Richmond and Carlton players react to the final siren last Thursday night at the MCG. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Well, we didn’t have to wait very long this AFL season for a perennial favourite topic to grab its annual 15 minutes of fame.
Courtesy of the draw in Thursday night’s Richmond v Carlton season-opener, the old chestnut “should we have extra time?” argument was in full swing on social media.
Fox Footy was in on it, too, with Jonathan Brown in favour of extra time and Nathan Buckley agreeing. Fortunately, Garry Lyon was there to provide an opposing and – in my opinion – correct view.
I know that fans of participating teams can be left with an empty feeling when the final siren sounds and scores are level. It’s not a patch on the euphoria of being on the right side of the ledger in a blockbuster thriller.
But neither is being on the wrong side of that ledger, and there’s an even chance of going home heartbroken if extra time is added.
More importantly, when your team plays in a draw, it walks away with two points. Two points which, by season’s end, could be the difference between making the finals and missing out; between making the top four or missing the double chance; or could even be the difference between playing a final at home or away.
These are not insignificant advantages, all potentially gained from a match that ends without an official winner.
Last year, two points earned from its draw with Richmond meant Fremantle finished fifth place, half-a-game clear of sixth-placed Brisbane.
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In the context of the current finals format, there’s little difference between finishing fifth and sixth, but had Carlton managed to hang on and defeat Collingwood in the season’s penultimate home-and-away match, those two points would have put the Dockers into the top four, leaving the Lions fifth and without a double chance.
There have been other examples over the years. The two points earned from a draw can make or break a season. Of course, when that draw occurs in Round 1, it could be more than five months before we know if it does, but that does not diminish the importance of those points.
Not everyone will be swayed by these arguments. There are those who always have, and always will, despise the draw. And that’s fine.
But let’s get a bit of perspective here. Of the roughly 16,200 games of VFL or AFL footy played since 1897, 165 have ended in a draw, a smidgeon over one per cent. That’s one out of every 100 games.
(Yes, Richmond fans, your Tigers have played in four draws in their last 68 matches, but the long-term average is one in every 100.)
So, to the despisers of the draw, I would simply say this: Let us footy nerds who love the draw enjoy the one that comes along in every 100 games, and we’ll happily let you enjoy the other 99.
I’d rather my team take the two points than go for double or nothing.
People can argue that taking two might mean falling short by two points at the end of the year… but that is only if you can be certain they would have won and got the 4 points. And what if they play extra time, lose, and then miss finals by two points?
A bird in the hand is worth two in bush.
That’s wrong Andy.Draws are a disaster for both teams – a lose lose situation. If Freo had WON that game against Richmond instead of drawing it, they’d have finished fourth and almost certainly gone on to win the flag.
No reason to play extra time though. A draw’s a draw.