Money will be the main motive to change to a twilight Grand Final, writes Jon Ralph

THE AFL says a twilight Grand Final trial will happen at the right time, not at the right price, but everything the league does is about making as much money as possible, write JON RALPH.

GILLON McLachlan says the AFL wants to experiment with a twilight Grand Final at the right time, not at the right price.

The AFL chief executive says the league will let the fans know by Round 1, but no change will be made with ratings or broadcast riches as considerations.

McLachlan says he wants to balance tradition with progress, aware of the glorious spectacle of last year’s twilight preliminary final between Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney.

Why can’t the AFL have tradition and progress — a 5pm contest that showcases the best our game has to offer as well as huge exposure to the northern states?

RATINGS BOOST: GIANTS PUSH FOR TWILIGHT DECIDER

Clubs want it, players are happy to trial it, the broadcasters are desperate for it and insiders believe it would add as many as 600,000 viewers throughout Australia.

As McLachlan and his seven commissioners sit down to debate the issue, every club canvassed by the Herald Sun urged them to trial it.

And while McLachlan says a twilight Grand Final will happen, but not necessarily this year, the AFL’s history shows it is inevitable — the league has never encountered a TV slot or media property or sponsorship opportunity it hasn’t tried to monetise.

Last year’s Grand Final between the Western Bulldogs and Sydney played during the day. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Just ask the makers of Special K, who paid the cash to become the official breakfast cereal of the AFLW.

Or those who paid for Radiant to become the official laundry powder of the league.

And in case you were wondering, Coates Hire would have paid plenty to become the Official AFL Hire Equipment Partner, whatever that means.

Across every department and line of its business, the league is about making as much money as possible.

Even the AFLW, fast-tracked to allow women to play professionally, has commerce as one of its key motivations.

“In the long term it makes business sense because it is a key part of our growth,” McLachlan said this year, almost in the same breath as raising cultural change as a driver for the AFLW.

The question McLachlan, new commission chairman Paul Goyder and company will get to eventually is whether they are prepared to reject the huge upside of a twilight Grand Final.

The league’s figures show its free-to-air ratings were down, along with attendances, last year.

The Bulldogs won a thrilling twilight preliminary final against the Giants last year. Picture: Getty Images

A twilight GF won’t improve attendances, but it sure will boost some of the metrics the AFL so prizes.

Footy looks better at night or at twilight, the actual game is not adversely affected, and the potential for an entertainment spectacular skyrockets.

Who cares about entertainment, you might say?

Well, the kids, the Netflix generation and northern states viewers might get sucked in by an international rock act and soon get enticed by what they watch next.

Why pay $200 million for expansion into the heartland of other codes when you play your best game at a time not many people care to watch?

Originally published as Money will be the main motive to change to a twilight Grand Final, writes Jon Ralph