Yup these games are not that much to go by at best they give the coaches a small idea how the young guys are performing and a small samples size how the per-season has shaped players who have had injuries, operations and the like. A little more important maybe would be how the new rule changers are affecting play which so far is showing if teams can get a roll on - can score much much quicker. so a buffer of say 4 goals in front isn't as significant as it was pre-new rule changes. So on a scale of 1 to 10 - ten being most important I would rate them a 3 because AFL players are competitive beasts and most if not all hate to lose more than we know.
But winning games through out the year is very important for the very simple fact if you don't win enough of those you don't even get to the dance or unbutton your trousers lol. Many a time the top 8 is very tight and winning through out year is so crucial as one extra loss could mean missing the 8 or top 4 etc. So not putting real importance on the the years home and away games is simply putting the Cart Before The Horse.
