11-03-2025
AFL great wants major Opening Round change amid telling call on divisive topic
Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown says he likes the theory behind the AFL's Opening Round initiative but has suggested a major change to make it less controversial. The topic continues to divide footy fans and commentators, with many in Victoria opposed to the idea of the state missing out on hosting games to kick off the new season.
It comes amid reports from veteran AFL journalist Jon Ralph that Opening Round is "absolutely certain" to go ahead next year despite the backlash. The AFL introduced the concept last year to try and grow the game in the 'northern states' of NSW and Queensland but it's led to strong opposition from footy fans in other states that miss out on the action to start the new season.
Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred wreaked havoc with last week's Opening Round fixtures, with Brisbane's clash against Geelong at the Gabba and Gold Coast's match at home to Essendon both postponed as a result. It meant only two matches went ahead, with Sydney stunned at home by Hawthorn and the GWS Giants belting Collingwood to lay down an early marker.
And dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna insisted on Monday night that the AFL's Opening Round idea had "missed the mark" and called for it to be scrapped as anger continues to mount in the traditional AFL states. 'The minuscule advantage the AFL think they are getting having exclusive games up in the northern states is being compromised by what it is doing with the inequities in regards to player safety, the fixturing and all these factors," he said on Fox Footy's First Crack.
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd is another strong critic of Opening Round and slammed the AFL for not including all 18 teams to launch their new season. "What other competition in the world has a soft launch of their season? What other comp would do that and launch as softly as the AFL does?"
"What other competition in the world has a soft launch of their season? What other comp would do that?"Llordo says the AFL needs to return to starting the season with a full round.#9FootyClassified | Watch on Nine & 9Now
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) March 10, 2025
Lloyd agrees it's important to promote and expand the game in the northern states but argued that could be done in the first few games - particularly the primetime Thursday and Friday night slots to open the season. But the Essendon legend says the AFL is missing a trick by staggering teams involved in the start of the season when interest around the sport is at fever pitch.
AFL journalist Sam McClure argued that the AFL is a "national game" and that the league should be doing more to try and expand it on non-traditional markets outside Victoria. But Lloyd says the fact the AFL is a national sport played all around the country, is the very reason why the league shouldn't exclude other states from Opening Round.
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Three-time Brisbane premiership legend Brown says while he's a strong supporter of growing the AFL in non-traditional states, he argued it would be a better and less divisive idea to hold a 'Northern Round' later in the year. 'You see what the NRL has done with Vegas, it seems to be a unifying thing – not that all the teams go there but for the whole league – and it (Opening Round) seems to be creating a bit of a divide for us between the Southern states and the Northern states,' Brown told Fox Footy's On The Couch.
'And the time to celebrate the northern clubs is in the wintertime when everyone wants to get out of the southern states, get up to a bit of warmth. There could be that opportunity around that split round weekend where you have the four games on a particular weekend up there in the school holidays – 'The Northern Round' – and then the other clubs play on the alternate weekend. That could be a better way to celebrate it, I think, but anytime they get to promote northern states football is a good thing."
But veteran AFL journalist Ralph said despite the backlash against Opening Round, AFL bosses are determined to push ahead with it next year and the numbers back them up. 'I think it's absolutely certain to go on next year in its third incarnation – and I think it's quite likely to be a very similar shape to this year,' Ralph said.
'I know the AFL feels like they know that it's on the nose in Victoria the heartland – certainly they're not opposed to considering a Victorian game on the Sunday afternoon – but their view is that it creates an extra week of content...
'Last year the heartland clubs protested so much, in Round 1 they set an AFL attendance record. So the AFL says they don't really vote with their feet. Every one of those four northern state clubs had a massive year-on-year attendance figure and all setting those attendance records very early."
