THE possibility of a ‘Wildcard Weekend’ was discussed at yesterday’s Competition Committee meeting in Melbourne, with the AFL keen to explore various options leading into the finals.
Port Adelaide General Manager - Football Chris Davies said it was interesting to hear some ideas surrounding the lead-up to the finals.
“It’s something the AFL are looking at,” Davies said at a press conference on Thursday morning.
“I’m certainly interested in all of the ways the AFL are looking at filling times in the calendar. “The wildcard stuff is interesting for that first week of the finals.”
Davies said the important thing was to make sure the fairness and reward was there for clubs who deserved it throughout the year, but admitted the finals series’ in the last few years have been great with the bye.
“First and foremost, the AFL would acknowledge the final series’ over the last few years have been cracking with that extra week off,” he said.
“It’s got to be weighed up with - does it help the teams down the bottom of the eight having to play an extra week?”
“That was part of the conversation, and I’m sure the AFL will continue to look at the options for its finals series into the future.”
Player movement was another agenda item stemming from yesterday’s Competition Committee meeting, and Davies believes it is natural for the AFL to look at mid-season windows for players to change clubs.
“The AFL are going to continue to look at ways players can move within the competition,” he said.
“It’s a natural thing to look at - most sports now have a window in the middle of the season where players can change clubs.
“Whether that’s a good thing for our competition or not, it is something the AFL and the people who are making rules around it are going to have to continually look at.”
Port’s football boss said it was important for a potential player movement window to work in conjunction with the current mid-season rookie draft.
“You’ve got to look at it in totality,” Davies said.
“If you were going to make changes to a mid-season trade period, you wouldn’t just look at it distinct from a mid-season draft.
“You would be looking at the ways players get onto the lists across the whole board.”
The 2019 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft will be broadcast LIVE on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live Official App and Fox Footy from 6.30pm AEST on Monday 27 May.
Davies intrigued by Competition Committee discussions
Chris Davies reflects on several talking points from yesterday's AFL Competition Committee meeting.