There has been some whatsapp discussion from various chaps about reducing the size of the squads post PSD. The idea being that it would enrich the MSD by having more quality players available which in turn would:
- Make the MSD more interesting
- Make the 2nd half of the season more interesting as lower teams pick up quality MSD players so they can compete for the finals
The idea was to reduce the PSD squads to some number eg 15-18 but make the squads post MSD still 20 so you have cover for the bye rounds etc.
There are 2 downsides to reducing the PSD squad sizes:
1. Increase the length of the MSD
2. Makes teams more vulnerable to injury
eg both Brewsers and Darkside have been reduced to only 10 available players pre the MSD.
A solution to problem 2 was to create an Injury Safety Net (ISN). The ISN would allow a coach who can’t field 10 players for a particular week due to players being unavailable to temporarily draft a sub-20 player from the AFL who has not yet been drafted.
A further suggestion has been that if a coach had less than 10 players, the ISN drafted player(s) could only sit on their bench.
If the coach has less than 8 players then ISN drafted players could be named on field (as long as no standard squad player was on their bench).
The bottom line is the ISN is a last resort that first fills your bench and then field players sequentially.
It would rarely be used but would be there just in case – a “safety net”.
Comments? Alternatives?