The best known variant of the Argus system, which is described above, is known in full as the
second amended Argus system. There were several other variants of the Argus system, or of systems involving a right of challenge, in use over the same period.
First Argus system Used in 1901 by the VFL, this system was a simple four-team knockout tournament, with semi-finals of 1st vs 3rd and 2nd vs 4th. The 1st-ranked team's right to challenge did not feature and was not added until 1902; and so although it has come to be referred to by the Argus system name, it otherwise lacks similarity with the other variants.
First amended Argus system This system was similar to the second amended Argus system, except that the right to challenge went to the team with the strictly best win–loss record including the semi-finals and final/preliminary final – rather than to the minor premier in the home-and-away season. This meant the minor premier could lose the right to challenge by the end of the finals. A strictly better win–loss ratio than the winner of the
final was required to have the right of challenge; having an equal record but ahead on a tie-breaker such as percentage or points differential was not sufficient. This meant that in many seasons a
final was played with no chance of a
grand final following it. For example, in the
1903 VFL season, the clubs' records were such that the winner of the
final would also now have the best or equal-best win–loss record after that result was included, eliminating any chance of a challenge.
Round-robin system with challenge For the
1924 season only, the VFL trialled a new format, under which the semi-finals and final were replaced with a round-robin tournament among the top four. The 1st-ranked team from the home-and-away season would then have the right to challenge the winner of the round-robin series in the grand final, if necessary. The series was played under the fixture: • Week one:
1st vs
3rd;
2nd vs
4th • Week two:
1st vs
2nd;
3rd vs
4th • Week three:
1st vs
4th;
2nd vs
3rd • Grand final: 1st vs round-robin winner (if necessary) In the sole VFL season that the system was used, no grand final was required. and although this did occur, it did not translate to higher receipts, and the scheme was abandoned after one year.
Three-team system with challenge Some smaller leagues, such as the four-team
Tasmanian Australian National Football League, utilised a three-team finals system including the Argus-style right of challenge. Such a system typically bracketed as follows: Which team was afforded the right of challenge depended on the league. In particular, where the system was used in Tasmania it was typically the team with strictly the best home-and-away win–loss record, not the team with most premiership points, who had right of challenge (not all home-and-away matches were played for the same number of premiership points in Tasmania at the time).
Other variations There were several other variants of finals systems which included a minor premier's right of challenge. Some of note include: •
Victorian Amateur Football Association: Beginning in
1929, the VAFA used an Argus system with semi-final pairings of 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd. Under the system, the minor premier needed strictly the best win–loss record in the home and away season to have the right of challenge. •
Barrier Ranges Football Association: in the 1930s, the Broken Hill league used a version of the three-team challenge system. The difference occurred only if the third-placed team won the
final; in this case, the second- and third-placed teams would play each other again, and the winner of that match would be the one to face the minor premiers in the challenge match. ==History==