TOPIC:

Big ask as you say SwanDog to win a flag from 5th spot....hard enough from a 1st semi without having another cut throat game added in the mix to play........but I guess a top 5 increases the chance of one or both of the two wAFL sides to reach the finals which keeps the WAFC in WCE & Freo's good books or should I say their backpockets!

swan42 wrote:

mikeh wrote: Poor decision in my opinion. 5th in a 9 team competition invariably has only a 50% win loss record and in some cases it could be less than that. Claremont made the top 5 this year with a 10 win, 10 loss season and a moderate percentage. Teams qualifying for a finals series should win more games than they lose, otherwise you are rewarding mediocrity. As the guys said above, it is purely a TV/Money based decision.

Mikeh I am sure you are aware as all the rest of the WAFL supporters that without an unusually high injury toll three of the top four positions will be occupied by Subiaco and the two WA domiciled AFL clubs' reserves' teams. That would leave one position available for the remaining 6 clubs. Obviously, the WAFC's decision to continue the final 5 is to try to fool supporters that all is right in the WAFL competition because there will be two positions available for the G6 clubs to fight for each season.

Assuming the 2 AFL reserves teams and the most financial WAFL club will more often than not finish top three in future years due to their superior resources and buying power one could argue keeping a finals 5 in place is specifically designed to make it even harder for the 4th place team to make it through to the GF.