The AFL’s ANZAC Day scheduling nightmare

AFL GM of Broadcasting and Clubs Travis Auld has accepted that the League faces a significant challenge in organising a suitable schedule for the four teams involved in mid-week ANZAC Day games next year.

Collingwood and Essendon’s traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the MCG takes place on a Wednesday next year, with the ANZAC Day-eve game between reigning premiers Richmond and Melbourne at the same venue locked in for the Tuesday night.

While the AFL are expected to hand all four teams Sunday games the week before, the problem the League face is how they handle the following round for the four sides.

Auld says even the most simple solution to the matter – having a team from Wednesday play a Tuesday night team on Sunday afternoon – has a major issue.

“Wednesday is as hard as it gets,” he told SEN’s The Run Home.

“What we will try and do is have those four teams play each other on the following weekend, ideally on the Sunday. The main challenge is that, depending on who is home and away, you’ve got MCG clubs largely playing and both games can’t be played at the MCG on the Sunday.

“Getting that to work is a real priority for us but it’s not easy.”

A likely solution could see the Tigers and the Magpies play at the MCG, while Essendon could host Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

However with the Dees on the rise and likely to turn up in greater numbers to a venue they have historically avoided, crowd numbers could be an issue for the 56,347-capacity venue.

A Monday night game could also be a possibility, but past attempts at using the timeslot have fallen flat due to poor attendances.

The 2018 AFL fixture is released next Tuesday.