Former Kangaroo and Crow Wayne Carey has suggested that teams that finish the regular season atop the ladder deserve more for their efforts than just being awarded the McClelland Trophy.
On the same day that Melbourne are set to face Geelong for the right to claim top seeding after the cessation of the home-and-away season, the pundit made his views known on the subject via his Saturday morning column in The Age.
Although stating that only six of the past 25 minor premiers have gone on to win the flag - the latest instance being Hawthorn in 2013 - Carey believed that teams that toiled manfully across 22-games from Autumn to Spring deserved richer rewards for their work.
Despite stopping short of altering the finals layout, the 50-year-old suggested that perhaps a fleet of compensations were instead in order for seasonal ladder leaders.
"Could it be added draft compensation, such as an extra second-round pick or perhaps soft cap relief?" Carey mused.
"In the world of equalisation, I think it would be unfair for a top team to get that type of advantage. Could it be a minor premiership flag of sorts? Maybe not. The most obvious reward is monetary."
The Wagga Wagga-born spearhead explained that pre-Covid, sides that claimed the cup each season were gifted with a large bonus by the league - a figure that could well be halved for those that obtained success across the winter months.
"Pre-COVID-19, the prizemoney for winning the premiership topped $1 million," he continued.
"Weโve thrown big money at sponsored pre-season competitions before, so why canโt we do the same in this situation? Imagine what a $500,000 bonus would mean for the Demons or Cats in the current climate."
Should Melbourne defeat Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night, they will finish atop the table for the first time since 1964 - the same season as their last premiership.
Should Geelong turn the tables on their home deck, they will instead be crowned minor premiers.
Still, following their come from behind victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night, Ken Hinkley's Port Adelaide side currently holds top billing.
All three have already sewn up a double chance ahead of week one of the finals.
Carey is right; “minor premier” is not a prestigious enough title or reward – in my opinion.
It should be – even before any “change” is made – an absolute practice that the placing at the end of the home and away season dictate home advantage for ALL finals games – regardless of the (corrupt) contract pouring money into victorian cricket (MCC).
The best “solution” would be to award a more suitable “title” of some sort – with half the monetary prize given to the current “premier”.
This “title” could be called the “season championship” similar to the soccer league here in Australia with the major round winner still titled the “Premier”.
A more minimalist approach might be to award the leader at the end of the (so called) “home and Away” season the “League Premier” and the winner of the finals series the “Finals Premier” – with each to receive half the current prize money as well as a “flag”.
Of course this still faces the problem of a rigged fixture (does a team win the home and away season because it is the best team – or because it received a “soft fixture”?)
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WE know it isn’t popular (I would suggest given the plethora of known corrupt examples put forward – particularly that misnamed scam inflicted on the women’s season recently) but a PROPERLY constructed conference system – is by far the best option to change the fix into a fair “draw”…. all teams playing each other once can also be prone to home ground advantages.
Until then, continued advantages will be doled out to the favored few (out of the vic clubs) while the rest make up the numbers and (in essence) pay for those favored…….. and afl execs get to meet bonus bearing “KPI’s”…..