AFL boss Gillon McLachlan discusses Grand Final venue, start time at launch of 2018 AFL fixture

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan answers questions on a twilight Grand Final and calls to shift the decider from the MCG, while the Bulldogs want answers on Good Friday.

GILLON McLachlan says the AFL has no plans to ever play the Grand Final away from the MCG as it again considers a future twilight Grand Final.

Richmond’s premiership win over Adelaide marked the fifth successive Grand Final win by a Victorian team against an interstate side.

PROS AND CONS: EVERY CLUB’S FIXTURE ANALYSED

WHAT THE? NINE WEIRD QUIRKS OF THE 2018 FIXTURE

EVERY CLUB: SEE WHO YOUR TEAM PLAYS NEXT YEAR

Port Adelaide president David Koch has called for a rotating Grand Final at some stage, but McLachlan believes the MCG is the home of the premiership decider.

The league has a Grand Final contract with the MCG for the next 20 years and has no intent of ever moving away from it.

Next year’s AFL Grand Final will fall on Saturday September 29, but as yet no time has been locked in.

McLachlan said the AFL Commission would consider the time at its November commission meeting.

He has said there will be a twilight Grand Final in the life of the current broadcast deal, which has four years to run.

“We haven’t had a good think about (the time) because we haven’t had to,” he said.

“I will get together with my board in November and they will have a view and we will have a look at all the different stuff. What would we do over summer if we didn’t talk about it?”

McLachlan said in the early 2000s six non-Victorian teams won premierships at the MCG.

“It was six years consecutively where non-Victorian teams won. And Andrew Demetriou called an inquiry into Victorian football.

“I feel comfortable the Grand Final is played here in front of 100,000 people and I speak to our clubs from outside Victoria and people know they come here and this is where the Grand Final is played for maximum attendance.”

McLachlan made it clear there would still be draws in AFL home-and-away games in 2018 after earlier raising the possible introduction of extra-time as an agenda point for new footy boss Steve Hocking.

McLachlan said Hocking had “strong views” on the aesthetics of the game but whether the AFL trials anti-congestion measures in the JLT series remains to be seen.

SEE THE FULL FIXTURE PDF HERE

Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs want answers from the AFL over why they were dumped from Good Friday football after just one year.

President Peter Gordon said the club was bitterly disappointed it had been replaced by St Kilda in the marquee timeslot in next year’s fixture.

The Dogs were determined to build a rivalry with North Melbourne on the public holiday despite a warning from the AFL last year it would rotate clubs in the game over the next few years.

The Dogs won last year’s match by three points at Etihad Stadium in front of 42,814 fans, while helping raise funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Macca’s take on the fixture.

“The club’s board, and its entire staff who worked so hard on the 2017 game, were disappointed to learn that the Bulldogs would not be involved in the game next year,” Gordon said.

“The board will seek a meeting with AFL commissioners to understand whether there was any shortcoming in the Bulldogs’ 2017 support for or participation in the game, or any principle of competitive balance or fixturing, which provides an explanation for the AFL’s decision.

“The 2017 game was acknowledged by all as a tremendous success and we hope the 2018 game inspires even more support for the Good Friday Appeal.”

AFL fixture boss Travis Auld said there were never any guarantees the Dogs and Roos would keep the game when it was launched last year.

“We made it clear that we wouldn’t lock in two teams and we’ve been true to our word there,” Auld said.

“North Melbourne have ended up with the opportunity for the second year in a row ... they have done a really good job with it.

“The Bulldogs did as well but they’ve got a lot of other things in their fixture which made it difficult to get them back on Good Friday.

“So, it’s a balance.

“St Kilda have been keen for some time and now they’ve got their opportunity. They’ll need to commit to not only the game but also the broader (concept).”