Even though the AFLW competition is set to expand to 10 teams with the introduction of Geelong and North Melbourne, the 2019 campaign could still remain an eight-week season.
Melbourne captain and AFLW star Daisy Pearce has come out and slammed the AFL bosses for the 2019 plans, suggesting they aren't taking the AFLW seriously.
“It doesn’t sit well with me or a lot of the players is the temperature I’m taking,” Pearce told SEN.
“I get that there’s a commercial reality that they want to keep this competition within the little eight-week timeslot where there’s no sport.
“I thought when those two new teams come in I was rubbing my hands together. I thought we were going to get a legitimate competition here, play everyone once and head into a finals series, you beauty.
“But it seems not to be the case.
“The reason it annoys me is this is presented as the women’s AFL elite professional offering by the AFL and it has been lauded as that, that finally there’s an elite women’s competition. But with the AFL presenting it as that it comes with a level of expectation.
“In reality this is a gimmicky tournament.”
Pearce understands the business of the competition and knows the AFL wants to see a return of their money, but implored Gillon McLachlan and the League bosses to dive in and take the plunge in elevating AFLW to the next level.
“This is like a start-up business. You’re never going to get the return on those investments straight up, you have to wait,” Pearce said.
“As long as it’s an eight-week competition it will remain at a level that isn’t elite and professional.
“It will remain at that level until we take that plunge.”
