Yes they have it wrong. It is a compromised season so why not abandon it and replace with sort of round robin tournament. Treat the competition as a celebration of sportsmanship, award spot prizes for displays thereof, dismantle the "this is war rhetoric", have lots of special rounds (indigenous). have clubs treat it as an extended pre season for next year, try out new rules and still have a winner. Award coach of the year to that coach whose team show most improvement. Emphasise the history of the sport in every state. Celebrate it.
Why?
Because there will be a draft at the end of the season and it will be based on ladder positions if things return to usual ways resulting in a compromised draft. So let's all enjoy the footy and base the draft on lat year's positions.