Stevo's Sting - with Mark Stevens
“We exist to win premierships.”
That one sentence from Fremantle coach Ross Lyon in his “resting round” presser said it all really.
Footy is all about flags, and forging the smoothest possible path to get there.
The corporate or “footy industry” types bang on about community programs, “fan engagement”, LED lights, cultural breakthroughs and providing entertainment for the masses.
But winning is all that counts. Shove all the distractions of theme rounds and gimmicky clash jumpers - fans are driven by the dream of a flag.
Footy is not entertainment. It’s more important than that.
Fans exist to witness a premiership.
That is exactly why Lyon, and another coach looking to freshen up this week, should make that call totally free of criticism.
The top eight is flawed. The current format has never sufficiently rewarded the minor premier.
Fremantle is six points clear entering the final round, with top place all locked away. Yet they get to play the fourth ranked side. Second gets to play the third team. Seriously what’s the difference?
So as minor premier, clear of the pack, Lyon has every right to rest as many players as he wants this week. It’s a cherry on top for consistency.
Lyon would be plain stupid to do anything else.
To accuse the Dockers of ripping away at the integrity of the competition is nonsense.
North Melbourne also finds itself in an interesting position. It can’t afford to be as transparent because the clash with Richmond can impact on spots in the eight, but the Kangas have little incentive to win.
Why not put out five or six stars with general soreness against the Tigers? It’s smart management.
Lose to Richmond, and the Kangas control their own destiny. A game against the Tigers a week later at the MCG, with several players freshened up.
Why not take it? Why risk winning and be in danger of the small chance of having to travel to Adelaide for a final. It’s a no brainer.
It disadvantages Richmond, which must continue to field the strongest possible lineup to take an Adelaide final out of the equation, but that’s just a quirk of how the draw has panned out.
It’s not ideal, and it takes some of the gloss off what everyone thought loomed as a Tigers-North Melbourne show stopper, but I think any Kanga fan would understand. This is an opportunity to take a breather and re-load, attacking the Tigers a week later with a full strength, re-invigorated team.
In no way will it be sold that way, but the Tigers remain good value in the betting. They have so much more to play for.
The Bulldogs, no doubt, would have rested players if Adelaide had lost last week, taking an Adelaide Oval final out of the equation.
As it stands now, the Dogs are more precariously placed than the Kangas.
If they lose to Brisbane at the Gabba, and Adelaide beats Geelong, suddenly the Dogs face a road trip to take on the red hot Crows.
You’d back the Dogs to keep their end of the bargain up, but there can be no mass restings. Unlike the Kangas, the Dogs have to play it right out to the finish line.
All this is a shame really. It would be great if every game really meant something, but it is a product of a 22 game home and away season.
The longer the contest goes, the wider the gaps between the haves and have nots stretches. It is also inevitable the gaps between the top eight teams widens too.
We are not going to get a shortened season any time soon, so we have to live with it.
We have an uneven draw, which tarnishes the integrity of the game more than a player resting here and there.
The AFL always says the best team invariably wins despite the compromised fixture. It’s a simplistic view, but we just have to swallow it.
Hopefully the best team wins this years, and if it’s on the back of resting a few to jockey for the best position so be it.