Essendon has deemed their postponed Round 24 fixture against Gold Coast as the "next best alternative" after coach Brad Scott revealed an unacceptable solution put to them by the AFL.
The tropical cyclone sweeping through Queensland and northern New South Wales claimed two of the four Opening Round clashes, with Brisbane-Geelong's season opener pushed to Round 3.
It made sense given the two contenders shared the same bye in that week.
However, the logistics surrounding the Suns-Bombers contest was much more difficult, and it required a creative remedy.
Essendon coach Brad Scott revealed that one idea posed to them by the league was met with fierce rejection, saying it would put the club at a larger disadvantage than the Round 24 proposal.
"We had some very clear parameters around what we wouldn't accept," Scott said on Tuesday.
"And originally, it was put to us that we'd lose our Round 16 bye, which was just a non-negotiable for us.
"We wouldn't have accepted that under any circumstance, even though I'm about to say the AFL makes the rules and we do what we're told.
"We stood very firm on that as a footy club and on the surface, it looked like a pretty simple solution but, to us, losing our bye and playing 20 home and away games in a row was just not something we were prepared to tolerate.
"This is the next best alternative. It's not ideal but neither is the cyclone."
If the Bombers were to play in their Round 16 bye, they would've played Fremantle in Perth five days earlier, before heading to the Gold Coast to face the Suns, "while the rest of the competition were enjoying the bye".
Scott and his men will now turn to Hawthorn on Friday at the MCG to open their 2025 account.
It comes as the Bombers mentor is set to add another year onto his coaching contract, saying the club had approached him to extend his current deal.
"The club has been yearning for stability for a long time," Scott said.
"This (contract extension) hasn't been something that has been anywhere near my thinking.
"If the club think that for stability and unity, in a show of action, they want to put an extra year on my contract, then I'm open to that because I'm committed to what we're doing here.
"Like a lot of clubs, we're clearly going to be in the market to improve our list through all avenues.
"I don't think clubs who don't have stability are overly attractive.
"We've reset our football club over two years, and we want to show that we've got a stable base from which to build."
The Bombers will unveil two fresh faces to the mix on Friday, with NGA product Isaac Kako and SSP selection Jaxon Prior to debut for the club.
Scott also revealed that key forward Peter Wright will be out for the next few weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in the VFL practice match over the weekend.
