Australian rules football is one of the nation's favourite pastimes. It is a game steeped in and sustained by its tradition, beloved for its singularity as much as its spectacle.
However, this has rarely hindered those in charge of the country's most-watched code from attempting to edit its foundations. History is littered with ill-fated, albeit well-intentioned experiments, undertaken for a variety of reasons. Some were executed in an effort to broaden the game's appeal to the dormant masses, particularly in the northern frontier; some were an attempt to level the playing field, while others were in aid of globalising this uniquely Australian sport.
We're counting down 10 of these AFL experiments, and casting a verdict on their respective efficacies.
Changes to finals format
The introduction of a wildcard round is the most recent change to the fabric of the AFL, and it is not one that has been received well.
It is the first change to the finals system since the final eight was introduced in 2000, following on from the 1990's - a decade of indecision in this space, as the AFL fought to establish an identity of its own, having become the national competition.
In 1990, the AFL's inaugural season, the rather clunky McIntyre final five system was used to determine that season's premier. In 1991, the first iteration of McIntyre's final six model was introduced, but it was amended for the 1992 and 1993 seasons, as in the first iteration of the model, the winner of the second elimination final somehow had a double chance afterwards.
However, both McIntyre's final six models had another flaw; the loser of the qualifying final ended up facing elimination in the first semi-final, while the higher-ranked elimination final winner had a double chance in the second semi-final. Hardly just, I'd argue.
From 1994 to 1999, amid an era of significant expansion, the AFL instituted the McIntyre final eight model, where first played eighth, second played seventh, so on and so forth.
Finally, in 2000, under the leadership of Wayne Jackson, and with a young Gillon McLachlan appointed as a strategic planner, the AFL settled on the final eight model that fans have become accustomed to - one that appears to be common sense.
And now, despite conventional wisdom arguing that the teams in ninth and tenth lack even a puncher's chance of causing an upset, the AFL will expand to a ten-team model, rewarding mediocrity by allowing more than half of its teams to feature in September action. It's a putrid money grab, and it's a disgrace.
Verdict: The move to the final eight model in 2000 gets a 10/10. Perfection. The move to ten, although we haven't seen it in action as yet, is a 0/10, on principle alone.
