Equalisation is a massive issue.

Solution:

• Make the salary cap smaller for the top clubs from the previous year. i.e. Give $100k extra in the cap for every ladder spot.

• Make the draft order giving 2 picks to the non finalists before the finalists get any picks.

• Allow free agency after the first contract but give a loyalty discount in the salary cap for players who stay with their initial club.

30 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

All valid observations but if it continues there will indeed be a drop-off, incremental and over a long time span.

If the AFL was serious about equalisation wouldn't they increase the salary & soft cap for clubs that finish lower on the ladder? 🤔

Salary and soft cap changes for the bottom sides is so logical to me that I use it to highlight to people how uninterested in equalisation the AFL is.

As for the drop off, I’ve often wondered if the AFL has run the numbers on big club hereditary supporter retention vs disgruntled fans and figured that future generations will outgrow the angry folks abandoning the sport.

I don't think father-son needs to go, but anything like academy, FS or NGA picks really needs some change, at the very minimum the points value for each draft pick needs to change immensely, and teams should be required to use a first round pick to bid on a first rounder

West Coast have also had 4 or 5? forced concussion retirements. Obviously with no replacements and i dont even think salary cap relief?
im all for equalising the draft but forced concussion should probably get a compo pick along the lines of free agency picks

1 hour ago, DeeSpencer said:

They’ve done very well, but the ability to add Impey, Scrimshaw and Karl Amon (who signed with them when they were rubbish over us when we’d won a flag) reset their backline. Along with Sicily it gave them a platform to take off once the rest of the side hit competence. Then 1 good year and Barrass and Battle lob in.

Midfield they really built up from a lot of home grown players. Newcombe is an incredible find but they also got the benefit of covid keeping him hidden and the benefit of Box Hill’s decades of attracting quality. North VFL unearthed a good player in Cooper Lord who is at Carlton, they finally hid one away with Cooper Trembath.

Forwards they’ve found some gems. Still, I’m not sure even Ginnivan and Chol level players sign at North, that’s how limited North’s ability to land talent has been until recently. I guess North tried a Ginnivan with Jaidyn Stephenson.

They managed to keep making additions to some level even when they were in a position that looked kind of no where when Mitchell took over.

Josh Battle also made some interesting comments when admitting he took less at Hawthorn than the Saints offer, something along the lines of the Hawks having access to investment portfolios to grow wealth. Extra earnings in business, marketing, property (cough Geelong cough) is what I’m suspicious about.

Impey for mine is a real good get. Hard workder, quick and good ball user. i rate him more than i rate karl amon. he is the real gem at HFC. I also like Hardwick - a real old school tough nut. We have no one in our backline that compares to those two. Infact our entire backline bar Turner just appears slow, hesitant and unskillful.

13 minutes ago, biggestred said:

West Coast have also had 4 or 5? forced concussion retirements. Obviously with no replacements and i dont even think salary cap relief?
im all for equalising the draft but forced concussion should probably get a compo pick along the lines of free agency picks

We are still being handicapped because Angus Brayshaw is still in our books.

That should not be happening.

22 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

It’s over. At some point the analytics told the AFL that 85% of its audience aren’t going anywhere - regardless of results.

Huge, monumental spectacle is what the AFL wants its brand to be. Why spend decades building up half the competition when the other half already provides everything you need?

The smart big clubs woke up to this a while back. Collingwood’s list strategy is diabolical on paper, but they know they’ll just top up on talent because the system is built to sustain them. 3 of Geelong’s 4 best players came from other clubs.

This year was the least competitive season of AFL ever. The top 9 teams were decided by mid April. Thats 5.5 months of meaningless footy for half the clubs. The Age report on how poor this season was because they aren’t feeding directly from the AFL trough. Everyone else just happily follows the talking points, or else they might not get a good free suite at next years Gather Round.

It annoys me enormously that 2025 will be a huge financial success for the AFL because its overall product has stunk this year, and the guy leading the organisation never really wanted the job, and clearly has no vision for the future of the game.

This is all part of the problem. It continues to succeed in spite of itself, because we love the game too much.

I disagree it's because we love the game too much. The game is a shadow of the game we grew up watching and loving.

It's because we love our clubs too much. How many would turn their back on the AFL but to do so would mean turning their back on their club (non-attendance, membership etc) so keep up the support. We are suckers and the AFL take us for a ride.

Fix the draft (no more academies or father sons)

Allow clubs to trade in-contract players without their consent

Rookie contracts to be 3+1+1+1 (club option after year 3)

Restricted free agency after 6 years

Salary cap floor of 85% (95% is ridiculous)

Tighten salary cap to disqualify all these outside the cap arrangements - the AFL really is a backwater comp with all the dodgy [censored] they sweep under the rug

Create a fair fixture without all these marquee games pre-allocated

That's a start

I think we have seen the zenith of this product

Despite all the pumping and razzle dazzle the game is in trouble at grassroots and is not being addressed adequately (See Devils BS) and it will gradually wane as a spectacle and become second ratevc

and Charlie Curnow wants to go to Geelong. I didnt know he wanted to start a hobby farm...

19 minutes ago, biggestred said:

and Charlie Curnow wants to go to Geelong. I didnt know he wanted to start a hobby farm...

He just wants to play for a team that wears headbands.

If the AFL is not going to be serious about fair and open competition for all clubs, they might as well just fold half the teams and then create super teams that play against each other like a round robin style and the top 2 play the GF.

Of course that would shrink the number of members and viewers but you can't have it both ways!

Either fabricate a narrative WWE style or be fair Dinkum about being a professional sports league.

Some great improvements in this thread. Free agency 90% of the time favors the teams that win, 23 players in a team means rebuilding takes too long. Super teams is a concept I warm too however little will. Reality is, little will change given the popularity of the game

3 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

If the AFL is not going to be serious about fair and open competition for all clubs, they might as well just fold half the teams and then create super teams that play against each other like a round robin style and the top 2 play the GF.

Of course that would shrink the number of members and viewers but you can't have it both ways!

Either fabricate a narrative WWE style or be fair Dinkum about being a professional sports league.

They only keep 12 of the 18 teams for TV rights purposes. It's a farmer's league - this years prelim teams will be there 4 of 5 years. A few others will be let in to give the illusion of a legitimate competition. Reality is the $$$$$$$ flows from the other 12 regardless but the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is from the Pies winning the GF.

4 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Fix the draft (no more academies or father sons)

Allow clubs to trade in-contract players without their consent

Rookie contracts to be 3+1+1+1 (club option after year 3)

Restricted free agency after 6 years

Salary cap floor of 85% (95% is ridiculous)

Tighten salary cap to disqualify all these outside the cap arrangements - the AFL really is a backwater comp with all the dodgy [censored] they sweep under the rug

Create a fair fixture without all these marquee games pre-allocated

That's a start

I forgot to add the restricted FA after 6 years is regardless how many years the player has played with the current team - that is the trade-off for clubs owning players contracts while in-contract.