AFL - Terrible Ideas, Too Many Ideas, No Idea…

From Titus:

HOW DID AFLX START? AN INSIDE LOOK

It was 3am on a Sunday morning and the AFL’s latest coke fueled ideas session was starting to get into full swing.

While the night was young, ideas were starting to flow.

It had already been decided that next year, all tribunal decisions would be made by one person and someone had suggested Mick Malthouse would be a good idea.

Over the thumping music, an intern had misheard and written down ‘Michael Christian’. But no one noticed because another new idea had taken center stage.

The AFL executives had started kicking around the idea of a game to be played on a rectangle field. It was to be an historic moment.

The Long Weekend ‘Strategy Offsite’, was where the league developed its new ideas and was legendary in footballing circles.

It had just two rules, there were no bad ideas and you weren’t allowed to sleep for the three days over it was held.

No matter what level of the AFL you were at you could put forward an idea. In recent years, women had even been allowed to contribute ideas.

Ideas such as the sub rule, the Gold Coast Suns, variable ticketing, Etihad Stadium, International Rules, the 17-5 Fixture, ten teams in the finals, poaching Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau, the shot clock and Carlton getting lots of Friday night games, all had their origins in the offsite.

It was at the recovery party on the Sunday morning, that the idea that was to become AFLX was to be fleshed out.

A senior executive from the football operation area had mentioned it would be easier to stage games in northern states and overseas if the game could be played on a rectangular field.

“We’d have to modify the rules though,” said a junior member of the marketing team, the same person who had invented the GWS Giants.

“We could limit the teams to 11 players,” said a member of the dance circle.

“45-minute halves too,” said another.

Soon the ideas were coming as fast as the beats from the DJ’s laptop.

“Red and Yellow Cards”

“Three Subs.”

“This could be huge overseas!” said a member of the AFL Commission, although the Chupa Chup they were sucking on made them hard to understand.

The session wrapped up and everyone agreed it had been a great offsite with lots of great ideas. Only the idea of a team in Tasmania had been seen as ‘too crazy’.

It was a week later though, as Gillon McLachlan reviewed the hurriedly scribble down notes one of his staff had made over the weekend, that it dawned on him that the team at AFL House had spent their offsite inventing soccer.

But by then it had been announced to the media that a rectangle version of the game was coming, there was to be no stopping AFLX.

A launch was to be put together, featuring elements of the ideas session that had birthed the new format of the game.

As the launch wrapped up, and the media had been ushered out, Gillon McLachlan stood in the middle of Etihad Stadium and could be heard remarking to no one in particular, “There are no bad ideas”, as a single tear ran down his cheek.

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hahahagold…

I’ve heard ineptness bordering on corruption is a major factor.

At what level?

Resource allocation to Northern Tasmania from the Tasmanian football league.

I’ve only heard stuff never been to tas so no proper knowledge.

And if you hit the post, they light up like the cricket stumps :rofl:

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And you’d be spot on. The AFL have used Tassie footy as their plaything for years. It took a strong vibrant competition and killed it slowly and with absolute malice and intent.

All while throwing millions upon millions of dollars at the Queensland clubs.

And new CEO Trish whatever her name is now nee Broadbent is another nail in the coffin.

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Do you have enough people and finances to support the current number of teams in Tasmania. These are vital keys. Teams have disappeared from all competitions in Australia.

How does a state go from 3-4 national draft picks a year to barely 1?

in a state that plays footy.

It has nothing to do with people or finances and everything to do with structure. Pre AFL Tasmania there were three strong regions each with dozens of feeder leagues. The State Leaugue slowly killed off regional footy, attendances declined, clubs with rich histories found themselves relegated to the minor leagues and struggled to attract players.

Those calling the shots had and continue to have no understanding of the local landscape. It’s heartbreaking.

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they should have a poll for how big the squad should be

AFLX squad sizes increased for more flexibility
Dinny Navaratnam

AFLX squad sizes have been increased to 20

SQUAD sizes for AFLX have been increased to 20 players to allow clubs more flexibility.

The AFL last week announced there would be squads of 14 for the tournaments, with 10 fielded for each game.

However, an AFL spokesperson has confirmed the change, with squads to be announced three days prior to their match.

This means clubs can field completely different sides for each of their two pool games.

Three round-robin tournaments will take place on February 15-17. Each tournament will have six clubs, broken down into two pools of three teams.

The winners of each pool advance to a Grand Final.

AFLX comprises of 10-minute halves, separated by a two-minute break.

I wonder what the rules will actually be by the time the 1st game gets played??

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Why do I keep hearing 10 minute Qtrs??

That would actually make more sense than a 20 minute in total game at least.

Damn. They must have read my really obvious post that capping it to 14 pretty much guaranteed injuries after (for some clubs) a two hour cooldown.

They really don’t think too heavily about these things, do they?

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As usual making it up as they go along

I suspect they underestimated how much AFL players like circus acts.

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It will probably end up being played on an oval shaped ground, … but across it, from one wing to the other,… and with 11 players on the ground, … but with 2 balls in play. :roll_eyes:

Thats right DJ, … MULTI BALL!!

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Just watched the AFLX promo video. The slogan “Expect the unexpected”. WOW! I’m so excited!!

I assume you don’t have to name the 10 for each game in advance. That gives a nice advantage to clubs playing in the later games (us!) in that they have a good idea who they’re facing. With so few players getting mismatches will be easier.

(Hi, AwFuL, hi. Don’t change the rules again based on my comments above. Cheers.)

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sick of cricket.
AFLX will be better than nothing if EFC are playing.
Hope they give all the unknown kids a go.