The AFLW competition’s fixture is holding it back from fulfilling its full potential
The AFL Women’s competition continues to grow, but the fixturing and conferences dilemma will hold it back, writes Jack Hudson.
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The AFL Women’s competition is entering its fourth season, but there is still one massive issue which continues to hamper it – the fixturing.
This season, four new teams (Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda and West Coast) join the competition, making it a 14-team league (Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney are yet to join) in 2020.
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Unfortunately, there are just eight rounds and the awful conference system will again continue.
The AFLW isn’t getting the respect it deserves with this 10-week competition, that much is clear and it should definitely be extended to at least let each side play each other once.
That’s a fair competition.
The fact North Melbourne-Tasmania (5-2) and Melbourne (4-3) didn’t qualify for finals in 2019 over Carlton (4-3 with an inferior percentage) and Geelong (3-4) was farcical.
Subsequently, the AFLW got the lopsided finals series it deserved, with Carlton and Geelong being thrashed by a rampant Adelaide Crows outfit.
The grand final overlapped into the AFL season, and it shows there should be no issues with it continuing throughout the year.
Targeting the right audience
Yet, this season, the pre-season hype to the AFLW has targeted the correct audience, and that is the younger generation, especially junior girls aspiring to play alongside their heroes – particularly the Carlton Football Club’s advertisement.
The Blues’ commercial for AFLW membership was absolutely sensational and highlighted that perfectly.
There are still instances of the ‘minority’ mentality, that it’s an ‘us against them’ situation, which it isn’t and it shouldn’t be.
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Both sides of that argument are detrimental to the future of the competition as its own identity.
There doesn’t need to be comparisons to AFL greats, these women are the pioneers for the AFLW and its future.
We'll have those comparisons in years to come.
The AFLW is its own identity, it has its own different fanbase and different people who are interested in it.
There is no point trying to sway the social media user with his display picture as a classic car who does nothing but sledge the competition.
Sway the young girls looking to pick up a sport, sway the new audience – it’s where the future lies, and that’s exactly what Carlton have done.
Improvement of ‘quality’
Finally, there’s the ‘quality’ debate, which is a targeting point for most social media bullies.
The reality is, if you plucked out the entirety of amateur league football, who didn’t have the development at SANFL/VFL/WAFL/TAC Cup clubs, you’d probably have some missed kicks, missed handballs and much more.
We are witnessing history with the birth of the competition, and its teething years with some of the best players in the country.
We’re blessed to have started the AFLW when Erin Phillips is at an age where she could still play, because it was easy to tell that she had the talent when she was younger and she is far and away the best player in the competition.
Port Adelaide legend John Cahill once said Erin was “one of the most talented junior footballers he had seen.”
Yet, she couldn’t keep playing over a certain age because there were no female sides.
In years’ time, after a generational switch, we will have a broader range of Erin Phillips-level quality footballers playing AFLW, because they will have had the luxury development like the AFL players have had.
They’ll be able to rise through the ranks of a Central District or a Sturt to fully develop their skills with the right coaching.
Back in my home region, I witnessed the birth and growth of the Barossa, Light & Gawler women’s competition, which has continued to grow from strength to strength.
The quality of the AFLW right now is continually rising from season one, and I can’t wait to see it continue to grow as more girls get the junior development they deserve.