Chris de Kretser and Daryl Timms in Rupert's Herald Sun review Rupert's Fox AFL Draft:
Prime time TV winner
The shift to a live prime time draft telecast was a huge winner for the AFL and Fox sports.
Ratings rose ten-fold on last year's Saturday morning broadcast. The five-city metro figure was 117,748 viewers against 15,091 last year. In Melbourne it rose from 11,188 to 67,786.
It flies in the face of the tirade of criticism about the telecast on radio yesterday.
Televising the draft is anything but entertaining TV, so we can understand why they cut away after the early rounds to go to a panel discussion.
But maybe a more readable ticker as the new numbers were drawn would be advisable next year.
Flies in the face of the tirade of criticism? Can understand why they cut away after the early rounds?
On SEN on Saturday morning Liam Pickering was dismissive: "With only 10,000 viewers it didn't work last time, so we had to try something different."
Did I mention Liam was one of the hosts?
If you threw a party, then served the guests shit sandwiches, it wouldn't mean the sandwiches no longer tasted like shit just because everyone you invited turned up.
Footy fans tuned in unaware they were about to witness a balls up. All they knew prior to the event was that picks one to ten would be read out in reverse order. A stupid idea, if you ask me, since the surprises are rarely at the top and mostly around 7 - 10.
The numbers were less to do with the format and much, much more to do with the move from Saturday morning to Thursday night, the heavy pre-publicity and the continued increase in draft interest from the footy public.
The Fox coverage was also on delay behind the SEN radio coverage.
Bet on it that next year Fox will move closer to the old model:
1. Call a player's name.
2. Pickering & Sheehan talk about the player.
3. Next.
Much and all as the Yanks aren't great at a whole heap, they have their draft coverage down pat.
Ican't for the life of me figure out why the Top 10 were done in reverse order - was it for the "suspense" on who would go number 1? If so, its a massive miscalculation by Fox Sports and the AFL.
What they don't understand is that, generally speaking, no-one gives a shit about who is going Number 1 in the draft - unless, like yourself Tony, you're a Melbourne supporter. However the league and Fox Sports packaged up the draft, and the reverse order Top 10, in the way they did in a bid to build suspense on who would be number 1.
What people really care about is who their club picks with their first draft choice. That means that having the Top 10 in normal order does a better job at actually building suspense because supporters see who other clubs get, and hope that "so and so" is still there for their pick.
Eg - Sydney supporters would've been wrapped Lewis Jetta fell as far as hge did so they could pick him. Don't you reckon they'd be counting down the picks in front of them thinking - "Hold on, if they don't pick Jetta, we've got him!" That's suspense.
The Yanks have it right - he suspense and anticipation is best built by watching other teams pick BEFORE your team picks, not summarising a Top 10 in reverse order and showing who other teams have chosen with picks AFTER your choice.
By the way Tony - happy with Scully and Trengove? Scully certainly presents himself very impressively.
What this means is that
Posted by: chris88 | 12/01/2009 at 10:47 AM
What this means is that what?!? Don't leave me hanging, Chris. I gots ta know.
Pretty fair assessment, but.
Especially your wrap of the count down/up situation.
The 10 to 1 was almost completely lifeless. The only pulse detected was at 10. Melbourne wanted to take Jake Melcham with 11, but Essendon, as Chris Connolly predicted at the start of our draft party, took him at 10.
Then, when the coverage should have / could have focused on the "who's next" aspect of the draft, Pickers, Shifter, Bung and Lynchy (surely no-one's idea of a footy expert; probably only on the panel because he was taken in the first ever draft) were off interviewing Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Scully, and chatting amongst themselves.
The question they need to be asking themselves is this: did the roller at the bottom of the screen do sufficient justice to the count? I mean, if you accept that it did actually tell you who went where - and why wouldn't you - then why have anything else? Just have a roller at the bottom of Fox Sports News.
Posted by: Tony | 12/01/2009 at 01:19 PM
V. happy with Scully, Trengove, Gisberts, Tapscott, GAWN! and Fitzpatrick.
My assessment is at odds with that of the bloke what done the Hun draft rating on Saturday who said something like "Scully and Trengove are great but the Melbourne list is still young" and gave the Dees an A.
He took off the + because the rest of the list is still a work in progress. Forgive my ignorance, but don't you rate a club's draft on the players they pick up in that draft?
Posted by: Tony | 12/01/2009 at 01:25 PM
Ah, the hidden wordsat the bottom of a comment which get posted when they are not meant to! Apologies.
And re that HSun rating - 100% agree - let's rate the draft based on guys already at the club. Idiot.
Dare I raise my head above the trenches and say that I'm uite happy with my mob's drafting, starting with Dustin Martin at No. 3, then with Griffiths and Astbury.
But never get too comfy, or satisfied, with the Tigers' drafting efforts is my motto (or the shortened form - Fiora, Aaron).
Posted by: chris88 | 12/01/2009 at 02:34 PM
I'm not even getting ahead of myself with Scully & Trengove. Injuries, go-home factor and plain old hackness will shake my expectations until our young blokes manage to deliver.
But I do like the way Bailey & co are stock-piling a large number of talented youngsters who are all about the same age and going to come through as one block.
Looks like the Tiggers are all set to do the same. Pity about the timing vis-a-vis the Gold Coast Point Breakers and the West Sydney Ramraiders.
Posted by: Tony | 12/01/2009 at 02:49 PM
I thought the whole thing was horrible - total misreading about how to build suspense with the reverse countdown, then basically dismissing picks 11-94 by having them at the bottom of the screen, then giving them a short acknowledgment at the end of each round.
Definately needs to go back to a straight forward readout of names, with maybe a pre-draft show with the talking heads going through the Top 10, surprises and recycled players in a one hour special at the end. Those who just want to find out who their club has picked up can go after the first bit, whilst diehards can sit around and listen to how every. single. club. has done really well out of this draft.
Posted by: Adsy | 12/01/2009 at 07:04 PM
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/lhvmxksxlw--It's-a-huge-shit-sandwichFull-Metal-Jacket-
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 12/02/2009 at 12:00 PM
Ah, the hidden words at the bottom of a comment which get posted when they are not meant to! Apologies.
"What this means is that."
Wise words, however. Words to live by.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 12/02/2009 at 12:03 PM