We both know this is pie in the sky stuff but I think what will be fairer is having one Perth, Adelaide, QLD and Sydney side in each conference and half the Victorian teams separated as well between the two. When we have the 18 teams we will have two conferences of 9 teams, where they get to play home and away against everyone and then to keep traditional games still alive (Derby’s, Coll v Carlton etc) you get them to play against each other at the start and then the end of the H&A season which can bring it to 20 games and then finals.

The only other way I think that can make it even is to have everyone play each other once and then have the finals..

However I do not see any of our ideas receive much love from the AFL or the fans.

1. 2 SA, 2 WA clubs and 4 Vic clubs excluding Haw and WB who play interstate home games.

2.Lions, Swans and 6 Vic clubs incl WB and Haw.

I know you’re going to bring up the unfairness for the 4 Vic clubs who have to go to perth 2x and Adel 2x, but remember they will get to play less Vic teams in Melbourne so they ahve that added advantage.

Teams in conf 2 only get 1 long trip (Bris) a year plus atrip to Perth every second year.
Teams in conf 1′s main problem are the 2 Perth trips best way is to split them one at start of the year other at the end.

This is a much fairer draw than the current system where Carl, Coll, Ess and Rich get to play who they nominate twice.

How would we separate the clubs into two conferences

Exactly! As I said, it’s an easy solution on basic numbers, but as soon as you begin to think about implementing it becomes (very) complicated.

There’s a reason the 2010 fixture is “unfair” — it’s incredibly complicated to factor in all the AFL’s needs, the broadcasters’ needs, stadium availability and still have it be only marginally “unfair” to some clubs.
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How would we separate the clubs into two conferences, interested in how you would choose who goes where. Would it be based on location or something else like getting the rivals together in the same conference?

Bob’s notion of two conferences etc. is clearly workable on the basic numbers, but then you have to start to consider whether Weagles and Freo would be in the same conference, and therefore play each other twice, or not, and what consequent implications there are in terms of travel for bothe Perth clubs and others travelling to Perth, and likewise for Adelaide, Brisbane (in 2011) and Sydney (in 2012). And that’s only ONE consideration.

There’s an interesting piece in today’s Age Sport section (not online it appears) that bears on this discussion. RMIT Uni Sports Statistics Research Group has done an anlysis of the 2010 fixture looking at things like quality of opponents, who teams play twice, homeground advantage,break between games, etc. (similar in escence to your OP, Jermayn, but based on scientific analysis of data from previous seasons).

The takeout is that Collingwood will start with a stistical four-point deficit every week.

“The impact of the 2010 draw on each team in average points per match.

Port Adelaide +3.26
West Coast +2.46
Sydney +1.8
North Melbourne +0.99
Brisbane +0.45
Hawthorn +0.38
St Kilda +0.26
Adelaide +0.13
Melbourne +0.01
Carlton –0.18
Fremantle –0.25
Richmond –0.55
Geelong –1.25
Western Bulldogs –2.29
Essendon –3.6
Collingwood –4.44″
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I don’t think going to Adel, Syd or tassie is that bad but the Perth and Brisbane games really seem to be a disdvantage for the following 2-3 weeks (witness Bulldogs losses in Rounds 3, 4 and 5 after 2 trips to WA this year).

I’d like to use the conference system to reduce travel. play your own conference twice and everybody else once (you’d only have 21 rounds too bad Channel 7), then take 4 from each to make finalists- would be much fairer and more exciting

However in understand your pov better I still believe that playing 19 advantage or neutral games is better and more advantageous than only 12 (like WCE).

BUT surely we agree there is a better way of doing the fixtures than currently…