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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Jonathan Horn

EXPLAINED: Extraordinary 24 hours of afl football proved format tinkering is not required | Vintage Vibes

Isaac Heeney of the Sydney Swans during the AFL match between against Collingwood.
Isaac Heeney of the Sydney Swans during the AFL match between against Collingwood. Photograph: Steven Markham/AAP

You know what this round of football needed? Something that could surpass it. Gather some sizzle merchants around a whiteboard and brainstorm some ideas. Maybe ‘Wildcard Weekend’ or ‘Magic Round’ or, as SEN’s owner suggested with a straight face this week, ‘The Gauntlet’. It’s what the fans want, what they crave. In the space of 24 hours, there were six games with a cumulative margin of 40 points. But that won’t do. We need more footy. We need closer games, wilder comebacks, content, content, more, more, more!

I jest. But these days, it’s difficult to tell who’s being serious, who’s having a complete lend and who has an agenda. There’s always a sneaking suspicion – and a certain amount of evidence – that the people running this game could change the rules and the format of the season at a few hours’ notice.

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