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A radical group stage over the final three rounds of the season to decide ladder positions ahead of a top-10 finals series was among four fixture models presented by the AFL to club CEOs on Monday.
The group-stage model was the most revolutionary of the four models proposed for the 2028 season, when Tasmania enter the competition as the 19th team.
The first option consisted of 22 games per team in a season then finals, while the second was a 24-game-per-team season followed by finals. The third model consisted of a 20-game-per-team season leading into a group stage before finals, while the fourth was 20 games per team and finals with the addition of a separate in-season tournament.
The most intriguing of the four models was the group stage model in which the competition would reset after each team played 20 matches (playing each other once plus Gather Round and rivalry round), splitting into four groups of four and a group containing the bottom three teams.
Those four groups would then play matches to determine finishing positions on the ladder ahead of the wildcard round and finals, while the bottom three teams would play each other once to potentially establish their place in the draft order.
The four groups could be split, after 20 matches, into: Group A (positions one, eight, nine and 16; group B (two, seven, 10 and 15); group C (three, six 11 and 14); and group D (four, five 12 and 13).
The teams would have a bye before launching into a neutral round and then a home and away game. The bottom three teams could not make the wildcard finals but would play each other for a draft positions.
Club CEOs were also told the group stage could be split into two groups of eight, or into four groups where the top eight teams are guaranteed a finals spot but play for a top-eight position, and teams sitting ninth to 16th play for a wildcard spot. The bottom three would, under all formats, play for a draft position.
The radical fixture suggestion would be more complicated, with much debate about the worth attached to the team’s performance in the 20-game season.
The AFL presented the more traditional 22-game-per-team season including Gather Round with four double-up opponents leading into a wildcard round and finals, and a 24-game-per-team season including Gather Round and another neutral match for each club with six double-up matches leading into the wildcard round and finals.
The AFL would also explore the potential for shorter game time if the 24-game season was implemented in 2028 with the introduction of the Devils making an odd number of teams in the competition.
The league also canvassed a mini-competition either in or out of season, which would include a state league All-Stars team in a 20-team competition.
Under this proposal, the competition would take a mid-season pause while teams battled it out for a separate mid-year prize with a strong focus on appealing to younger fans.
Such a tournament could also be played out of the regular season.
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