“A fairer model”: Why the AFL must reconsider pre-finals bye

Does the AFL need to switch the pre-finals bye to a pre-Grand Final week off?

After yet another concussion incident involving Adelaide’s Izak Rankine, the idea was discussed by Tim Watson and Garry Lyon on SEN Breakfast.

The hypothetical situation is: Let’s pretend last week was the Preliminary Final, Adelaide won and qualified for the Grand Final, but Rankine has to miss the decider due to concussion.

Watson and Lyon both feel the week off should be rescheduled until after the prelim and in the lead-up to the Grand Final, rather than prior to the finals series as a whole.

“If this had have been Preliminary Final last weekend and Grand Final this weekend, Izak Rankine is ruled out of the Grand Final,” Watson said.

“Do you think the AFL gave it enough consideration of changing the week off during the finals series?”

Lyon replied: “I don’t. I’m with you on this.”

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He added that all the post-season events such as the All-Australian announcement and other awards nights should be held during the week off, the same week that the Brownlow Medal count is traditionally held.

“I think it needs to be brought in as soon as next year, we can’t do it this year,” Lyon continued.

“I would put all the events in that week/weekend off. We’ve got the All-Australian and awards nights coming up next Thursday. Do all that then (in the week between the prelim and Grand Final).

“It does circumvent that issue because if you do get a HIA or brain injury assessment and it says the player has concussion and will miss 11 or 12 days, we want to give them every chance to be able to play in a Grand Final.

“That’s a no-brainer.”

Watson concluded: “I think it would be a fairer model to adopt as opposed to the break at the end of the home and away season.

“Everyone plays their hearts out to get to that point and to have that breather there, and all those other things fit into that week. It becomes a huge week, Brownlow week, and all the rest of it, then we roll into the Grand Final.

“I would support that.”

The 2024 AFL finals series will kick off on Thursday, September 5 with the week off coming after the regular season is completed this coming weekend.