Former Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams believes all of the league's round 23 matches should be played at the same time in a bid to raise suspense over the final make up of the top eight.
Many fans would be aware of a similar event taking place in the English Premier League where the final match day takes place with all 10 matches played simultaneously.
The 2017 AFL season is as close as any in recent memory with every match having a bearing on the ladder to conclude the season, including a bottom of the table clash with the loser claiming the prized No. 1 pick in the national draft.
โItโs not good for the media, I understand, but everyone gets used to everyone plays at the exact same time,โ Williams toldย SEN Afternoonsย on Tuesday.
โIt could be an old-time footy round at 2pm on Saturday afternoon. Everyone across the whole competition plays at the exactly same time.
โTherefore, people canโt contrive or know what percentage they need to get to get into a higher position or into the finals or top two or top four. If everyone is playing at the same time, itโs pretty equal.
โIt at least gives everyone a fair chance without prior knowledge.โ
Understandably, the AFL would need to fixture the round in such a way that there were only three games in Victoria that day (including Geelong) however it is not a unrealistic scenario by any means.
1986 was the last time that all final round matches were played at the same time, resulting in Fitzroy's upset win over Sydney that saw them ensure Collingwood wouldn't play finals that year.
Port Adelaide's Hamish Hartlett has supported the call, saying it would add another dimension to an already highly-anticipated final round.
"That would make things pretty interesting and add another dynamic to the end of the season," he said.
"I like it, that's the first time I've thought about it.
"Off the top of my head it sounds like a pretty good idea.
"I'm sure there's reasons we're not doing it at the moment, but it sounds all right to me."
Imagine GWS, Geelong, Richmond, Port Adelaide and Sydney jostling for top four positions simultaneously this weekend with percentage playing a huge factor in the battle for the final positions in the eight with Melbourne, Essendon, West Coast, Western Bulldogs and St Kilda going goal for goal across the country at the same time.
Despite the calls, the AFL is locked into the current fixturing arrangement until the end of the broadcast deal in 2022.
