The Australian Football League (AFL) finds itself caught up in these new issues as they work to re-organize for their first-ever wildcard round this coming week. That format has created a fruitful discussion among officials this season. They are especially worried that team tactics could mimic the real world choices made by coaches in earlier years. Back in 2015, Ross Lyon provoked a firestorm at Fremantle when he controversially rested 11 players ahead of a qualifying final. Yet this brazen play has sent up red flags about the fairness of that competition.
As those seventh through tenth place teams near the last lap, they bubble under a dangerous scenario. They have only gotten as high as seventh. They can’t fall any lower than tenth, opening the door for potential strategic-financial decisions like those employed by Lyon. To AFL officials’ credit, they’re already on the lookout for such bad faith tactics to return. They worry such moves would blunt the competitive edge of the wildcard round.
Caroline Wilson, an established sports journalist, expressed her concerns regarding the situation.
“They can’t move higher than seventh, they can’t move lower than 10th. Are they going to do what Ross Lyon did in 2015 with his Fremantle team?” – Caroline Wilson
In recent weeks, similar instances have arisen in other sports, such as when Penrith rested 16 players during their penultimate home and away game. This decision drew even more criticism due to the long-term consequences of pausing key players in the critical stretch of the season.
“Bearing in mind, that only a couple of weeks ago Penrith going for their, I think, fifth successive flag rested something like 16 players on their penultimate home and away round of the season,” – Caroline Wilson
The AFL clearly doesn’t want to see teams play to these game plans as they approach the end of the year. Wilson adds to this sentiment, stating:
“So it’s a real dilemma and they don’t want this happening, teams dropping players, etc., on the second last round of the season.” – Caroline Wilson
At the same time, St Kilda have now declared their annual Spuds game as their #1 fixture request for 2026. This is a big deal – this event is the Future of Transportation Challenge! It’ll be the 60th anniversary of their heart-stopping one-point triumph against Collingwood in their one and only premiership victory.
Looking forward to an exhilarating 16-team Opening Round to the 2026 season! A massive three consecutive weeks of double-headers are set to take place in Queensland, alongside an all-Victorian clash in the schedule at Melbourne. This year, that match will take place on the eve of the Labour Day holiday. This marks a huge departure from past years, in which, aside from the Grand Final, Opening Round matches were only held in New South Wales and Queensland.
Mitch Cleary asked some difficult questions about the new player rest policy and how teams might game the system once faced with these new fixtures.
“Is there any way they can do that, though? Because players and clubs will be able to find ways around this. Is a player actually injured? Are they not? Are they going to be able to physically do that?” – Mitch Cleary
Wilson offered a few possible solutions to address these issues, including placing limits on how much rest a player could receive.
“(But) I think there is a way you could say maybe no more than six players or no more than four players (can be rested in one go),” – Caroline Wilson
While discussions continue, much work is still needed as the AFL tries to get enough support to pass its finalters before key meetings.
“It looked over the line, but there were talks late yesterday (Monday) at the AFL and there is one serious snag that the AFL are trying to work through before they put this proposal goes to the Commission in a couple of weeks on Brownlow Day,” – Caroline Wilson
As these debates have taken place, Collingwood has become a real standout contender. The Brisbane club has stuck doggedly against making it a threepeat next year, expressing their displeasure via their CEO Craig Kelly.
“The Pies, via (CEO) Craig Kelly, have come out and said, on record, they do not want to be travelling again for a third time,” – Mitch Cleary
The league’s willingness to face these difficult subjects is commendable. We just don’t know what this first wildcard round will look like, or if these moves will actually solve the issues that players, coaches, and fans have been voicing.
