The AFL seems determined to move the Grand Final to a twilight fixture. Most fans want it left as is. But there is a simple solution.
Hold the Grand Final at Optus Stadium in Perth with a local start time of 2.30pm. You see the AFL officially categorises games in Perth that start around that time as "twilight" matches. This way everyone's happy.
I've been to two "twilight" matches at Optus Stadium this year; the round 3 clash between the Eagles and the Cats and round 7's game between the Eagles and Port. These matches started at 2.40pm and 2.35pm respectively. Both of these games were played in blazing sunshine. My seat cops the arvo sun and for both games I was lathered in sunscreen. Yet, according to the AFL these were both "twilight" fixtures! Tell that to some of the people who sat around me who forgot to bring a hat. Anyone watching those games on TV would have noticed the stark difference when the ball went from light to shade and the trouble the cameras had adjusting. Hardly the definition of a twilight fixture.
Now I know that if you're camped in front of your television in Melbourne for a match like that it might be twilight outside your window. But how does that translate into a match being played in another time zone also being a "twilight" match? Or perhaps we should rename the Australian Football League the Eastern Standard Time Football League?
ps in case you think this is just a whinge by a Western Australian who thinks he's getting a raw deal we do get some things going our way; out GST returns recently got a near 50% increase, we went from getting 34 cents in the dollar to 47 cents, oh happy day.
Hold the Grand Final at Optus Stadium in Perth with a local start time of 2.30pm. You see the AFL officially categorises games in Perth that start around that time as "twilight" matches. This way everyone's happy.
I've been to two "twilight" matches at Optus Stadium this year; the round 3 clash between the Eagles and the Cats and round 7's game between the Eagles and Port. These matches started at 2.40pm and 2.35pm respectively. Both of these games were played in blazing sunshine. My seat cops the arvo sun and for both games I was lathered in sunscreen. Yet, according to the AFL these were both "twilight" fixtures! Tell that to some of the people who sat around me who forgot to bring a hat. Anyone watching those games on TV would have noticed the stark difference when the ball went from light to shade and the trouble the cameras had adjusting. Hardly the definition of a twilight fixture.
Now I know that if you're camped in front of your television in Melbourne for a match like that it might be twilight outside your window. But how does that translate into a match being played in another time zone also being a "twilight" match? Or perhaps we should rename the Australian Football League the Eastern Standard Time Football League?
ps in case you think this is just a whinge by a Western Australian who thinks he's getting a raw deal we do get some things going our way; out GST returns recently got a near 50% increase, we went from getting 34 cents in the dollar to 47 cents, oh happy day.
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