Chris Scott delivers truth bomb for AFL amid backlash around Opening Round

Geelong coach Chris Scott says there's no hiding from the fact the AFL's Opening Round initiative 'compromises' the fixture and provides an unfair advantage to several teams. That's the criticism being levelled at the game's decision-makers after last week's four fixtures that were spread across NSW and Queensland, involving just eight of the 18 teams.

Dubbed 'round zero' by fans, the four matches drew sell-out crowds and the historic move has been celebrated as a huge success by AFL football boss Laura Kane. The AFL's Executive General Manager of Football pointed to the strong attendances, television ratings, membership sales and corporate support and said there were "ticks everywhere", adding that it would likely continue in 2025.

That's sure to anger a lot of footy fans, who've argued that the split opening rounds provide an advantage to those teams playing again in round one against opposition yet to kick off their campaigns. It's also set to give eight of the competition's 18 clubs an additional bye and provide a lopsided ladder until round six - when all teams have played the same number of games.

Chris Scott says Opening Round 'compromises' AFL fixture

Geelong's coach says the additional bye for those eight teams who played in Opening Round is the most crucial aspect. Scott says clubs have had calls for another bye rejected by the AFL in the past and was emphatic when asked if the current model compromises the integrity of the fixture.

"Of course it does but like with a lot of these things, is the juice worth the squeeze? In this case it probably is," Scott said on Fox Footy on Monday night. "Let's just be honest. Of course it compromises it, but it might be worth it."

Scott accepts that sides running out for their second game of the season in round one might have an advantage over their rivals. But he believes the additional bye gives those eight teams that competed in Opening Round a distinct advantage over the other 10 clubs.

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"Maybe, but the bigger compromise is that those teams get two byes compared to every other team (getting one)," Scott said. "If you ask the players, and this has gone on for a long time, the players association pushed the AFL to bring back the two byes and the answer was always there was no time.

"But now they've found the time - that's the frustrating part. And 'compromise' sometimes gets a bad rap; sometimes you need to compromise for the greater good. That could be the case in this situation, but my point is just don't pretend it's not a compromise. Of course it is."

AFL football boss lauds Opening Round

Despite the backlash, the AFL's football boss Kane described Opening Round as a rousing success for the clubs involved, their fans and the game as a whole. The AFL is trying to further cement itself in the traditional rugby league heartlands of NSW and QLD, with the northern markets identified as a priority area for the growth of the sport.

This year's Opening Round fixtures were played over Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with Kane confirming that a Sunday match would be considered in future. The AFL footy boss believes much of the criticism around the concept stems from those clubs who missed out on being involved.

"It reminded me of Gather Round last year," Kane added. "If you were there you loved it and had a terrific time (but) if you weren't there you were sort of looking over the hill wondering what was going on because it was really fun."

with AAP

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