AFL purists can rest easy for at least another season after the league’s boss confirmed the 2017 Grand Final won’t be moving to an evening timeslot.
Gillon McLachlan confirmed the most hallowed of bounces will take place at the traditional time of 2:30pm this year, after weeks of rabble-rousing about a possible shift.
McLachlan told ABC Radio that “there hasn’t been anything really scientific about it, but in the end we feel 2.30pm is what we want to do in 2017, because of a heap of issues.”
We can speculate as to what those issues are, and the broad community support for leavin’ it on that perfect Saturday afternoon comes to mind.
However, beneficiaries of the league’s massive $2.5 billion broadcast deal have come out with some less than-stoked takes on the matter.
Fox Sports have stated the league has “resisted” the push for a later game, and reiterated “the last four Saturday preliminary finals have been played in the twilight timeslot with great success.”
In any case, your sunny barbeques are safe – for now.
Photo: Adam Trafford / AFL Media / Getty.
