‘Gross, horrible’: Footy world slams ‘grim’ AFL ‘graveyard shift’

Sunday AFL games are not what they used to be.

Footy commentators have had enough of the AFL’s “graveyard shift” amid growing frustration over a fan favourite that’s being neglected.

AFL fans and pundits are bemoaning the fixturing of Round 5, with two games played simultaneously on Saturday night and an underwhelming pair of clashes scheduled for Sunday.

Saturday night’s AFL action saw Port Adelaide defeat Fremantle by three points in a thrilling match between two top-eight calibre teams.

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But kicking off at the exact same time, 7.30pm AEST, the Suns started their game against Hawthorn up on the Gold Coast.

While South Australian time is half an hour behind Queensland, the decision to schedule the two games to start at the same time on the east coast and not stagger them by a quarter or a half, was surprising.

Sports broadcaster Adam White wrote on X: “Why would these two games start at the same time?

“There should, at the very least, be an hour gap in the starting times. Or, one of the two games should be played tomorrow rather than having only two games. It doesn’t make any sense!”

The scheduling meant the games even broke for quarter, halftime and three quarter time and the same point, making for an truncated TV viewing experience.

Overlapping games have long been a bugbear of fans and you’d have thought staggering the weekend’s games was possible with a match on Thursday night and two teams on a bye.

Port Adelaide won a thriller against Freo... (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

...at the exact same time another game was on. (Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Sunday now footy ‘graveyard’

AFL commentators have also criticised what they believe is the gradual decline of Sunday afternoon football.

Sunday’s Round 5 action begins when Geelong host North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium at 1pm AEST — the Kangaroos haven’t beaten Geelong since 2015.

And the round wraps up with cellar dwellers West Coast chasing their first win since Round 23 last year against the rebuilding Richmond in Perth at 4pm AEST.

AFL journalist Sam McClure said on the Tradies podcast this week: “Has Sunday footy just become a bit of an afterthought?

“There’s two games this Sunday. Do you know what they are? Geelong-North Melbourne, West Coast-Richmond. I mean honestly. I’m already depressed about the day of Sunday.

“Sunday of Round 6, there are two games. Sydney vs Gold Coast at the SCG — maybe not that bad a game on paper but not a lot of people going to watch. The twilight game is North Melbourne and Hawthorn. Come on guys.

“Round 7 has two games. Gold Coast vs West Coast, Hawthorn vs Sydney.

“Sundays are looking grim for me, they’re looking grim. I’m going to need to play golf.

“Gather Round’s Sunday games were amazing. That’s how I feel like every Sunday should be.

“What I would like to see is them go back to prioritising, to have at least one Sunday box office game, that even if you don’t barrack for either of the two sides, I want to see.”

Round 5's Sunday games look grim on paper. Photo: Instagram@clubbysports

A true Sunday graveyard shift. Photo: Instagram@dandoesfooty

Former Gold Coast and Carlton player turned footy comedian Dan Gorringe likened Sunday’s slate of games to a “graveyard shift”.

“The absolute treat we’re given here in the graveyard shift, just blockbusters galore,” he joked on his danfoesfooty page.

“Genuine graveyard, get in there and bury yourself type of operation.

“North vs the Cats into an Eagles vs Richmond. Just gross, just horrible.”

One person replied to Gorringe’s post: “To be fair eagles v tigers could be a close game but ladder and quality wise this is a dead Sunday.”

West Coast won’t be moving from the Sunday timeslot very soon. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Sunday has arguably been somewhat neglected by the AFL’s fixturing, which has increasingly prioritised prime time slots on Thursday and Friday nights.

A Thursday night game is scheduled for the first 14 weeks of the season.

The AFL’s inaugural Opening Round didn’t have a game on Sunday, a day of the weekend that hasn’t had too many thrillers to start the season.

Richmond’s five-point upset win over the Sydney Swans in Round 3 has probably been the pick of the Sunday games so far.

It’s also worth noting only one of the eight games in Round 5 was held at the MCG — Thursday night’s clash between Brisbane and Melbourne.

Carlton hosted Adelaide at Marvel Stadium at Saturday night as part of its contract to play six games at Marvel Stadium. The Blues will play only five home games at the MCG this year.

In comparison, the NRL has a Thursday night game and a Friday night double header most weeks to ensure the rest of the round’s matches can be spread over Saturday and Sunday without clashing.