AFL cuts number of back-to-back six-day breaks in half for 2018 season

COLLINGWOOD, Essendon and Carlton still face nightmare runs but but players will welcome a dramatic cut in the number of back-to-back six-day breaks clubs will face next year.

THE AFL has slashed by half the number of back-to-back six-day breaks clubs will face next year.

Clubs are adamant back-to-back six-day breaks put a huge strain on players who have to then play three games within 12 days, including in some cases interstate travel.

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The league has cut the number of repeat shortened breaks from 15 this year to seven in 2018.

Essendon confronts arguably the toughest run next year when it will play three games in 11 days, including the Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood on a Wednesday.

But all three games the Bombers play over that span are in Melbourne.

Carlton’s run in Rounds 9-11 will also test the Blues as they play their first match in Geelong in 21 years (Round 10) then fly to Sydney to face the Swans (Round 10) before the bye.

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Collingwood will also embark on a trip back from Brisbane in Round 7 before Nathan Buckley’s men launch at Geelong, St Kilda and Fremantle (Rounds 8-10) in quick succession.

Sydney will make two trips to Melbourne as part of its repeat six-day breaks (Rounds 17-19) on the eve of the finals.

Daniel Wells celebrates a goal against Essendon on Anzac Day.

Teams often train only once for a shortened period throughout these horror stretches to help combat the effects of fatigue and soreness.

Sydney (eight), Carlton and Richmond (seven) have the most six-day breaks in total next year.

Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Sydney are the only clubs which face the killer back-to-back short breaks in 2018.

Melbourne faced three consecutive six-day breaks during the 2017 season and was thumped by Sydney at the MCG by 35 points in the final leg of the rigorous month.

Fixture boss Travis Auld said the league tried to eliminate six-day breaks where possible, especially on the back of interstate travel.

But some commercial arrangements and blockbuster games made some six-day breaks impossible to avoid entirely.

“It (short breaks) is a real focus of the (clubs’) football departments, the thing they really look at,” Auld said.

“This year we had 15 and that was quite a few, but we have got that down to seven … and it was a bit of a focus of ours.”

He said the league was especially mindful of the load on Gold Coast due to the unavailability of Metricon Stadium early in the season, and the two Western Australian teams.

The Suns (three) and Brisbane (four) have the fewest six-day breaks.