‘Can we play while they’re away?’: Footy great Jonathan Brown roasts AFL’s NRL ‘hijack’ plan

The AFL appear to have forgotten one key element of their grand opening round plan to get a foothold into their biggest rival’s heartland.

Jonathan Brown has a few questions over the opening round. Photo: Getty Images and Fox Footy

AFL great Jonathan Brown has roasted the league’s “opening round” concept for missing the point after the NRL’s Las Vegas showcase has already come and gone.

The news of the move first broke in September after the NRL revealed it would launch its season in the US, playing at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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It left the door open for the AFL to come in an poach the northern markets, which have traditionally been rugby league territory.

“While you go on holidays, we’ll rob your house,” GWS Giants director Jimmy Bartel said at the time.

The AFL then announced it would start with the opening round to try for a Sydney takeover.

After the NRL spend the summer clogging the airwaves with the talk of Las Vegas, the AFL plotted to swoop in under their rivals noses.

The AFL will start with four games for opening round, with the Swans hosting the Demons at the SCG on Thursday, Lions taking on the Blues at the Gabba on Friday and a double header on Saturday with the Damien Hardwick’s first game as Suns coach against his former club the Tigers, and the Giants renewing hostilities with the Magpies at GIANTS Stadium.

They were great scenes in Vegas. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The NRL will be playing the remaining six games of their opening round, with the Eels-Bulldogs match on Saturday evening the only one in Sydney along with the Gold Coast-Dragons clash on Saturday night and Dolphins-Cowboys Sunday afternoon both being played in Queensland.

Speaking the year’s first episode of Fox Footy’s On the Couch, Brown had more than a few questions about the AFL’s latest plan to break into rugby league heartland.

“For the whole summer, it’s been trumpeted that we’re going to take on the NRL when they’re in Vegas, we’re going to hijack their territory — when the cat’s away, the mice will play,” Brown said.

“Well, the Vegas games were yesterday. And the last time I looked, we didn’t have any AFL games — opening round is next week.

Nathan Buckley asked: “You wanted to start a week earlier?”

Brown continued: “I thought that was the whole point of it. Ground availability may have been a bit of an issue which rugby league don’t have to worry about because we’re relying on cricket grounds. But if we’re going to hijack that area, can we play them on the weekend while they’re away?”

Jonathan Brown has questioned the AFL's plan to hijack the NRL's turf. Photo: Fox Sports

Bizarrely, the NRL’s Friday night match is the Melbourne Storm Vs the Penrith Panthers, meaning without AFL in the city, that match will have the city to itself.

Garry Lyon laughed, adding: “While we’re away, I think the Melbourne Storm are coming and have the whole city of Melbourne on their own.”

However, the concept is getting support from the punters, with all four clubs reportedly forecasting sell out crowds.

Lyon had a different take however, looking at how the AFL keeps starting earlier and earlier.

In 2012, the season started on March 24, in 2015 it was April 2. This season, it will start on March 7 with opening round.

As round one then has all 18 teams playing, the AFL ladder will be somewhat skewed to the opening round teams, but the participating teams will have byes between round two and round six to correct their extra game played, leading up to the Anzac Round.

With the NRL out to 27 rounds and the AFL at 24 plus opening round and the bye week before the finals (the AFL played 23 rounds with no bye week in 2012), the only option is to move the start earlier.

But Lyon said: “Let’s go back to that, let’s go back to April 2.”

Buckley added: “Do you reckon they went with opening round, just so they didn’t have to say they had round 25? The numbers are getting up there at the back end aren’t they?”

The Giants at training. Photo: Phil Hillyard / Venues NSW

There was some criticism last year about the opening round concept with Collingwood’s US expat Mason Cox tweeting: “Round 1 NRL goes to Las Vegas. AFL premiers go to … A showground for livestock.”

The Giants then bit back — which probably was the best promotion of opening round the AFL could have asked for.

AFL great Mick Malthouse telling Nine’s Today at the time that he didn’t understand the point of the endeavour.

“The AFL seems to have this fear that other codes are trying to take over from them. There is a place for everyone,” he said at the time.

“I’m still trying to find out, when you look at the draw, what is the good of it?

“I just think the season is very long, players are getting tired by the end of the year, we’re getting more injuries early in the year.”