“There’s got to be a better system”: Russell’s issue with the AFL’s McClelland Trophy

Dwayne Russell thinks that the league has to come up with a better system for deciding the winners of the McClelland Trophy.

As things stand, the trophy and the $1 million prizemoney that comes with it is given to the club that is the best performing across the home and away seasons for both the AFL and AFLW combined.

Wins in the men’s competition are worth four points, while wins in the AFLW count for eight points given their shortened season. That meant Hawthorn took home the prize with a combined 136 points, ahead of Brisbane on 128 points.

Although Hawthorn were technically better performing than Brisbane according to the points system, both the men’s and women’s sides were knocked out of finals before Prelim weekend in both men’s and women’s.

As for the Lions, they took home the AFL Grand Final and face Adelaide on Saturday night for a place in the AFLW Grand Final.

Russell thinks that finals need to be included in the award in some way to truly honour the club that is best performing across their men’s and women’s programs.

“It is apparently for the best AFL/AFLW club the McClelland trophy and it’s for the combined wins that you've had over the home and away season,” Russell told SEN Afternoons.

“But the problem is, you could win both flags and not win the trophy that's meant to be the award for the best AFL and AFLW club.

“Say the Brisbane Lions, if they finish fifth in the men's and win the flag and finish fifth in the women's and win the flag – they could win both flags and not win the trophy compared to a team that had more combined home and away wins.

“Surely that's not right … if you're going to have a trophy that you've now decided to present for the best AFL/AFLW club, and a team could win both flags and not win it – that doesn't make sense to me.

“There’s got to be a better system.”

The winner of the Brisbane v Adelaide Preliminary Final will face the winner of the North Melbourne v Port Adelaide Preliminary Final in the 2024 AFLW Grand Final on Saturday, November 30.