top 3 only.  the premier goes straight to the final.  2 and 3 playoff for a spot in the final.

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Very dangerous to mess with the finals system, average crowds would likely fall to under 12,000 without it and we'd see more sub 10k and even sub 5k crowds I recon.

Finals draw the biggest crowds, biggest TV audiences and make about $10m revenues for the ffa.

Turkeys voting for Christmas makes more sense then football doing away with finals right now.

Maybe when p/r is a reality but right now, it's popular with fans - why take it away?

The only change that should happen is the removal of finals. No matter how much you contort and tinker with the system, it's still at it's foundation a shit idea.

I like that idea.

No doubt with the introduction of more teams the FFA will look to increase the number of teams in the finals. So expect to see a top 8 in the near future which is utterly cringeworthy. Don't do it FFA, we know you want to. 

This is a spot on prediction. They absolutely will. Its their flagship soccer-lite product for their target non-participant bored-afl-fan audience. Gotta milk it for every penny.

Sadly seeing how the league needs its money and reason for teams to play in a closed league finals need to stay. But one day the FFA cup will take over the finals, but not for a long while.

They can start by not rigging the FFA Cup ffs, just make it a fucken random draw and not let Nix involved.

They need a 2nd division before the cup can become relevant and then make it run along with the season and the final being the last match of the season.

Ffa cup becomes relevant when AFC force FFA to comply with the rest of our confederation by offering a direct acl spot to national (ffa) cup winner. 

Ffa are doing their best to keep our national cup comp "irrelevant" unfortunately.....

How does this sound.

Top 4.

Week 1 and 2 - 1st team plays 2nd team in two leg play off. Winner progress to GF, loser progresses to elimination final. 3rd plays 4th in two leg playoff, winner progresses to elimination final, loser eliminated.

Week 3 - elimination final

Week 4 - grand final

You could even condense weeks one and two into a midweek and weeked fixture, e.g. Friday and Tuesday, Saturday and Wednesday followed by elimination fixture following sunday. That would condense four weeks of finals into three

Problem for the incompetent FFA is even they aren't too stupid to realise that 60% of the league can't be playing meaningless matches. The league is just so incredibly flawed right now that they can't be in a position to reward the best but rather the majority.

The league had 12 when the top 6 were introduced wasn't it?

With the imminent increase back to 12, 14 and likelihood of 16 it will be fine. The most popular part of the season on all metrics. Shrewd business acumen by the FFA for sports like ours in this country.

I have no problems with a top 8 if the league is an unbalanced HHA/AAH format.

Should make is a 1v8, 2v7 etc format, straight knockout comp.

Just like and end of season cup comp with the season the qualifying comp.

In my view we should make much more of the Premiers' Plate and then have all clubs involved in a seeded knockout League Cup that would be over in 4 weeks.

So much this.

I reckon seed it based on league position. I don't think you can get rid of it. 

Unfortunately. 

FFA will never get rid of their cash cow. 

Doesn't have to be all that different to what is in place now.

Could limit it to a top 6, get a new cup (a bigger better one than the silver wreath), give it a name other than 'A-league championship', colloquially refer to the comp as 'finals' for a few years before dropping the language. Give the toilet seat to the 'premiers', drop that language and crown them as 'a-league champions' blah blah.

Nobody gives a shit about the 'premiers plate' and < 1/2 of this forum could pick it out of a line up of bronze and copper plates.

The idea of a seeded knock out seeded comp is preferred only by those who wish the premiers plate to confer the most prestige and importance, and relegate finals to some hacked up, cheesy ass post season monstrosity. Seriously dont.

The other thing first past the post is supported by traditionalists and purists, but the majority of the public and media want to see finals, its part of our sporting culture. A traditional methodology will probably destroy clubs and maybe even the league, not worth it just to satiate the idological fetishes of some purist minority. Seriously they tried it with the NSL and were back to finals within a year or two.

My top 8 format would require all games in the last round are played on Saturday night. Then -

Tuesday
5v8
Wednesday
6v7
Friday
4v5/8
Sunday
3v6/7

Friday
2v
Sunday
1v

Sunday
GF

You do realise the current finals series is a seeded knock out comp.

3v6 and 4v5 whilst 1 and 2 have the bye for the QFs

then there's semis and the final.

Higher placed side gets the home game.

Only difference is there'd be 8 teams and 1v8 and 2v7 in week 1.

Based on current ladder placings, if SFC  could not beat the Jets at home and MV likewise WSW, then they don't deserve to be in the finals/knockout comp or whatever you want to call it. 

Seriously this eight team knock out comp is absurd. Its almost like a second chance draw if you didnt win the premiers plate. Clubs that are out of the running for the plate have no incentive to try as they automatically qualify for the finals, which is daft.

Just do a top 4 as the champions trophy, and let the purists soothe themselves with their premiers plate. Public and media want to see finals

FFA gets money from finals, so if anything it will only increase. The American model which we follow has 12 teams that make the finals.

Even if the league became independent I don't think they would scrap or reduce finals.

They also have 20 teams

Actually they have increased to 22 now. But it is still too many. I don't think the percentage matters.

:D

Personally I am not for finals, but can see their value in the Aus sporting landscape. With 10 teams though it should only be top four. 

When you've all finished shuffling deckchairs

Id like to see a top 5 and adopt the same finals system as the SANFL does here in SA for the footy.

week 1 (team finished top gets week off)
Game 1 2nd vs 3rd Qualifying final 
Game 2 4th vs 5th Elimination final (loser eliminated)

week 2
Game 3 1st vs the winner of game 1 (winner of this week gets following week off and go straight into the GF) Semi final 1
Game 4 Loser of game 1 vs the winner of game 2 Semi final 2 (Loser eliminated)

week 3
Game 5 Loser of game 3 vs winner of game 4 Preliminary final (Loser eliminated)

week 4 (Grand final)
Game 6 Winner of game 3 vs winner of game 5