Gold Coast Suns CEO Mark Evans has made a bold submission to the AFL asking that all Victorian clubs play their first week of their home finals at an away venue.
As reported by the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph, the premise of Evans’ argument is that it would help to move towards competitive fairness in the competition given the Grand Final is locked in at the MCG until 2059.
The Suns were also strong in that their access to Academy talented shouldn’t be diluted in any way.
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“He says that if the Grand Final is to stay at the MCG until 2059, then Victorian clubs must play the first week of their home finals games away,” Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph said.
“They are fighting words from Mark Evans, it’s a bold ultimatum to the AFL and to the Victorian clubs as a part of that submission.
“He says that if we do get to 24 weeks, as we might when Tasmania comes in, he says that those extra games that are created must be at non-Victorian venues.
“The whole point of this of course is to show that if we flip the script, all of a sudden if those Victorian teams had to play an away Grand Final they’d be up in arms. I think the non-Victorian teams think that it is a rort and it’s only a rort if you’re not in it. The non-Victorian teams are not in it.”
Ralph reported that Evans also strongly believes that their access to their own Academy talent shouldn’t be reduced.
The Suns have produced plenty of talent through their Academy, with four players having made their presence felt at AFL level this year already.
Jed Walter, Jake Rogers, Ethan Read and Will Graham all graduated through the pathway, while Bodhi Uwland’s younger brother, Zeke, is a tantalising talent in 2025.
Leo Lombard is an excitement machine is also a member of their Academy and is eligible for the draft this year.
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“He says that he shouldn’t have their Academy diluted in any way, as he says the Suns play a single MCG game in round 24,” Ralph said.
“As he says, ‘we need to go and court Taylor Swift because she plays the MCG more than we do’, it’s a nice line but I think it just shows again how upset these clubs are.”
Ralph highlighted the record of non-Victorian clubs on the biggest stage of all in the past decade.
“The last ten Grand Finals between a Victorian and non-Victorian side, the Vics are 8-2 and some strong non-Victorian favourites got rolled.
“I think we are so Victorian focused here; I understand there’s a contract, but contracts can always be altered or broken or made into something different. He says ‘that’s fine, let’s play three grand finals’.”
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Evans accepted that there were “good reasons” for the Grand Final to remain at the MCG, but believes the AFL need to consider trying to strike a balance in another way.
“There’s lots of good reasons why we don’t want the Grand Final to be taken out of the MCG – tradition, the contract and revenue. But it’s an incredible advantage for a Victorian team to play a non-Victorian team on the biggest day of the year,” Evans told Ralph.
“So would we be prepared to flip the advantage the other way in week one of the finals when the Victorian team has earned the right to have a home final?
“Would we be prepared to take that final to the interstate teams’ venue and give them the advantage in week one of the finals? It makes it easier for that interstate team to progress through the finals as compensation for not having that advantage in the Grand Final. I think it’s a great highlight of the inequity.
“If we wouldn’t accept that because of a lack of integrity or fairness in week one of the finals, why would we accept it in week four of the finals? In the biggest game of the year?”