The AFL's contradictory stance on home-ground advantages in finals has once again reared its ugly head, with Geelong and the Western Bulldogs the ones to suffer.
Heading into week one of the 2024 AFL Finals Series, league boss Andrew Dillon defended the call for Sydney to host its qualifying final against GWS at the SCG, despite murmurs it should've been played at Accor Stadium to facilitate the expected bumper crowd.
The Homebush Stadium can hold 83,500 supporters compared to the SCG's 48,000, allowing fans to flock to see the fourth finals instalment between the two cross-town rivals in their history.
However, on Monday, Dillon said at the finals launch that the Swans, who claimed the minor premiership and the right to a home final, were always playing at the SCG.
โIt's not something that we contemplated. I think that Sydney play all their games at the SCG,โ Dillon said, according toย AFL Media.
โIt's their home final, I think that's the right call to play that at the Sydney Cricket Ground.โ
Admittedly, the Swans deserve the right to play at their home ground, given the 2024 campaign was one for the ages, sitting atop the AFL ladder after 24 long weeks.
But why don't the Western Bulldogs and Geelong share the same privilege?
It is understood that Chris Scott and his men won't be hosting a final at GMHBA Stadium despite the recent development, seeing crowds reach around 40,000 and playing host to nine visitors throughout 2024.
The same goes for the Bulldogs, who are forced to host Hawthorn - a team that plays more often than not at the MCG - at the home of football on Friday night.
And yet, they played nine games at Marvel Stadium coming out of the home-team change rooms (and two at MARS Stadium in Ballarat).
The Docklands venue can hold 53,359 supporters, which, realistically, doesn't hold a light to its Melbourne counterpart.
โWe were really confident that we'd get a massive crowd, and that's showed out for the MCG (Bulldogs-Hawks elimination final) on Friday night โ we'll get over 90,000 people at that game,โ Dillon said.
Dillon's inference on the forecasted bumper crowd suggests that Marvel Stadium, like Accor Stadium, wasn't "contemplated", albeit for opposing views.
The decision for Sydney to play at the SCG is because they "play all their games" there, and yet, Geelong and the Bulldogs don't receive the same luxury.
There is no shadow of a doubt that Friday night at the MCG, with a full-house in to watch two of the in-form teams, will be a sight to behold.
But, if the AFL is serious about the competitive balance of the league, contentious issues like these must be considered or risk the seasons swaying in favour of some clubs.
“But, if the AFL is serious about the competitive balance of the league, contentious issues like these must be considered or risk the seasons swaying in favour of some clubs.”
The reality is – the “afl” is not serious about the competitive balance of the league.
The “equalisation policy” is ample proof of that … the FIX(ed)ture certainly is.
I would suggest that the MCC has a large say – in the contract the “afl” foolishly signs away it’s money on….. and all is “formative” on executive “KPI’s”.