‘Losing their minds’: AFL planning radical move to change grand final, season blockbusters

An AFL plan to scrap the season as we know it has been uncovered with fans set to “lose their minds” over radical changes.

The AFL is planning to scrap the season fixture as we know it.

Eddie McGuire on Tuesday night reported the league is looking at “radical” changes with the Grand Final headlining a number of events to be shifted.

According to McGuire, league officials have already begun working on a potential plan that would see the 2026 and 2027 grand finals moved to the second week in October in a timeslot more friendly for a night-time grand final.

FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

McGuire, speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified, revealed several bombshell proposals the AFL is working, including a return to State of Origin football and a later start to the season.

“The big change is at the business end of the season,” McGuire said.

“A later start means a later finish with a grand final in the second weekend of October. Now before everyone loses their mind over this, there have been 28 October grand finals.”

Selling the concept to TV viewers, McGuire said the plan being debated by AFL heavyweights would turn big AFL events into “mega events” while also creating a “football tourism bonanza” for clubs outside of Victoria.

A general view of the MCG as teams line up ahead of the 2024 Grand Final. Photo by Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

He also said the ill-fated Opening Round concept would be scrapped and replaced by a concept where all the clubs in NSW and Queensland would play home matches alongside matches played in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

McGuire highlighted another bonus of the later start to the season means the AFL would avoid clashes with several major events in Melbourne over the next two years — the Formula 1 Grand Prix (which clashed with Round 1 this year), the NFL game at the MCG in early September 2026, and the special 150th Anniversary Test between Australia and England in March 2027, foxsports.com.au reports.

“The season would start with a State of Origin football match, possibly played over two weekends,” McGuire explained on Nine News.

“The grand final move would stop clashes with the Grand Prix at the start of the year, the NFL game for points at the MCG, which would fit nicely into the bye weekend between the end of the season and the finals. And then the following year, the 150th Anniversary Test match between Australia and England.

“But most importantly, it gives players and fans a better start to the season and in the best conditions. It also means at the other end of the season, no clashes with rival codes for the three biggest games, the two preliminary finals and the grand final.

“So the AFL would maximise ratings and commercial activity. It would also be a daylight saving grand final in October 2026, which could lead to a night grand final.”

Dusty Martin was the Norm Smith medallist at the Queensland night-time grand final. Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield were teammates in the AFL's last State of Origin concept.

A total of 29 V/AFL Grand Finals have been played in October, most recently 2020’s which was delayed due to Covid, but also some games which bled into the early days of October because of how the calendar fell like 2015 (October 3) and 2016 (October 1).

McGuire suggested the plans for a return of State of Origin are quite advanced with the concept to feature two separate divisions. He said one division would see Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and an Indigenous All Stars team play against each other. He said the other division would see Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and the Northern Territory face off.

He said the series would be played over two weeks with the winners of each game advancing to play the other winning state in their division.

It may not be the only change to the end of season schedule, with Sydney CEO Tom Harley making a submission to scrap the pre-finals bye.

“He has the strong support, ironically, of the Brisbane Football Club, the club that beat Sydney to win the premiership last year. Sydney hate the pre finals bye and they’re not the only club,” Caroline Wilson reported on Seven.

“Sydney went into that game (the Grand Final) having played twice in 35 days, they played once in 27 days to reach the preliminary final in 2016.

“Only two clubs have won the flag from outside the top four this century ... Sydney has been the losers on both occasions. To the Western Bulldogs, the year it was introduced 2016 and last year.

“Sydney believe there is no real advantage now to finish in the top four, certainly not in the top two and Brisbane agree.”

— with foxsports.com.au

Originally published as ‘Losing their minds’: AFL planning radical move to change grand final, season blockbusters