AFL chief Andrew Demetriou says Fremantle fans can get finals tickets, if they want them

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has guaranteed no Fremantle member will miss out on a seat at Saturday's Qualifying Final at Simonds Stadium.

demetriou

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has guaranteed no Fremantle member will miss out on a seat at Saturday's Qualifying Final at Simonds Stadium.

Capacity at the ground is about 33,000 – which the AFL says is around the number the league’s crowd boffins believe would turn up if the game were to be played at Etihad Stadium.

The MCG is unavailable because three tenant clubs – Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond will host finals at the ground. 

More than 19,000 tickets have already been sold.

“I can assure you that any Fremantle supporter who wants a ticket, or a member, will get a ticket,” Demetriou said at the launch of the finals series.

“We’ve made 4000 tickets available and my guess is the 4000 who won’t be taken up.

“But any Fremantle supporter or member who wants a ticket will turn up.  

Demetriou disputed that Simonds Stadium had been chosen for financial or political reasons and rubbished talk that Fremantle had been hard done by.

“I think it is a massive advantage to play at Subiaco (had Fremantle finished second) so this issue of equity and fairness is absolutely at the core of our decision and I don’t share the view that somehow it is more advantageous to one club because they are not playing at Etihad when Geelong plays seven games at Simonds Stadium and Fremantle plays 12 games at Subiaco,” he said.

“The fact is we only had this situation because of the uniqueness of the situation we’re we have Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond play home games at the MCG and that combination is an extraordinary one.

“The decision was based on fairness and the nonsensical commentary about their being financial reasons or some bonanza are simply not true.

“On a fairness equation it is absolutely fair that 32,000 or 33,000 people get to watch Geelong play at Simonds Stadium because of the unique nature of these three other games play at the MCG."

Demetriou was clearly frustrated by a decision by the West Australian Football Commission to agree to a rugby union Test to be played at Paterson’s Stadium on the second Saturday of the finals.

It means the winner of Collingwood- Port Adelaide will have to face Fremantle on the Friday night after just a six-day break, should the Dockers lose to Geelong this week.

Collingwood will be coming off a six-day break between the North Melbourne and Port games.

Demetriou said  there was a contract in place for 2014 which could see a repeat of the scheduling problem.

“This was a decision made by the West Australian Football Commission to host a rugby union game on a Saturday night smack bang in the middle of finals,” he said.

“It was a decision that the football commission shouldn’t have made.

“It is true that once that game is stuck on a Saturday night, it limits our opportunities to play the final to a Friday night or Sunday.

“We’re not happy with that decision – it does compromise our finals and unfortunately we could be in the same position next year.

“I understand that the football commission has a contract for another game next September so again we’ll face that issue.

“Not being disrespectful but Australia –Argentina  on the Saturday night isn’t really of interest to us.

“We’re more interested in Fremantle or West Coast Eagles playing in the finals.

“It’s (next year) something where we’ll have to appeal to rugby to move the game.

“It could all have been avoided if they had played that game on Sunday.”