‘It’s a lousy idea’: AFL great slams best-of-three grand final series proposal
Three-time premiership player and Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel has rubbished the proposal that the AFL grand final become a best-of-three series, labelling the suggestion a "ridiculous idea".
Key points:
- Jimmy Bartel says the AFL grand final must remain a standalone match
- Bartel believes Australian rules is too physical a game to contest the grand final across a best-of-three series
- Sydney Swans argue the suggestion of a best-of-three series has "genuine merit"
It was reported this week Adelaide coach Don Pyke had allegedly urged the AFL Coaches Association, in the wake of the Crows' 2017 grand final loss to Richmond, to push for the season decider to be played in a series format instead of the current standalone fixture at the MCG.
Incoming Sydney Swans chief executive Tom Harley indicated support for the idea on Melbourne radio on Wednesday when he said a best-of-three series had "genuine merit".
But Bartel, a premiership teammate of Harley's at Geelong, opposed such a move.
Bartel said any proposal of playing the grand final as a series "should be taken off the table straight away".
"It's a lousy idea, and it stinks and it should never happen," Bartel told Macquarie Sports Radio Melbourne on Thursday.
Playing the grand final across a best-of-three format follows the model used in US sport competitions such as the NBA, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.
All three competitions use a best-of-seven games model contested on a home-and-away basis as a way of evening out home ground advantage.
Bartel, who won three premierships with the Cats and was the 2007 Brownlow Medal winner, dismissed a similar format being used in the AFL, citing the physicality of Australian rules as the key reason why it would not work.
"We can't have three grand finals. Just bury that idea straight away," he said.
"Our game is too physically taxing. We got rid of the replay of the grand final so why would we now add an extra two grand finals on top?"
'Why do you need three games?'
It has never been a secret that non-Victorian clubs have supported the idea of the grand final being contested at venues other than the MCG, often citing interstate travel to Melbourne as a major hurdle in their preparations.
The Swans have also questioned whether it is fair that a higher-ranked interstate club, such as the Crows in 2017, should miss out on the opportunity of hosting the grand final.
Any fresh calls for the grand final to be played away from the MCG will fall on deaf ears, however, with the AFL and the Victorian Government having agreed the venue will host the season decider until 2057.
Bartel queried whether non-Victorian clubs were at a disadvantage playing at the MCG, given they have featured in 20 grand finals and won 12 since 1991 when the AFL established its first team in South Australia following earlier expansion into New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.
"They've won more than their fair share of grand finals, the interstate sides," he said.
"Sometimes you're not good enough. So why do you need three games?"
The idea of a best-of-three grand final series has not surprisingly sparked much debate on social media, with the proposal mostly attracting opposition and humour.
External Link: @DeanWain tweets: What a surprise that all the people advocating for best of 3 grand finals are the sooky teams who have lost recently.. If you're not the best on the day, too bad! #AFL #grandfinal External Link: @rlevans51 tweets: It is rumoured these guys are responsible for the proposal of three AFL Grand Finals. External Link: @TitusOReily tweets: "Im all for more grand finals. Even a best of seven series. Thats possibly seven weekends I can block out in the diary and say obviously I cant come because its the Grand Final."
[contf]
[contfnew]
ABC .net
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
