AFL Grand Final 2017 will start 2.30pm as league rejects twilight move

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has urged the AFL to be bold and trial a twilight Grand Final next year after the AFL Commission shut the door on a change for 2017.

Bob Murphy and Easton Wood celebrate their 2016 Grand Final win. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

ANY move to a twilight grand final is at least another year away, with the AFL this morning confirming this year’s premiership decider will be held in the traditional 2.30pm timeslot.

The news follows a major push in recent months to move the showcase event to a later timeslot to appease broadcasters and make the day a bigger and better spectacle.

However, polling has constantly shown fans have been against any move and the AFL Commission accepted a recommendation not to change the game’s starting time.

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Despite the decision, Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson urged the AFL to be bold and trial a twilight Grand Final next year.

Clarkson, who has featured in four of the past five grand finals, believes the AFL could miss out on a “bonanza” by not favouring a later premiership playoff slot.

“At some point in time it is going to change ... if you don’t change you are never going to know, (so) maybe it is just exploratory for a year or two,” Clarkson said.

Western Bulldogs players and fans celebrate on the final siren. Picture: Toby Zerna

“There is nothing like exploring something to see if it works. If it works, it could be a bonanza for the AFL, and everyone involved in the game.

“If it doesn’t, then what have you got to lose, just go back to 2.30pm.

“At some point in time in the next five or ten years I am sure we are going to see a night Grand Final. It is just up to the powers that be at AFL House to determine when they want to do that.”

Clarkson pointed to the fact that most major sporting events took place in the twilight or at night, and he says the AFL has nothing to lose in trialling a change from a traditional 2.30pm.

“All the games (finals) prior to that are played at night. And you see some of the sports around the world that have their grand finales played at night ... and they are a great spectacle and something that is much better for television and sponsorship and viewership,” he said.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan made the announcement on radio this morning.

“We’re going to keep it where it is,” McLachlan told the ABC.

“The last three weeks, what’s been put out there is to have a chat. There hasn’t been anything really scientific about it but in the end we feel 2.30 is what we want to do in 2017 because of a heap of issues.”

McLachlan was coy when asked about the grand final timeslot on Monday, telling a press conference: “We’ll deal with that this week”.

The last four Saturday preliminary finals have been played in the twilight timeslot with great success.

However, Essendon great Tim Watson said he was shocked by the news, having expected the AFL to move the starting time this year.

The AFL Commission has accepted a recommendation for the Grand Final to remain as a 2.30pm day game, CEO Gillon McLachlan has confirmed.

— AFL (@AFL) March 30, 2017

“I am really surprised after the noise around this,” Watson said on SEN.

“I’m not passionate about the fact, whether it does move or not. I just had a feeling that it would move.”

McLachlan said late last year a move to a twilight grand final would happen at some point in the future.

“If you took a long-term view, it’s inevitable, but it’s a question of when and it’s to do with the composition of the commission, the presidents and others in the industry who have their views,” he said.

“You’re not pushing it back late at night. Kids could still go to a twilight game. It would be a bigger, bolder experience and clearly it would have an impact on television.”

The 2016 AFL Grand Final. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The players’ union said earlier this month it would support a twilight grand final, with new board member Scott Pendlebury adamant a later start time was right.

Pendlebury agreed with AFLPA president Matthew Pavlich, who says the game would be a better spectacle at night.

The player union told the Herald Sun it had no objection with a twilight grand final starting as late as 5pm.

This year’s grand final will be held at the MCG on September 30.

AFL fixture boss Travis Auld said the decision not to move the grand final was made after much consultation with clubs and key stakeholders but the start time would be reviewed annually.

“When you sat down and had a look at all the feedback, there’s no compelling reason to change it so we decided not to,” Auld said on SEN.

“If the sentiment of our supporters change or other reasons arise that would mean it would be a good decision to push it into a twilight spot, you’d certainly look at it. It’s something that we’d look at on an annual basis but I suppose now you get the feeling that we won’t change it unnecessarily.”