The History of Pre-Season and Other Radical Footy Formats.

Pre-season footy for the blokes gets underway officially this weekend with what is now known as the AAMI Community Series.

It wasn’t that long ago that the old Ansett/Wizard/NAB Cup was a big deal and some teams would be proud to call themselves “Night premiers” and “day premiers”

Footy has a long and interesting history when it tries to do something different.

Some of the rules, fixturing and even team jumpers we see in the game played today were first tried in pre-season competitions and were seen as radical at the time.

We’ve gone deep into the archives to bring you footy’s radical experiments and tournaments from years gone by…

AFLX 2019

Prior to the 2019 AFL season, the league saw fit to give AFLX another try with a whos who of football participating in Team Bolts, Team Deadley, Team Flters and Team Rampage taking part.

Zooper 10 point goals, rectangualr field and stupid team names – it was win win.

For those who remembered, Jack Riewoldt’s team Rampage snapping a goal just before the final siren to seal a victory against Nat Fyfe’s Flters.

The superstars of the @AFL are teaming up for #AFLX.

Who have you got – Bolts, Rampage, Flyers or Deadly pic.twitter.com/dz3RwHV7cU

— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) February 19, 2019

In what was a one-night only fixture the game featured a pre-game NBA style red carpet, a place kick for goal and some party tricks from Jack Higgins.

Jack Higgins trying to recruit Lachie Weller. #AFLX pic.twitter.com/UvbFH85mPK

— 7AFL (@7AFL) February 22, 2019

Around 23,000 people bothered to show up to Marvel Stadium for the game, it was widely bagged out and was roasted by social media as a waste of time and money.

AFLX would never be seen again.

10 points for Shaun Higgins and the Rampage #AFLX pic.twitter.com/hA5PhMOzya

— AFL (@AFL) February 22, 2019

AFLX 2018

On a magical three nights in February 2018, the AFL first experimented with its 10 a side, rectangular, short form, zooper goal kicking format AFLX.

With AFLX being played in rectangular fields, it made its debut at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.

Hindmarsh Stadium more known for its history with The World Game in Australia, will now forever be known as the birthplace of AFLX.

Adelaide, Port, Geelong, Freo, Collingwood and West Coast all featured and the night consisted of a silver footy only to be replaced by a yellow one after two games.

It was also the first time the 10 point “Zooper Goal” made its debut where any goal kicked from outside the 40 meter arc was awarded 10 points instead of the usual 6.

There was also disco goal posts that lit-up every time a goal was scored.

Fresh off losing the 2017 Grand Final to Richmond, the Crows were able to “avenge” themselves by winning the big “X” trophy.

Adelaide wins first ever AFLX tournament as youngsters and new recruits impress. MORE: https://t.co/hdezZdvTtS pic.twitter.com/qc5ojRE4AU

— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) February 15, 2018

The next night it was Melbourne’s turn to get a taste of the AFLX action with Melbourne, North Melbourne, Carlton, Hawthorn, St.Kilda and Essendon all featuring on one big night at Etihad Stadium.

There were more Zooper Goals

Now that's a Zooper goal #GameFaceON pic.twitter.com/qW9ZOIOrFq

— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) February 18, 2018

And while Melbourne might have won last years premiership, everyone knows the Norm Smith Curse was broken when the Dees won their 2018 AFLX tournament.

#AFLX

(photos by @MichaelCWillson) pic.twitter.com/3u3hzymRFG

— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) February 17, 2018

The final AFLX club tournament was held at Allianz Stadium featuring Sydney, Brisbane, Richmond, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs and GWS.

While Allianz Stadium may have hosted the Broncos 92, 93 and 98 premiership wins and some Queensland triumphs in State of Origin over the years, there’s no doubting the Brisbane Lions winning the AFLX Sydney tournament at the ground takes the cake for iconic Queensland sporting moments at the venue.

Brisbane Lions defeat Sydney Swans in grand final to cap off AFLX experimenthttps://t.co/8LRJaf2zBL #AFLX pic.twitter.com/MeVYCPLdCZ

— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 Australia (@sportingnewsau) February 17, 2018

The Lightning Premiership

At the start of the 1996 AFL Centenary year, the league thought it would be fitting to revive an old competition format from the 1940s/50s by holding a Lightning Premiership tournament.

The 1996 Lightning Premiership was held at the start of the 96 pre-season on a blustery, rainy and cold February weekend at Waverley Park of all places.

Over one weekend, the then 16 AFL clubs played in a knockout competition consisting of mini matches featuring two 17 minute halves plus time on with a five-minute halftime break.

Radical rule changes were implemented (some of which have been implemented in today’s game) such as three points for a rushed behind and for hitting the goal post, free kicks being awarded to the player who last touched the ball before going out of bounds, four-goal umpires at each end, no draws, four boundary umpires (which is used now) and players being able to kick the ball back into play without waiting for the goal umpire to signal the flags (another rule that’s used in today’s version of football).

The Lightning Premiership also had umpires throwing the ball up instead of bouncing it outside the centre circle. Radical stuff!

Essendon and the Brisbane Bears were able to make it to the Grand Final of the Lightning Premiership, with the Bombers taking home the honours.

The tournament was given a Luke-warm reception by the clubs, players and fans and was scrapped after one year.

 The Original Night Series 1956-1971

Did your club miss out on making the finals? Never fear! There was always the night series.

In the late 1950’s the then VFL staged a tournament at South Melbourne’s Lake Oval (the only venue with lights) during September were the clubs who didn’t make the finals that season participated in the night series.

The colour of the footy was white, the tournament was used to experiment with rules of the game that we know today such as out of bounds on the full and the centre square.

The tournament ran from 1956 – 1971 with Footscray holding the record for most Night Series won – four (1963, 64, 67 & 70)

Night Series Mark II 1976 – 1987

Before the VFL became the AFL, the national governing body for Australian Rules football was called the NFL (National Football League, not to be confused with American Football).

The NFL had established its own night series involving clubs from the VFL, SANFL and WAFL to participate in night matches played at Adelaide’s Norwood Oval and the competition proved to be a hit on television at the time.

The VFL decided to withdraw from the NFL’s night series in 1976 and create its own with lights installed at Waverley installed especially for the occasion.

At the same time as Cricket was divided with World Series and the establishment two rival football night series were running between the VFL and NFL from 1977-79, the NFL even brought in clubs from the rival VFA to take part.

Eventually, the VFL’s night series took over with clubs from the VFL, SANFL, WAFL and state sides from Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT would compete against each other with most games being played during the seasons on Tuesday nights at Waverley Park.

While the tournament involved clubs from all the major state leagues taking part, all Grand Finals involved VFL clubs with Hawthorn holding the record for most night premierships won (4 – 1976, 77, 85 & 86).

By 1987 when the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears joined the VFL, the state league teams were scrapped but the tournament was still held in conjunction with the main season.

It would be pre-season only from 1988.

A similar tournament involving the best of state league clubs playing against each other – The Foxtel Cup ran from 2011 – 2014 with time and availability of clubs being a factor in its demise.

The Pre-Season Panasonic/Fosters/Ansett/Wizard/NAB Cup 1988 – 2013

A spin-off from the night series, the tournament moved to pre-season only in 1988.

Up until 1999, it was a simple knock out tournament with most matches played at night or at regional grounds and all broadcast on TV.

The night grand final was a big event and was always staged at Waverley (with the exception of 1997 where it was held at the MCG to coincide with the Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne).

Massive fireworks displays would be a staple of pre-match entertainment and a medal named in honour of AFL games record holder Michael Tuck was given to the player judged best on the ground.

The 1993 Fosters Cup Grand Final saw a lockout at Waverley when Essendon took on a then success-starved Richmond and won.

In 1996 Saints fans invaded the ground at Waverley under the impression that their 30-year premiership drought was over.

It also saw various experimental rules and all clubs (except for Essendon) wore special jumpers at one stage for the tournament, with Hawthorn’s jockey silks jumper of 1995 becoming infamous.

From 2000-2002 the AFL experimented with a round-robin format for the pre-season cup with all sixteen teams being broken up into groups of four with the top team advancing to the semi-final stage.

The competition reverted to the knock out stage in 2003 – 2010.

Radical changes such as nine-point supergoals for goals kicked outside the 50-metre arc were introduced for the 2003 Wizard Cup.

During the 2000s fans and clubs started to lose interest in the pre-season cup.

Grant Thomas and Lenny Hayes looked to be delighted when the Saints won the tournament in 2004.

St Kilda champion Lenny Hayes has lifted the lid on THAT infamous Wizard Cup photo >>> https://t.co/43XEZ1Te6N pic.twitter.com/yNyvuCbPFH

— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 2, 2020

Struggling clubs like Carlton would go on to win the Wizard Cup in 2005 and 2007 to finish Wooden Spooners in 05 and second last in 07.

Michael Tuck even got the name of his own medal wrong when presenting it to Brendan Fevola after the 2005 Wizard Cup Grand Final calling it the Norm Smith Medal.

To try and regain interest in the competition, from 2011-12 the AFL reverted to a Lighting Premiership format of teams playing mini-matches, two full length matches with the teams both top and second on the NAB Cup ladder progressing to the Grand Final.

GWS, who were to play in the 2011 NEAFL competition, participated in the NAB Cup mini-matches that year to even out the numbers as the AFL was a 17 team competition in 2011.

The final NAB Cup would be won by Brisbane in 2013 defeating Carlton by 50 points. Daniel Rich would be the last player to win the Michael Tuck Medal.

The Lions would go on to finish 12th that season with Carlton making the finals by default due to Essendon being expelled over the drugs saga.

Lions back in silverware business after #NABCup win: http://t.co/oALptjrJ5D pic.twitter.com/CQMwY59TmC

— AFL (@AFL) March 15, 2013

The AFL’s now has a series of practice matches with no prize awarded prior to the proper season itself.

The pre-season calendar is now dominated by the AFLW where it could be argued that footy season now starts in February.

Footy Played Overseas

While it may be an indigenous game native to Australia, Aussie Rules Footy has been playing exhibition matches overseas on and off since 1916 when Australian servicemen played a game at the Oval in London during World War 1 in aid of the British and French red cross.

Throughout the year’s games have been played in Hawaii, San Francisco, London, Singapore, Athens, Vancouver, Miami, Toronto, Portland, Auckland, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi have hosted exhibition games. Various clubs have participated in exhibition games played overseas.

Matches for premiership point have also been played in Wellington and of course, China when Port Adelaide and the Gold Coast have played for the past two seasons with St.Kilda now taking up the challenge of playing the Power overseas.

The most memorable if not infamous game played overseas was the game between North Melbourne and Carlton at the Oval, London in 1987.

Dubbed the “Battle of Britain” a young Alistair Clarkson playing for North broke Carlton’s Ian Aitken’s jaw in the first quarter.

Under instructions by then Blues coach Robert Walls, Clarkson would be hunted down by the likes of Carlton’s David Rhys-Jones, Jim Buckley and Wayne Johnson for the rest of the game.

It was a fiery clash with seven reports and an out of season tribunal hearing giving out many suspensions.

It confused the locals and delighted London’s massive ex-pat population.

This YouTube clip of news reports from after the game makes for great viewing.

The then Carlton coach Robert Walls does not hold back.

International Rules

The closest thing to international representation in both the Australian Rules and Gaelic codes, International Rules has a long and chequered history.

The first installment of International Rules dates back to 1967 when legendary umpire and commentator the late Harry Bitzel conceived the idea of sending an All-Australian team to face the All-Ireland team in Gaelic Football.

It was on and off tours to Ireland when the International Rules format came into play in 1984.

International Rules has been played intermittently ever since.

Most matches have tended to be close affairs over the years and the series reached its peak in the mid-2000s when the all professional Australian’s decision to go the biff against the Irish amateurs with zero consequences.

After a brutal 2006 tour of Ireland, the Gaelic Athletic Association lobbied for players who got reported in International Rules games for their suspensions to apply in both the GAA and AFL.

The most recent International Rules Series was played in Australia back in 2017 with Australia winning both Tests.

NEWS | has taken a 1-nil lead in its International Rules series against with a 10-point win at @TheAdelaideOval. @PChilds7 #7AFL pic.twitter.com/Kt324FDOLL

— 7AFL (@7AFL) November 13, 2017

New Year’s Eve

Collingwood, Carlton and the AFL thought they were on a winner by staging a game at the MCG on New Year’s Eve 1999.

What better way to see out the 20th century and the millennium then having two of football’s biggest rivals play each other in front of a sold-out MCG crowd?

It wasn’t to be, only 16,678 showed up to the game while most of Melbourne opted to do other things that night.

The game itself was remembered for a young Brendan Fevola kicking 12 goals for the Blues as they went on to beat Collingwood by 88 points.

When reflecting on the match, Fevola boasted his pre-match dinner was two McChicken burgers from Macca’s and a bourbon and coke.

How was your New Year's Eve on a scale from 1 to @BrendanFevola25's 1999 Millennium Match? #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/AdyReqQLcI

— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) January 1, 2019

 State of Origin 1977 – 1999

It may be the biggest thing in Rugby League but the state of origin concept was actually thought of by Australian Rules football, with Western Australia coming up with the idea in 1977.

Sick and tired of having the player born and bred in WA playing for The VFL in rep games, the State of Origin concept was born with WA thrashing Victoria in the first game under the Origin concept.

State of Origin in Aussie Rules peaked from the late ’70s to early ’90s and unlike Rugby League, every state had a team at one point or another with Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia being the dominant sides.

Some even regard the State of Origin matches of the 1980s as Australian Football played at its absolute peak.

As the VFL turned into the AFL, State of Origin struggled.

Crowds dropped, clubs didn’t want their players to participate over injury concerns and debate raged over its merits.

The last proper game was played in 1999 when Victoria beat South Australia in which just under 27,000 people showed up to the MCG.

State of Origin, or a more novelty version of it popped up in 2008 as part of the 150 year celebration of Australian Football between Victoria and the Dream Team along with the Bushfire benefit game in early 2020, before COVID got in the way

Playing on Sunday

The prospect of VFL games not being played except for 2 pm on a Saturday was a heated issue once upon a time.

For years the VFL had wanted to schedule matches on a Sunday afternoon, but were banned from doing so as the Victorian Government had said it was the day for the other football competition the VFA.

In 1982, when South Melbourne moved to Sydney, the Swans would play their home games on Sundays with matches being broadcast back into Melbourne.

Once the Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles joined the VFL in 1987 as part of its national expansion, Sunday football became a regular feature of the fixture.

The VFA (now ironically called the VFL) struggled for crowds and a fan base ever since.

Other time slots such as Friday night footy was pioneered by North Melbourne in 1985 when the MCG got lights.

Footy has tried slots such as Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday nights, Saturday/Sunday Twilight’s and of course footy being played public holidays during the season.

It has been only the last two seasons when the AFL finally played on Good Friday with North Melbourne hosting the Western Bulldogs in 2017 and St.Kilda last year.

North will host Essendon on Good Friday this year.

Friday Night Football

Not so controversial as Sunday Footy at the time, when the MCG had light towers installed back in 1984 in time for the Cricket season – footy saw it as an opportunity to capitalise.

When Arden Street Oval was ruled out as a league venue by the fire brigade, North moved to the MCG which was already being shared by Melbourne and Richmond.

With days limited on the footy fixture at the time, North opted to play some matches on Friday Nights.

The first Friday night fixture in Round 1, 1985 between North Melbourne and the Magpies saw a big crowd arrive at the MCG that they bust through the gates in order to watch the match.

For the first few years of Friday Night Football, it was mostly seen as an afterthought fixture with games tending to involve North Melbourne, other MCG tenants and playing against interstate sides and mostly low crowds.

Matches would be broadcast on TV, but mostly as late-night replays.

When North’s glory era of the 1990s under coach Dennis Pagan and Wayne Carey dominating, North on a Friday became a hot ticket and must-see TV.

All of a sudden, other clubs wanted to get into the action, it became a marquee TV fixture and is now the most sought after slot amongst all of the AFL clubs. (Except for when Carlton is involved).

The post The History of Pre-Season and Other Radical Footy Formats. appeared first on Ladbrokes Blog.

from Ladbrokes Blog https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2022/03/01/eight-radical-afl-fixtures/
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