Before I start, I want it made clear that we were beaten by a vastly superior team that is 3-4 years ahead of us in their development and a premiership contender.
But...
There are 18 teams in the competition. 18. Enough for 9 matches a round.
It therefore beggars belief that a situation arises where a fixture is set, at the start of the year, mind you, that sees one team given an extra week's rest from the previous game.
Why West Coast/Fremantle and Adelaide/Essendon could not have simply swapped opponents this week is just beyond me. While it certainly did not cost us the game it was obvious from where I was sitting that there were fresher legs in the Fremantle players late in the game.
The line is thrown out by the media, that 'its not a draw, its a fixture'. That the AFL seems either unable or unwilling to balance the desire to maximise revenue with a need for basic common sense is incompetent at best and criminal at worst.
It is only through vocality by fans, players and coaches that this farcical situation will be brought into the spotlight and a resolution to the problem forced upon the AFL.
But...
There are 18 teams in the competition. 18. Enough for 9 matches a round.
It therefore beggars belief that a situation arises where a fixture is set, at the start of the year, mind you, that sees one team given an extra week's rest from the previous game.
Why West Coast/Fremantle and Adelaide/Essendon could not have simply swapped opponents this week is just beyond me. While it certainly did not cost us the game it was obvious from where I was sitting that there were fresher legs in the Fremantle players late in the game.
The line is thrown out by the media, that 'its not a draw, its a fixture'. That the AFL seems either unable or unwilling to balance the desire to maximise revenue with a need for basic common sense is incompetent at best and criminal at worst.
It is only through vocality by fans, players and coaches that this farcical situation will be brought into the spotlight and a resolution to the problem forced upon the AFL.
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