Gillon McLachlan reaffirms AFL’s desire to stage a Grand Final and is open to Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve decider

The AFL is determined to have a Grand Final settle this year’s premier and is keeping all options open, whether the decider is in October or December, at the MCG or Marvel Stadium.

AFL is still hopeful of staging the Grand Final at the MCG. Picture: David Caird

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The AFL is still clinging to hope it could still stage this year’s Grand Final at the MCG before the October 10 deadline when the ICC takes control of the venue for the Twenty20 World Cup.

But if the shutdown period blows that deadline then the AFL-owned Marvel Stadium is available to host the premiership decider as late as December 31.

That could potentially see the AFL Grand Final held at Docklands on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, either side of Virat Kohli’s India taking to the MCG for the Boxing Day blockbuster.

AFL players have said they are happy to play deep into December.

“If we can’t (play the Grand Final by the MCG cut-off) then we’ll do whatever we need to do to get it away,” league boss Gillon McLachlan said.

“I can’t imagine it not playing, unless it’s not appropriate.”

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AFL is still hopeful of staging the Grand Final at the MCG. Picture: David Caird

The MCG – which needs 10-14 days to morph into cricket mode – is due to host New Zealand-West Indies on October 25.

There are 144 remaining home-and-away matches plus a finals series that could be expanded to include a wildcard weekend between teams that finished from seventh to 10th.

Should the coronavirus crisis worsen, McLachlan was unsure the minimum number of home-and-away games required to constitute a season.

McLachlan was “confident” a national draft would be staged in 2020, despite the near-certainty that no junior football will be played.

That means recruiters – who were this week stood down by their clubs indefinitely – must select players based primarily on their bottom-age form in 2019.

McLachlan said that would “organically” lend itself to more VFL, WAFL and SANFL players being selected, because of their greater sample of exposed form.

Young stars Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) and Andrew McGrath (Essendon) are recent examples of high draft picks that used their under-18 seasons to rocket up talent boards.

One chief recruiter was confident that there was enough existing evidence to pick astutely on draft night.

Gillon McLachlan is confident a national draft will still be staged in 2020. Picture: AAP

McLachlan, speaking on Fox Footy, also hinted that the national combine would take place – and with a heightened importance.

He reinforced the league’s commitment to AFLW and the survival of all 18 clubs.

“This game means a lot to people and we need to protect it,” McLachlan said.

“I’m determined and I know that we go into this with 18 clubs, we’ll come out of this with 18 clubs, and we will have an industry to go forward with next year and a game.

“I’m absolutely confident that we might look a bit different, but the core structure will be the same.”

AFL headquarters is in total lockdown with league powerbrokers engaging in daily web meetings from home.

McLachlan outlined what needed to take place for the season to restart.

“There’s three things that are important for us and our priorities. One is the health and safety and wellbeing of our community, basically,” he said.

“The second one is to say then how does it work logistically and practically? And what is the government saying about how they want people to go back to work?

“We’ll continue to work with the medical advice, continue to work with the government and others then obviously we’ll practically make our own assessments of all of that.

“At some point Australia is going to come back and start moving again and we’ll be in keeping with that.

“What I do know is we’ll be ready because we’ll have a unified playing group, unified clubs, a unified industry where everyone’s aligned and they want the best for our community and all Australians and they also want our game of football to go forward.”

AFLPA, MATTHEWS CLEAR THE AIR

AFL Players’ Association boss Paul Marsh called Leigh Matthews this week after the footy legend declared he had “lost a lot of respect” for the players over their pay cut stoush.

The AFL and AFLPA agreed to a deal on Friday night that will see the players forfeit half of their incomes until the end of Ma, and then up to 70 per cent beyond that should the season remain suspended.

Matthews — who the AFLPA’s prestigious MVP award is named after — lashed out on radio this week, saying the players were “hiding” behind their union.

“I called Leigh the other night, because clearly he is a person that we have enormous respect for,” Marsh said on Fox Footy.

Leigh Matthews has spoken with AFLPA boss Paul Marsh. Picture: Getty Images

“As a players’ association (and) as every player, current or past, he is as respected a person in the game as there is.

“So I rang him to understand his perspective on this. His view is that we should’ve just, in a time of crisis, done what the AFL were telling us to do. I respectfully disagree with that.

“I haven’t spoken to him today, but I’d like to think he’d respect where we’ve got to. The players have taken big hits here, and it’s appropriate in the circumstances to do that.”

Marsh said the players were open to four-day breaks and multiple five-day breaks as the AFL hopes to cram in the remaining 144 home-and-away games plus finals by December 31.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said the players now understood the gravity of the coronavirus crisis.

“We couldn’t give them (players) the certainty they wanted,” McLachlan said.

“We’re planning on playing (and) working towards alternate fixtures. But when it happens and whether there’s crowds or not, no one knows that.

“The government position and the medical advice is changing everyday.”

Originally published as Gillon McLachlan reaffirms AFL’s desire to stage a Grand Final and is open to Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve decider