AFL eyeing Labour Day opening Round in Victoria

[Hawkk]

Yeah I get the commercial nature of it all, but I just don’t really buy this as the main reason — especially when it feels like they’re actually leaving money on the table.

Take the Queen’s Birthday clash as an example. It’s one of the few marquee fixtures that regularly pits a smaller club against a big one. Melbourne have averaged crowds of 75,000 the last four times they’ve hosted it (excluding the SCG game in 2021).

Marquee games clearly draw big crowds, but the major clubs don’t need them to pull numbers. Look at ANZAC Day 2024 — it drew 10,000 more than the regular-season Collingwood vs Essendon match, but both still had attendances over 80,000.

To me it's clear that the AFL are short-changing themselves by not even considering more small v big marquee matchups. Games between big clubs will bring in huge crowds no matter what — so why not maximise the return? It then gives the smaller clubs the ability to go to free agents and show them the marquee slots they have. It's clearly not the same because big clubs will have the majority fan support of course, but it bridges the equalisation gaps a bit I would have thought.

This is exactly why a Carlton v Collingwood game would be an absolute waste on Labor Day (as speculated in the article) — that game literally draws 80,000 plus to a mid week game in pouring rain.

I guess they could argue TV ratings - but again ratings are not as much tied to club popularity but the quality of the game.

 

[Crankyhawk]

It's been an issue for a long time but it will never be addressed - Kangaroos finally got a hold of one of these spots and the Bulldogs came with them, and then they're pushed aside for another opportunity to watch Carlton. Whenever the AFL thinks it's creating something new you can be sure Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond, Essendon, Hawthorn get first dibs. If they think Victorian fans are desperate for footy this round, then surely you could very well run Bulldogs v Saints here and get a crowd.

I know it's not your issue but the lack of nationally broadcast marquee matches impacts the non Vic clubs too. For example, KFC sponsor Port, Hawks and Collingwood. If they decide to drop that amount and go for 1 or 2 teams, which of those is going to have the most national primetime exposure to show off their brand? You've got Collingwood with at least 2 nationally broadcast, heavily promoted "marquee" games there, plus all the Thursday and Friday night games they get every year. What can Port offer to counter that?

Unfortunately it's not an issue that'll ever be addressed. The rich get richer and all that.

Hawks get dibs? News to us, we play in Tasmania because we are not big

 

[Hawkk]

Hawks get dibs? News to us, we play in Tasmania because we are not big

There is no justifiable reason why Hawthorn is still playing games in Tasmania when they, along with Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast get taxed more than any other club.

The Hawks get Round 1 against Essendon, Easter Monday and since Carlton got the extra home game at the MCG now play MCG away games against 4 of Coll, Rich, Melb, Carl, Geel and Ess every season. That gives the Hawks 9-10 MCG games despite selling 4 of our actual home games to a 14,000 seat venue with light tower issues (14 home games this year). Those Ess and Carl ‘away’ games which pre Covid were Marvel games are now MCG games which is a massive benefit.

Hawthorn do very well out of the fixturing…

If Labor Day is a goer at the MCG, a Pies v Dogs game does make sense - it gives the Dogs an extra MCG game and Collingwood will ensure it’s a full house every season. If the Dogs have to host finals at the MCG, they along with the Saints and North deserve at least one big fixture at the ground.

 

[maskmcgee]

Make it St. Kilda v Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Sunday night. Then every club has their marquee games.

 

[Outtatym]

Make it St. Kilda v Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Sunday night. Then every club has their marquee games.

Every Vic club

 

[maskmcgee]

Every Vic club

Every non-vic club has 2 derby/showdowns

 

[Bald]

Make it St. Kilda v Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Sunday night. Then every club has their marquee games.

I'm glad we've got Easter Sunday night between these two clubs but we need to be realistic, I think for this to work you need to have big club vs small club. There's a reason the AFL took us off Good Friday (not just that we Josh Bruce'd them every time we played them).

 

[SC_Power]

This might be a bit of a tangent (and certainly a bit of a melt), and maybe it deserves its own thread — but there’s a real issue with equalisation in the AFL, and marquee games are a big part of it. I genuinely don’t know how to fix it. Sure, this could sound like sour grapes, but I’m trying to come at it with as little bias as possible.

From a commercial perspective, it makes total sense to schedule the big clubs in the marquee slots. I’m not arguing with that at all. But when those same big clubs are constantly handed the prime-time spotlight, it only deepens the imbalance — especially around player movement — in a competition that already favours them.

Take Tom De Koning as an example. St Kilda is throwing a huge offer at him because that’s basically all they can offer: money. If he were already at St Kilda and looking to move to a big Victorian club, they could easily offer $400k less a year — and still be an appealing option because of the crowds, exposure, and regular marquee games.

Just last month, James Hird questioned why Brayden Maynard would ever leave Collingwood for North, saying any money he might make at North would be offset by future commercial deals if he stayed at the Pies. And he’s probably right.

My club? We’ve never landed a star recruit through trade or free agency without some sort of asterisk. Our biggest signings? Tom Boyd — huge talent, but signed purely on potential. Barry Hall and Jason Akermanis — both outcasts at their previous clubs. And Adam Treloar? We only got him because Collingwood needed a fire sale.

Again, I don’t have a solution. But when the only thing smaller clubs can realistically offer is cash — and they can’t compete on marquee slots or post-career commercial appeal — at what point do we acknowledge that a flat salary cap just doesn’t create a level playing field?

Thanks for the post, and well said.

Highlighted this year that over the first 15 rounds announced for this season, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn have a combined TWENTY EIGHT Thu or Fri night games. Even the Bulldogs get FIVE.

Port Adelaide got ONE.

A reminder that Port won as many finals last year as the other 5 combined, so performance means stuff all.

(And yeah, this is sour grapes)

 

[Hawkk]

Thanks for the post, and well said.

Highlighted this year that over the first 15 rounds announced for this season, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn have a combined TWENTY EIGHT Thu or Fri night games. Even the Bulldogs get FIVE.

Port Adelaide got ONE.

A reminder that Port won as many finals last year as the other 5 combined, so performance means stuff all.

(And yeah, this is sour grapes)

I don’t get why the AFL don’t schedule more Adelaide and Perth games on Thursdays - a slot that draws better than in Melbourne. Maybe it’s because Channel 7 doesn’t want to fly over commentators and the production costs are higher…

 

[Rotayjay]

It's not the **** en NBA or EPL. Footy is a winter sport. Stop with this NRL-inspired gimmick shit.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Way too early, way too hot

Quality of the game suffers as players fatigue and are affected by the heat

It also totally sucks for fans, stadiums are highly cramped spaces and they are terrible places to be when it’s hot.

We will see more and more games in hot, summer-like conditions and it will 100% impact crowds - less people will go, just as happens in pouring rain.

If they need to extend the season then it needs to be in October.

 

[jdeezy]

Every non-vic club has 2 derby/showdowns

These are not games with locked in timeslots that are nationally broadcast and heavily promoted. Hell, Port's home showdown this year can't even be broadcast live on free to air in SA, let alone anywhere else.

Again, it's a big Vic club with 2 protected "marquee games", trying to build a 3rd, telling the clubs who aren't offered any, "she'll be right"

 

[daniel_4tw]

This might be a bit of a tangent (and certainly a bit of a melt), and maybe it deserves its own thread — but there’s a real issue with equalisation in the AFL, and marquee games are a big part of it. I genuinely don’t know how to fix it. Sure, this could sound like sour grapes, but I’m trying to come at it with as little bias as possible.

From a commercial perspective, it makes total sense to schedule the big clubs in the marquee slots. I’m not arguing with that at all. But when those same big clubs are constantly handed the prime-time spotlight, it only deepens the imbalance — especially around player movement — in a competition that already favours them.

Take Tom De Koning as an example. St Kilda is throwing a huge offer at him because that’s basically all they can offer: money. If he were already at St Kilda and looking to move to a big Victorian club, they could easily offer $400k less a year — and still be an appealing option because of the crowds, exposure, and regular marquee games.

Just last month, James Hird questioned why Brayden Maynard would ever leave Collingwood for North, saying any money he might make at North would be offset by future commercial deals if he stayed at the Pies. And he’s probably right.

My club? We’ve never landed a star recruit through trade or free agency without some sort of asterisk. Our biggest signings? Tom Boyd — huge talent, but signed purely on potential. Barry Hall and Jason Akermanis — both outcasts at their previous clubs. And Adam Treloar? We only got him because Collingwood needed a fire sale.

Again, I don’t have a solution. But when the only thing smaller clubs can realistically offer is cash — and they can’t compete on marquee slots or post-career commercial appeal — at what point do we acknowledge that a flat salary cap just doesn’t create a level playing field?

There's a very simple solution to this... Trading players without consent. That way everyone is on a level playing field with trade capital with the same money to play with and appropriate draft picks.

Salary caps don't work when there are things that clubs can offer (tangible or intangible).

The entire point of the salary cap is low performing teams can go spend big to get in better recruits to improve. Instead, players take pay cuts to play for big clubs or 'for success'. The bottom clubs can't attract talent and worse, lose the talent they develop through the draft.

 

[CobberRodgers]

There's a very simple solution to this... Trading players without consent. That way everyone is on a level playing field with trade capital with the same money to play with and appropriate draft picks.

Salary caps don't work when there are things that clubs can offer (tangible or intangible).

The entire point of the salary cap is low performing teams can go spend big to get in better recruits to improve. Instead, players take pay cuts to play for big clubs or 'for success'. The bottom clubs can't attract talent and worse, lose the talent they develop through the draft.

Blind Freddie could see what was going to happen with FA and the better players choosing the “bigger clubs”.

With the cap floor needing to be met, all it’s done is make the “smaller clubs” overspend on players that are not that great coming out of FA in desperation and the gap widens.

Agree on the last bit massively, you develop a player and then he leaves, you get compensated with the pick, you then develop that player and he leaves, the cycle continues.

I also get why the trading without consent hasn’t happened yet. Can’t just pick up your life in one city and drop it in another with a family etc if you’re only on $250,000. Maybe we look at a no consent clause starting at a particular wage bracket and go from there?

 

[Walshawk]

Ridiculous. As if one game in Melbourne does anything to appease the supporters of the clubs who are not playing. Either play the full round or start the next week.

Pies v Blues sells out anyway. There is just no point to this.

 

[Xtreme]

IF this protects the grand final moving from the last Saturday in September then I'm all for it.

 

[kickazz]

Round zeroes, GFs in October. Look I love my footy but I also like doing other things when it it not footy season. No need to spread out so much and try to dominate out attention.

 

[ferball]

Round zeroes, GFs in October. Look I love my footy but I also like doing other things when it it not footy season. No need to spread out so much and try to dominate out attention.

But that is their MO.

Its why the draft takes days, trade week takes a month instead of two days and there is so much dumb **** AFL media repeating itself on every platform available. The AFL doesn't want you doing other things outside of footy season. Especially other sports.

 

[Atomboy]

The AFL is a business. It is driven by money. The playing field will never be equal.

And yet we still hear the cries of indignation about smaller clubs getting more “equilisation funds”.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Round zeroes, GFs in October. Look I love my footy but I also like doing other things when it it not footy season. No need to spread out so much and try to dominate out attention.

The AFL's main priority has been as a twelve month media machine for a long time now.
The local Test match in each of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth (Brisbane and Sydney obviously have near the same issue with Rugby League); the Aus Open tennis and the Melbourne Cup are the only things that cut through that cycle for more than a day.
And the Tests probably won't keep doing so for much longer, any more than Bathurst has.

 

[kickazz]

The AFL's main priority has been as a twelve month media machine for a long time now.
The local Test match in each of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth (Brisbane and Sydney obviously have near the same issue with Rugby League); the Aus Open tennis and the Melbourne Cup are the only things that cut through that cycle for more than a day.
And the Tests probably won't keep doing so for much longer, any more than Bathurst has.

Yeah it makes our lives less rich, for sure.

I know it's our choice waht we pay attention to and all - but it can be hard when you want to talk to friends and colleagues about other things, and the topic comes back to footy.

My current pet hate is the fixture release. The whole thing used to come out late October. Now it is drip, drip, drip