The AFL fixture has come under scrutiny from club captains, with a dispute over the amount of short turnarounds between games.
Following the introduction of the Opening Round to launch in 2024, a lopsided set of fixtures ensued, with Gather Round adding to the frenzy in the first six weeks of the season.
Round 6 was the last of the initial byes, with all clubs joining Richmond and Melbourne on half a dozen matches in the weekend just passed.
Speaking on AFL Media's 'Footy Feed Extra', former Geelong premiership captain and AFL Football Performance Lead Joel Selwood revealed that the 18 skippers were noticing the impact of the smaller breaks in between rounds.
"I think the clubs are finding out that, this is off the back of what I'm hearing, is these turnarounds in games are quite quick," Selwood said.
"You've got to understand that this is a club mentality. You've got to use a lot of your list. You got to have a lot of guys ready to go.
"You go to balance out your side when it comes up against particular rostering.
"I think that's what they're learning most of all."
Selwood's remarks come after multiple coaches have noted the brutal fixturing in the early part of the season.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir lamented the AFL's decision to put the Dockers on the road for a month, and when returning to Optus Stadium, were blown away by West Coast in the 58th edition of the Derby.
“It's a brutal season. The fixtures are brutal. Throws up some of these results sometimes,” Longmuir said after the shock 37-point loss.
“We're looking forward to getting home in front of our home crowd next week. Two home games in six rounds is a tough fixture."
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon described his club's 11-day, three-game schedule as "mitigating circumstances" following a hiding at the hands of the Western Bulldogs.
“We were a little bit worried coming here, the demands of the game ... I don't want to use excuses, but I certainly came here and I was cautious, and I flagged in the pre-game interview that it was our second four-day prep," Lyon said.
| 5-day turnaround | 6-day turnaround | Players used | No. of Byes |
No. of Interstate games
|
|
| ADE | 0 | 3 | 30 | 3 | |
| BRIS | 0 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 3 |
| CARL | 0 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
| COLL | 0 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 3 |
| ESS | 0 | 1 | 29 | 3 | |
| FRE | 0 | 2 | 29 | 3 | |
| GEEL | 1 | 2 | 30 | 3 | |
| GC | 0 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 3 |
| GWS | 0 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 4 |
| HAW | 0 | 2 | 30 | 2 | |
| MELB | 1 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 3 |
| NM | 0 | 1 | 31 | 2 | |
| PORT | 0 | 2 | 28 | 2 | |
| RICH | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 3 |
| STK | 2 | 1 | 29 | 2 | |
| SYD | 0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| WCE | 0 | 2 | 30 | 3 | |
| WB | 0 | 3 | 30 | 1 |
Collingwood has had to experience a tough draw in the early stages of the season, playing three games in 13 days while Brisbane has been forced to do the same.
But as coaches do, they don't dump bad performances on 'excuses' and instead look at the 'controllables'.
How long before we actually get a draw (rather than a fixture designed to maximise “key performance indicators”)?
The fixture is a sham that does nothing to provide a “competition”. It’s only one step away from handing each club a “script” before each game.