Mick Malthouse: Wildcard round is taking the AFL’s obsession with American sport too far

Why is the AFL so fixated on American sports?

It seems that Andrew Dillon has joined the ranks of Andrew Demetriou and Gill McLachlan in proposing a wildcard round and a best-of-three grand-final series to the clubs.

Australian rules football is unlike any other kind of football.

To have a series of short, indoor, non-contact basketball games with plenty of subs is fine for the NBA. It's another else entirely to host an AFL championship series.

Having coached in two consecutive championship games that ended in a tie, I can attest to the mental, emotional, and physical toll that it has on the players.

If this suggestion is true—and I highly doubt it is—then it is nothing more than a cynical attempt to make money off of the gamers.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and they are spread out over 50 states. Each of the two 16-team conferences (the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference) is further subdivided into four 4-team divisions based on geographic proximity.

The top four teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the next three best teams in each conference compete in a super wildcard weekend tournament.

It's at once complex and straightforward. However, it is effective as a result of the many teams engaged.

The 10th-best team in the AFL should not be eligible to play in the playoffs under the present format, which features 18 teams.

Allowing a wildcard round in which the eighth plays ninth and seventh plays tenth to determine who plays "real" finals would be a replay of the Meatloaf grand final tragedy.

The seventh-place club still has a chance to move up to fifth or sixth by the end of the home-and-away round and secure a home final. The team in last place might be content to stay there if it knows it would play the team in seventh place in the "final" of the elimination tournament.

What's to stop the 10th-placed team from resting half of its players before its wildcard round against the 7th-placed team, which just fought to the death for a home final, as Ross Lyon did in 2015 when he rested 11 players from Fremantle's final-round match before the finals?

This is just one example of how the wildcard round could put the whole system of the playoffs at risk.

Luckily, both Essendon coach Brad Scott and Geelong coach Chris Scott have said that they don't like the idea. We can only hope that the CEOs of the clubs have as much sense as we do and will kill the idea before it spreads.

Some players endorsing it astonished me. Maybe they're the same players who want to play more regular-season games instead of preseason exhibitions.

Spending more time on fitness has been linked to a reduced risk of injury. It would be perilous, if not fatal, to enter the competition unprepared and unfinished.

Given its arrangement with the MCC, the AFL is limited in the number of Saturdays it may host games. The Players' Association has my support, but its demands for player time off have already cut into players' precious time at the club year-round.

The length of the preseason already places constraints on how much time a team has available to concentrate on implementing new playing styles and gaining a head start on conditioning.

Teams like Geelong are consistently around the top of the ladder and rotate their players throughout the year in order to keep their rosters feeling fresh. The majority of clubs do not have sufficient depth to be able to achieve that.

In light of this, the idea that there should be even one more game, the wildcard round, strikes me as odd.

It's possible that some modern footballers have the same fixation on the United States that the league bosses do.

Not everything that benefits professional football and basketball players benefits us. They need to give some serious consideration to the disparities between AFL and these American sports.

The game of Aussie rules used to be more free-flowing, giving the coach more opportunities to influence the game. Both are now illegal due to new regulations. The runner's restricted capacity and the standing rule (6-6-6). Very National Football League. Which direction do you suggest we take our game?

The proposed schedule of 17-6 is reasonable. The Gather Round will continue to be the rivalry round, and after each club has played each other once, the remaining games will be played amongst the top six, the middle six, and the lowest six to provide a more even second round.

WHY FINALS BOUND TEAMS NEED TO TINKER

The last eight are still up in the air. Down the ladder to 14th-placed Sydney, every team is in flux save for Collingwood (who have been dominant) and Port Adelaide (who have shown iron resolve).

Top-four seeding is less important than it used to be due to the pre-finals bye, but hosting the championship game is still a huge advantage, so now is the time to make adjustments to the strategy or starting lineup in order to ensure victory.

Which is why last week Melbourne benched Brodie Grundy. Instead of desperation, I'd call it an ordeal.

Max Gawn's tireless rucking in the last period was crucial to Melbourne's victory over the Brisbane Lions. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Grundy is no Gawn.

To be honest, Melbourne didn't win by much in that game, and the Lions lost by more. For the Demons, though, having a ruck who can be relieved for five minutes a quarter by someone who isn't quite a proven ruck has provided them breathing room and a timely tap to say, this is what we need going into the finals.

This has allowed Ben Brown to establish himself as a starter for Melbourne's offense in the final months of the regular season, in September. If that doesn't work, the Demons will be back at square one heading into finals, which will be challenging.

Indeed, Port Adelaide is in the same boat. Is Charlie Dixon their top scorer up front? Does Port have to take care of him? How many more games does he need to play before the playoffs?

Without Dixon, they have little chance of victory. He can't carry them to victory on his alone, but as a captain and player of such caliber, they have a fighting chance.

The same can be said of Bailey Smith and the Western Bulldogs. How many games until finals do they need to get him going?

Without Harry McKay, Carlton must commit to a new system if they want to reach and win the playoffs.

Can we expect the same level of output from Jack Silvagni each week? Is Tom De Koning's role secure if Marc Pittonet returns from injury?

The possibility of a week-to-week contract is now being considered by Michael Voss.

In the next weeks, teams will be giving it their all without holding back, as practically every squad still in the running for one of the final eight spots will have to reveal its true colors. Everyone but the Magpies, who have more reason to play their cards close to the vest.

At West Coast in 1994, we practised our defense strategy for the forward's line behind closed doors and saved it for the finals. We were at the top of the ladder, which gave us the power to do that.

We tried it out against Geelong on the day of the grand final, and it worked.

Going into the finals, Collingwood possesses the ability to unleash a system that has the potential to surprise everyone. Take precautions.