Opinion: Ashley Browne

What I’m thinking

with Ashley Browne

Time to enter the twilight zone

A 2.30pm start time to this year’s Grand Final is a sensible decision, but a twilight game seems inevitable.

“Wherever they are located around Australia, we want to give footy fans that familiar feeling back on Grand Final Day – a Saturday afternoon start time, the build-up, the anticipation, friends, family and the BBQ in the backyard, all combining to make it the best event on the Australian sporting calendar.”

Sound familiar?

These were words uttered by AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan when he announced the start time for the Grand Final would be reverting back to the traditional 2.30pm timeslot.

In doing so, McLachlan said he understood and empathised with the massive disruption the pandemic caused for fans around the country and that bringing the opening bounce of the biggest game of the season back to its traditional start time was one important way to thank the supporters for their patience, understanding and, especially, their loyalty.

There’s just one thing. McLachlan said those words in March 2021 and was talking about last year’s Grand Final when the hope, although not necessarily the expectation, was that the season would proceed with just a few minor interruptions.

Of course, we know what happened. As a new COVID variant ran rampant through the country, the last third of the home and away season moved out of New South Wales entirely and was played behind closed doors in Victoria. And the MCG waved a sad goodbye to the finals series once again.

Through necessity, the two most recent Grand Finals were played in the evening.

In 2020, it was staged at the Gabba under lights, with a 6.30pm local start time, which translated to 7.30pm in Victoria.

The 2021 Grand Final was staged in Perth and started at 5.15 local time, making it a twilight affair.

The entire presentation at Optus Stadium was spectacular, with the LED lighting and best-in-class acoustics adding to the occasion.

The announcement of the Grand Final start time is the AFL’s version of Habemus Papam when the new pope is named. The tweet from AFL.com.au’s Damian Barrett is the equivalent of the puff of white smoke.

McLachlan played it beautifully in the lead-up, talking about the “best presentation” of the Grand Final that the twilight timeslot in Perth offered. That was widely interpreted as setting the scene for a switch to twilight at the MCG this year.

But the facts on the ground had not changed in 12 months.

Football fans did it almost as tough in 2021 as they did in 2020.

They were able to get to some games at least, but the ticketing and the match-day experience made it more of an ordeal and the effects are still lingering 12 months on.

The fans needed a carrot for their unflinching support through the two COVID years and the 2.30 start time for the 2022 Grand Final on September 24 at the MCG is just that.

It was 100 per cent the right call by McLachlan and the AFL Commission.

But change is coming and McLachlan has dished off the mother of all hospital handballs to his successor under whose watch a permanent start time will need to be finalised once and for all.

The Grand Final, as presented at the MCG, caps off the season in wonderful fashion and the various rituals unique to the MCG will make a welcome return this year.

The retirees’ cavalcade, Mike Brady, the red Sherrin thundering into the turf at the opening bounce accompanied by that thunderous roar … we cannot wait.

But what the past couple of years of later starting games have illustrated is that when staged during the day, the AFL Grand Final is not the best version of itself.

It might be football’s biggest day of the year, but other sports, especially the NRL’s State of Origin games and grand final, and the Australian Open men’s and women’s finals, are leaving our flag-decider behind in terms of presentation and place on the sporting pecking order.

The event that likes to bill itself as the biggest day in Australian sport needs to move to the twilight.

A 4.30pm start may mean more dollars for the AFL – the next media rights deal will determine that – but will unquestionably open up the game to more eyeballs at a time when more people can see it.

And, yes, a few fireworks and a decent half-time show under the lights can’t hurt either.

If you barrack for footy and want the very best for it, then savour the afternoon Grand Final this year.

Hopefully, it will be the last.

TURNING BACK TIME:

The Grand Final had a twilight start in Perth last year (top), but will return to the traditional 2.30pm timeslot at the MCG this season, for the first time since 2019 when the Tigers saluted (below).