Scrap September Grand Final: Plan to clean up AFL mess

• AFL injury hub: Who is out of action?

It’s time to “clean up the mess” that is the AFL season start and finish dates and implement a better structure around the amount of time players are spending away from training.

Not for the first time this off-season, David King and Kane Cornes have taken aim at the lack of attention being paid to player and coaching welfare amid injury carnage and burn out before a single game has been played.

For the majority of players, there is a 93-day interrupted break between the end of season and returning for the block leading into Opening round. It’s “ridiculous” and putting careers on the line according to the Fireball co-hosts who have tabled their solution.

“The preseason period is a mess,” King said on Fireball. “Pre-Christmas time, the players are back then they are gone; then there other commitments for the AFL, AFLPA and the club. Then we’re into pre-season, we’re into March and we see the carnage around injuries.

“It got me thinking. Is it worth us investigating not being fixated or locked in on having a Grand Final on the last weekend of September and pushing the season back two weeks?

“Pre Christmas period would be player’s time only and no club attendance required.

“Then you turn up Jan 1,2 or 5 ready to go, in peak fitness and then you get a continuous run through until March 20 not March 5 for the first game of the year.

“That way we get less interruption. I don’t think it matters if we have the Grand Final in October, it’s a perfect time of year, the weather is beautiful. We have had the Grand Final in that time.

“You get all your inductions etc done pre-Christmas. But clean up the interruptions and give players the best chance to prepare for their very best season.

“I want a clean run Jan 1-March 20 all players back at clubs, turn up fit ready to go, that’s your responsibility as athletes. Then its over to the strength and conditioning department.”

It’s a topic Cornes has been critical of for a long time. Players and the AFLPA have too much control in a sport that is evolving and needing change.

“It has merit,” he said of King’s proposal. “We are far too worried about what the NRL are doing – that's why we have opening round to compete with Vegas.

“It’s getting earlier and earlier it seems. Scrap the byes, one bye mid-year for everyone. Clean the season. I’ve been smashing this for years it’s ridiculous.

“The solution is less time off. They have far too long off. We’re professional athletes with 93 days off at the end of the season and you wonder why there’s injury carnage. Take control back from the players.

“It’s also good for the coaches – clearly they’re cooked. It feels like coaches are on edge. Craig McRae must be cooked already and he’s early in his career.

“ Chris is cooked. It’s an industry wide problem that needs to explore some different avenues to sort the mess.”