'This is horrific': Fevola lashes AFL for considering breaking grand final tradition
Carlton great Brendan Fevola has lashed a posed alteration to the AFL fixture revealed by Eddie McGuire on Nine's Footy Classified.
McGuire revealed the revamped fixture would push the grand final into the second week of October, with an AFL State of Origin match taking place in March over two weekends.
This is in part backed by the increased ratings of the 2020 Richmond versus Geelong grand final that was pushed back to late October as part of COVID restrictions, but received an enormous TV viewership of 4.28 million.
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The National Anthem is performed during the 2020 AFL Grand Final. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The AFL grand final has traditionally taken place on the last Saturday in September, and Fevola has rubbished suggestions of moving it.
"Everyone knows (it's a) September grand final – the last Saturday in September - and everyone gets excited," Fevola told The Fox's Fifi, Fev & Nick.
"Everyone talks about the (2020 AFL grand final)… it was such a success, they were at the Gabba, so many people watched, because we weren't allowed out! There was nothing else to do!
"We were sitting in our houses; every TV was on the grand final. (They say) 'let's do a night grand final because the Gabba in 2020 was a record number of viewers'… duh!
"Scrap those stats, they're irrelevant. If the grand final was in Brisbane this year, no one would watch it.
"So, Eddie McGuire on Classified hinted at the move to mid-October. Eddie sits on the MCG Trust and was facilitating what he had heard from the AFL Commission.
"They couldn't be more wrong. This is horrific. September is footy finals; the smell of September, coming into spring. If you go into October, you're moving into the start of Spring Carnival."
Fevola was equally sour on the possibility of State of Origin returning, believing it to be too complex given how nationally the game has grown.
"State of Origin is not going to work. State of Origin was so big, and I loved it as a kid. EJ Whitten was one of the greats and inspired everyone to play for Victoria. (When it was the VFL) you play for Victoria, you play against South Australian. But now, AFL is an Australian competition with every state involved," he said.
Brendan Fevola, Carlton Hall of Famer, participates in the half time Kick for the Kids activation AFL Photos via Getty Images
"Victoria (now) has to play the All-Stars. I played in that game in 2008. (It was) great, 90,000 (fans), I won the medal, whatever.
"You can't play the traditional State of Origin. The State of Origin is so successful in rugby league because it's New South Wales versus Queensland, two rivals that hate each other. Victoria has to play everyone because there's players from all other states, we're a national sport."
The AFL last attempted representative footy in 2020, with Victoria playing The Allies in a game to raise money for those impacted by bushfire damage.
