There are plenty of talking points after Round 21 of the AFL season, the biggest being the AFL's memo sent to clubs warning them against fielding understrength teams and 'tanking' in the final weeks of the year.
Let's get to this week's overreactions column, where we judge the biggest takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
The AFL is right to clamp down on teams resting players before finals
The AFL has got on the front foot ahead of the last weeks of the season, sending a memo to clubs warning them against sending out understrength teams in what may prove to be 'meaningless' matches.
With a number of ladder positions locked in, and no pre-finals bye for wildcard teams placed 7th to 10th on the ladder, there have been murmurings about clubs giving a rest to sore or star players once the ladder positions are set.
"Please be reminded of the obligation in the AFL Rules on Clubs to 'perform on one's merits', meaning that Clubs must perform honestly and to the best of their ability," the memo reads.
"While legitimate management of player fatigue and injuries is permitted, the AFL will scrutinise Club team selection decisions in the lead-up to the AFL Finals in the context of this Rule."
While the temptation may be to rest a sore player player for the final round, particularly for clubs in wildcard slots whose positions are set with a week to go, it's not in the best interests of the game, according to the AFL.
After all, it affects the integrity of the competition, and compromises other aspects of the broader game's ecosystem such as wagering, right?
Verdict: Overreaction
I don't know what business the AFL thinks its clubs are in, but that business is winning premierships, plain and simple. If the club's coaches, players, and medical staff think it's beneficial to rest players, or give them a week off to deal with a minor niggle (which just about every player will have in the last month of the season), then they should be able to do it.
For the AFL to come out with a heavy hand, threatening clubs with sanctions for not fielding their strongest possible teams in the final weeks of the year is losing sight of what is important in footy, and bringing into focus one of the darker aspects: gambling. There's quite possibly a lot of money already riding on results in the final rounds, with punters looking at futures markets as far back as preseason. Not to mention Brownlow bets among others.
But that's secondary ... or, it should be.
Luke Beveridge made a good point on FoxFooty's AFL 360, noting that wildcard teams will otherwise have to win five 'finals' off no break, while the top six will have had a week off. In order to have the best crack at September, he said, you may need to manage your team.
"I'd question how the AFL could question a club -- because you're questioning the medical department as well -- if that happens," he said.
Steven King was equally unimpressed: "I'm the coach of the Melbourne Football Club. I'll make any decision that's best for our football club, and best for the management of our players.
"But like Bevo touched on, I'm not a doctor, and I don't question our medical team week to week on who needs management of training loads or during gameday."
Even clubs like Fremantle -- who already have a week off while the wildcards are played -- may also wish to roll with a different look squad in the final round of the year; an 11 a.m. body clock game at Marvel Stadium against the Blues, which means nothing in terms of their ladder position? You'd hate to see an injury to a key piece like Hayden Young, Luke Jackson, or Murphy Reid.
And what does "legitimate management of fatigue and injuries" mean? It's not at all black and white, and what if half a dozen players are carrying minor complaints that would benefit from a rest?
Ultimately, the rule is in writing for all to see, and the AFL seems content enforcing it, or at least threatening to do so.
But the business of footy is winning flags, not what could end up being meaningless home and away games at the end of the year.
Those who have the luxury of considering resting players have earned the right to do so, gambling and the AFL's optics be damned.
-- Matt Walsh
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