AFLW 2019 Rd 3: Carlton vs GWS in Sydney

[kruddler]

Yes, the conference system is maintaining interest for the supporters of more teams but it’s not rewarding better performing teams.

I think it could work in the long run when the competition has settled down and become more even.  Deciding on the conferences before teams were finalised probably wasn’t the best approach.

It might be a logistical nightmare but I would prefer to see the conferences finalised after three rounds.  Of course, my ultimate preference is for each team to play every team once.

The bold is the reason for the conferences (and more teams than rounds)

Given that all clubs don't all play eachother is why there will always be speculation about who the better teams actually are.

As for the way the conferences were split, it was done pretty evenly (in theory).

1, 3, 5, 7 + North
and
2, 4, 6, 8 + Cats

You could argue that the first conference was ALWAYS going to be stronger based on that (1st > 2nd, 3rd>4th etc), but at this stage 7th is performing better than 2nd, so that theory doesn't really hold.

Its just pure bad luck that its turned out the way it has.....and people are going to lose the plot about the system due to this anomoly in its first year. We might play another 100 years and not have the same problem.

Even IF all teams play eachother once, there is still potential problems with home/away fixturing.
You might play the good teams home, and lose
and
You might play the bad teams away, and lose because of home field advantage.
Which to a mid/bottom placed team would be a nightmare. Makes their draw harder. For a top team, it might be a dream as it gives them the best chance of winning.

Same draw, different teams, different theories on whether its good or bad.

Conferences mean you just need to be better than the teams in your conference, worry about the 'others' when its finals time.