The AFL have adjusted the criteria for the McClelland Trophy - a $1 million prize to the best club across both AFL and AFLW competitions - after Hawthorn controversially won the award last year.
Initially implemented to reward home and away season results, the trophy's flaws were brought to the surface in 2024 after AFL premiership winner and AFLW runners-up Brisbane fell short to Hawthorn, who suffered semi-final exits in their respective competitions.
AFL pundits have voiced their concerns over the imperfections in the award, especially due to the fact the McClelland Trophy winner Hawthorn was deemed the 'champion club', despite the Lions' finals success proving otherwise.
Additionally, the AFLW's compromised fixture, where teams are unable to play every club once, created an imbalance. Hawthorn played just three top eight sides in their 11 home and away games, a substantially easier draw than other AFLW clubs would have had to endure.
AFL clubs were given four points for each win in the AFL season, while AFLW clubs were rewarded with eight due to the shorter fixture.
The AFL has now adjusted the criteria for the McClelland Trophy, removing the points-per-win system and now awarding points based on ladder position, including ladder position post-finals.
The eventual premier will be rewarded with 18 points, runner-up 17 points, all the way through to the wooden spooners who will earn just one point.
McClelland Trophy adjustments:
- At the conclusion of finals for each competition, each club will be assigned a ranking from 1 to 18 in reverse order with the team finishing first receiving 18 points down to the team finishing 18thย receiving 1 point. The highest combined ranking score will win the trophy.
- Where two teams are knocked out in the same week of finals, the club that finished higher on the ladder at the end of the home and away season will be given a higher ranking (consistent with methodology used for the draft order and weighted rule).
- In the event that two or more clubs have the equal highest combined ranking score the current methodology will be used as a tiebreaker โ i.e. number of trophy points and then combined percentage.
Had this system been implemented last year, Brisbane would have claimed the award with 35 points, one point shy of the maximum points available to be given under the new system.
Port Adelaide would have placed second in the McClelland trophy due to their two preliminary finals appearances, while original winners Hawthorn would now place third overall.
RELATED: Does the AFL's McClelland Trophy need to change?
Importantly, the award has now made a distinction about its purpose. The prior terminology and criteria contradicted one another but, the AFL have evidently shifted the McClelland Trophy from a home and away award for minor premiers, to a prize championing the AFL club with the best program across both the men's and women's competitions.
A couple of very important issues here:
1) the trophy was to celebrate the minor round achievements (that’s simple enough – the major round winner gets the premiership trophy!) and it’s not hard to understand…. It’s a long season.
2) the minor round is compromised to the extent where such a trophy is not really feasible. With so many teams – the only real options are for either a very long season where each team plays each opponent both home and away – or a conference system (a real one not the trash that was purported to be a conference system in the AFlW). That too would be simple enough apart from the fact that executives would lose the chance to manufacture bonus-giving-“KPIs”.