AFL: Brisbane Lions star Josh Dunkley backs in-season tournament
Reportedly discussed last week at a meeting of club chief executives, a lucrative secondary tournament, similar to the NBA Cup concept, is apparently being considered for 2028 when Tasmania enters the competition .
It would lead to clubs playing each other only once in the regular season, most likely in addition to Gather Round and Rivalry Round matches.
'It'd be great,' Dunkley said on Tuesday.
'If we can play every team once and then have a little in-season tournament, like the NBA do … it'd be really exciting for the competition.'
Dunkley said it would also lead to a 'fairer' regular season schedule that was compromised by all teams not playing each other the same amount of times.
Lions vice-captain Josh Dunkley says an in-season tournament would be 'exciting' for the competition. Picture:'When you play everyone once, it's good, it's fair, and you get to see how you go against opposition in one game,' he said.
'At the moment, there are times where we're playing different teams and other teams are playing different teams, and the competitive advantage is always a bit of a question mark for a lot of people.
'For us, it's about playing the best, and everyone, once, and then that mid-season tournament would be pretty cool.'
Dunkley also supported the introduction of a wildcard finals round and the return of State of Origin football.
'(This year) we saw the Indigenous All-Stars play that game before the season started, and that was really exciting,' he said.
'To be able to do that across the states of origin that you can represent, and go back to your state and enjoy that moment with other players that are from similar areas, that's priceless.
'I'm not sure the time of year that it's played, but if it is played mid-season, it'd be exciting.'
Former Western Bulldog Dunkley and the second-placed Lions are chasing a hat-trick of wins when they meet struggling Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
The Blues are in 12th place on the ladder with just six wins from 16 games, with pressure mounting on coach Michael Voss, who captained the Lions to three successive premierships from 2001 to 2003.
Josh Dunkley and Lions are chasing a hat-trick of wins on Thursday night. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images
'I've experienced when you're a bit under pressure at a Melbourne footy club, and it is hard, but you also (feel) there's nothing to lose,' said Dunkley in anticipation of a desperate Blues performance.
'That element of their mental thinking behind the game will be that their backs are against the wall. They've got nothing to lose, so we've got to really prepare for that.
'You get the best footy out of teams when they're thinking like that, and they've got that freedom in their game, so we're going to have to be on edge on Thursday night because they'll be rocking up, and we know that they'll play their best footy.'
The Brisbane vice-captain said the Lions would relish another road trip, having lost just once in eight games outside of Queensland this season, as well as winning three successive matches interstate in last year's finals series to clinch the premiership.
'We love getting away together. We talk about our brotherhood, our mateship, and relationships that we have, not only as players but with the staff and the coaches,' Dunkley said.
'It's been nice to be able to have a good record, but we don't really look at that. We look at what we're facing this week, and that's the Blues, who will be red-hot.'
Marco Monteverde
Sports reporter
Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world.
@marcothejourno
Marco Monteverde
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
10-year-old with autism ‘excluded' from NSW cross country champs
A 10-year-old boy with autism has been blocked from competing at the NSW primary school cross championships despite doing enough to qualify. 7News reports Charlie Cox made it to the North Coast Cross Country Championships and qualified for the state finals as a special needs athlete. 'We were very disappointed that Charlie was excluded,' Charlie's father Owen told 7News. Tennis Australia and Swimming Australia both have classifications for athletes with formally diagnosed autism, but Australian Athletics does not include autism within its framework. 'As such, the inclusion of an autism category for the sports of athletics and cross country are not feasible in the Representative School Sport Pathway as there are no nationally recognised benchmarks to support fair and consistent result calculation,' the NSW Department of Education said. 'Other states and territories that have made local provisions for participation do so outside the formal School Sport Australia pathway and there is no fair or consistent result calculation, nor is there a pathway to the next level of representation. 'Your concern is acknowledged and please be reassured that the NSW Department of Education remains committed to advocating for broader inclusion through national sporting bodies such as Athletics Australia.' The news comes after a Year 9 student with dwarfism was told last year he couldn't compete because of a rule from World Para Athletics that's recently been adopted by School Sport Australia. Hugo, a Year 9 student from Sydney's Northern Beaches was told he couldn't compete at national trials. Hugo has genetic disorder achondroplasia – the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism, but that hasn't stopped him running. 'I like the feeling of adrenaline. Halfway through the run, I get a feeling that I can't stop, otherwise I'll be so disappointed in myself, and I just like that feeling of running and it just makes me happy,' Hugo told 7NEWS. For years he has competed at state level, but he can no longer compete in any long-distance events because of a new rule adopted by School Sports Australia. 'It's really sad, I see the joy that Hugo gets when he's competing … there's not that many opportunities for kids with disabilities to have success and it's really sad to see that as a mother ripped away from him and without any reasons,' Hugo's mum Alicia said. 'I just don't understand why, it doesn't harm anyone else. It doesn't affect anyone; he has individual medical clearance to do it and it's just really hard to understand.' The new rule, enforced by Athletics Australia is based on medical advice relating to short-statured people running long distances.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The AFL's ticking time bomb: The damning numbers forcing the league's new footy boss to act
Swann said that before he took the job the length of games and the umpires bouncing the ball were the two issues other people raised the most. 'It's just around the set-ups and waiting for ruckmen to get to contests and even the boundary throw-ins or if you are waiting for them to get there and there is a chance to actually speed that up a bit,' Swann said. 'There is good vision and video of ruckman taking 20 seconds to come from one end of the ground to the other and everyone stands there and waits,' Swann said. 'That's something that hopefully we can have a look at and maybe address even before the [end of the] season.' The AFL had to revise the starting time of Sunday games this season pushing them forward five minutes to 3.15pm as they were creeping into the 6pm news. The first quarter of Sunday's Cats-Saints game went for four seconds beyond the 35-minute mark and had most scenarios requiring the clock to be stopped other than a 6-6-6 infringement. There were eight goals kicked, 15 stoppages around the ground, nine boundary throw-ins, two kick-ins, two kicks out-on-the-full, plus a recalled bounce, a score review, a 50-metre penalty, a downfield free kick, two kick-ins, a blood rule and a field umpire conferring with a boundary umpire over a decision. Loading Each boundary throw-in takes roughly 25 seconds of time on, bounces around the ground take about eight seconds and the time that elapses between goals and the ball being bounced is around 55 seconds. The score review and the subsequent kick in took 44 seconds. Attendees at the game were there for three hours, 27 minutes and 16 seconds from the first bounce to the final siren including quarter and half-time breaks. Swann estimated a return to about two hours per match, or four 30 minute quarters, plus quarter and half-time breaks was the ideal game length. The AFL's desire to reduce game length is consistent in world sport aware that engagement time is at a premium. Dillon and Swann addressed a range of issues, including: What Tasmania's election means for the Devils Dillon said despite official confirmation of the result of the Tasmanian election over the weekend yet to come, with the Liberal Party likely to form a minority government, there had been an overwhelming endorsement of the new team and controversial Macquarie Point Stadium. While the Liberals will likely need to rely on crossbenchers to form government, Dillon said it was time to begin work on the stadium, a condition of entry for the AFL's 19th team – in 2028. 'Pleasingly over 70 per cent of the votes that were cast in Tasmania over the weekend went to a candidate that was pro-stadium. We are looking forward to a 2028 start date for the Tasmania Devils. It's really clear we will have a stadium at Mac Point with a roof and 23,000 capacity,' Dillon said. Ditch the centre bounce? Swann revealed there was strong support from clubs to discard the traditional centre bounce. He was due to meet with league umpires late on Monday. Bouncing the ball can be difficult for umpires with back issues. 'We will do some work on it. In the next little bit, I will get around to all clubs and get their views,' he said. 'I have had some clubs already ring and give me their views. I would say the majority are in favour of throwing the ball up. Obviously, that's not going to happen until next year, but we will have a look at that as well.' Asked if there was the possibility of having a ceremonial bounce to start games, Swann replied: 'At the grand final last year, the first bounce went sideways, and they had to recall it. You would want to do the ceremonial bounce if it goes straight.' Keep fans in the loop Swann said he wanted the football operations department, including match review officer decisions, to have greater transparency. 'Maybe explaining some of the decisions we make, maybe we can be a bit more forthcoming with that. We are not going to explain everything away because otherwise you would be here all day,' he said. 'But, if there are some things that are a bit contentious, I think people deserve to understand why we have gone a certain way.' Pre-finals bye Swann said the pre-finals bye was also up for discussion. 'That's another one for next year, really. You would have a look at it,' he said. Added Dillon: 'We are talking season structure for next year. How you set that up. When you have your byes, how many of them you have.' Father-sons, NGAs and the draft 'On the academies, having lived through those, they are crucial up there [the northern states] for the development of the game,' Swann said of the northern academies. 'The new DVI [draft value index] index is going to make a big difference to what you pay for those people now. We need to let that run for a year or two. It will make a big difference to how many blokes you can and can't get.' Priority pick for the West Coast Eagles The Eagles have won a combined 11 games in their past four seasons, but Dillon all but ruled out the 2018 premiers being granted a priority draft selection should they apply. Rather, he pointed to the work Swann had done when in charge of rebuilding the Lions, while also acknowledging how Adelaide were set to play finals this year for the first time since 2017. 'The blueprint is there in the work Swanny and the work he did in Brisbane … and if you look at Adelaide at the weekend, they haven't been in the finals since 2017, but through a lot of hard work, some really good decisions, great trading, great drafting, they are poised now for a top four pick,' Dillon said. 'They have got where they have got without a priority pick, and I think you can do it.'
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
The AFL's ticking time bomb: The damning numbers forcing the league's new footy boss to act
Swann said that before he took the job the length of games and the umpires bouncing the ball were the two issues other people raised the most. 'It's just around the set-ups and waiting for ruckmen to get to contests and even the boundary throw-ins or if you are waiting for them to get there and there is a chance to actually speed that up a bit,' Swann said. 'There is good vision and video of ruckman taking 20 seconds to come from one end of the ground to the other and everyone stands there and waits,' Swann said. 'That's something that hopefully we can have a look at and maybe address even before the [end of the] season.' The AFL had to revise the starting time of Sunday games this season pushing them forward five minutes to 3.15pm as they were creeping into the 6pm news. The first quarter of Sunday's Cats-Saints game went for four seconds beyond the 35-minute mark and had most scenarios requiring the clock to be stopped other than a 6-6-6 infringement. There were eight goals kicked, 15 stoppages around the ground, nine boundary throw-ins, two kick-ins, two kicks out-on-the-full, plus a recalled bounce, a score review, a 50-metre penalty, a downfield free kick, two kick-ins, a blood rule and a field umpire conferring with a boundary umpire over a decision. Loading Each boundary throw-in takes roughly 25 seconds of time on, bounces around the ground take about eight seconds and the time that elapses between goals and the ball being bounced is around 55 seconds. The score review and the subsequent kick in took 44 seconds. Attendees at the game were there for three hours, 27 minutes and 16 seconds from the first bounce to the final siren including quarter and half-time breaks. Swann estimated a return to about two hours per match, or four 30 minute quarters, plus quarter and half-time breaks was the ideal game length. The AFL's desire to reduce game length is consistent in world sport aware that engagement time is at a premium. Dillon and Swann addressed a range of issues, including: What Tasmania's election means for the Devils Dillon said despite official confirmation of the result of the Tasmanian election over the weekend yet to come, with the Liberal Party likely to form a minority government, there had been an overwhelming endorsement of the new team and controversial Macquarie Point Stadium. While the Liberals will likely need to rely on crossbenchers to form government, Dillon said it was time to begin work on the stadium, a condition of entry for the AFL's 19th team – in 2028. 'Pleasingly over 70 per cent of the votes that were cast in Tasmania over the weekend went to a candidate that was pro-stadium. We are looking forward to a 2028 start date for the Tasmania Devils. It's really clear we will have a stadium at Mac Point with a roof and 23,000 capacity,' Dillon said. Ditch the centre bounce? Swann revealed there was strong support from clubs to discard the traditional centre bounce. He was due to meet with league umpires late on Monday. Bouncing the ball can be difficult for umpires with back issues. 'We will do some work on it. In the next little bit, I will get around to all clubs and get their views,' he said. 'I have had some clubs already ring and give me their views. I would say the majority are in favour of throwing the ball up. Obviously, that's not going to happen until next year, but we will have a look at that as well.' Asked if there was the possibility of having a ceremonial bounce to start games, Swann replied: 'At the grand final last year, the first bounce went sideways, and they had to recall it. You would want to do the ceremonial bounce if it goes straight.' Keep fans in the loop Swann said he wanted the football operations department, including match review officer decisions, to have greater transparency. 'Maybe explaining some of the decisions we make, maybe we can be a bit more forthcoming with that. We are not going to explain everything away because otherwise you would be here all day,' he said. 'But, if there are some things that are a bit contentious, I think people deserve to understand why we have gone a certain way.' Pre-finals bye Swann said the pre-finals bye was also up for discussion. 'That's another one for next year, really. You would have a look at it,' he said. Added Dillon: 'We are talking season structure for next year. How you set that up. When you have your byes, how many of them you have.' Father-sons, NGAs and the draft 'On the academies, having lived through those, they are crucial up there [the northern states] for the development of the game,' Swann said of the northern academies. 'The new DVI [draft value index] index is going to make a big difference to what you pay for those people now. We need to let that run for a year or two. It will make a big difference to how many blokes you can and can't get.' Priority pick for the West Coast Eagles The Eagles have won a combined 11 games in their past four seasons, but Dillon all but ruled out the 2018 premiers being granted a priority draft selection should they apply. Rather, he pointed to the work Swann had done when in charge of rebuilding the Lions, while also acknowledging how Adelaide were set to play finals this year for the first time since 2017. 'The blueprint is there in the work Swanny and the work he did in Brisbane … and if you look at Adelaide at the weekend, they haven't been in the finals since 2017, but through a lot of hard work, some really good decisions, great trading, great drafting, they are poised now for a top four pick,' Dillon said. 'They have got where they have got without a priority pick, and I think you can do it.'
