Geelong Cats: Chris Scott slams wildcard round proposal

Cats coach Chris Scott has slammed the proposed wildcard round, saying the AFL is “one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine.” Find out why.

Chris Scott has slammed the idea of a wildcard round before finals. Picture: Dylan Burns

Cats coach Chris Scott has slammed the proposed wildcard round, saying the AFL is “one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine.”

The AFL approached clubs with the idea of adding in a wildcard round ahead of finals, to allow for teams that finish ninth and tenth to compete for a spot in the eight.

But Scott said the integrity of the competition needed as much consideration as the financial benefits an extra two games would bring.

“We just have, in elite sport by global standards, one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine,” he said.

“Uneven numbers (of games against opponents), let’s just throw in a Gather Round, compromise the competition even more, if these things are really, really important from a fan perspective or from a commercial perspective they are worthy of thought.

“I would just ask the integrity of the competition is given as much thought.”

Scott believes the AFL is one of the most compromised elite competitions in the world. Picture: Michael Willson

If approved, the wildcard round would pit seventh against tenth and eighth against ninth on the weekend that is currently reserved for the pre-finals bye.

The winners of the two games would then play fifth and sixth in the elimination finals in the opening week of the finals campaign.

It would be the second change to the fixture in a 12-month period, with the season extending to 23 rounds over 24 weeks after the approval of Gather Round in Adelaide.

Gather Round is locked in for Adelaide until 2026. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Scott said he thought the conversation and debate surrounding the idea of Gather Round and the wildcard fixture was healthy for the AFL, but they compromised the league.

“We’re going to be in Adelaide for another three years aren’t we, for Gather Round? I’m assuming they’re all Showdowns,” he said.

“It kind of has to (compromise the integrity of the competition) on first blush, but on the other side of it, I’m a big advocate of thinking these things through.

“If we think out loud in public, no one should be held to account for those thought bubbles, I think they’re good to publicly debate.

“Maybe when you’re administering a competition the integrity of the actual, and the fairness of the draw, should be pretty close to your number one priority.

“Usain Bolt doesn’t start at a 10-metre disadvantage in the Olympics final just because he’s better than everyone else, but we’re sort of forced into that situation because it’s probably right that if Collingwood win the premiership that they shouldn’t have the easiest draw the following year.

“To actively manipulate it to make the competition more even is a conversation worth having, and would the wildcard help it or hurt it? I haven’t thought through it enough.”

Originally published as Geelong Cats: Chris Scott slams wildcard round proposal