No.Well said. So the only difference is that, perhaps unlike other professional competitions, the AFL want to interfere with its professional competition and manufacture outcomes to meet its perceived aims, not allow the results to be determined by the clubs and teams autonomously on their field of play alone?
The difference is that, unlike other professional competitions, they have no-one to answer to. Cricket, soccer, rugby, any "normal" sport, have other national controlling bodies looking over their shoulders, not to mention INTERnational controlling bodies. The AFL can do what they like. End of story. Why they choose to is another matter, but the main difference is that they can.