Dill lets see which way the the wind blows and change our minds again.

I've never seen a bigger waste of space running a major organisation in all my life (maybe I need to get out more).

Stand for something Dill before it's too late.

Thoughts @old dee? I know you're not a fan.

 

Gil tried to compare the AFLW season length with The World Cup saying "The World Cup goes for four weeks, you wouldn’t call that a Mickey Mouse tournament."

I think he forgets that the world cup finals starts 30 months earlier in the qualifiers and involves over 200 countries. 

Sadly Gil epitomizes Mickey Mouse... insidious grin ...cartoon character understanding of...well.... anything

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

Gil tried to compare the AFLW season length with The World Cup saying "The World Cup goes for four weeks, you wouldn’t call that a Mickey Mouse tournament."

I think he forgets that the world cup finals starts 30 months earlier in the qualifiers and involves over 200 countries. 

Exactly. What a ridiculous comment. Revealing though.

The world cup is a tournament not a football season. Is rhat how rhey see aflw?

 

As inept as Gil is he may have accidentally have come up with a viable solution.

As there is a restricted time these games can be played perhaps the comp should be split into 2 pools. Pools decided on last years results.

4 games each pool

Top 2 teams go through to a prelim

GF

All done in 6 weeks.

3 hours ago, beelzebub said:

Sadly Gil epitomizes Mickey Mouse... insidious grin ...cartoon character understanding of...well.... anything

I heard him on 3aw this morning and on this and two other subjects he clear demonstrated why he is the worst CEO of the AFL in my memory.

- could not bring himself to say the penalty of 3 weeks in a case of a player getting king hit behind play ( broken jaw and concussion) by a guy on parole for assault was a low penalty.

- would not be going to see the trial rule changes game between Coburg and Werribee, he has people for that!