Could we be witnessing the death of a tradition?
The ritual of Thursday night teams may be no longer.
Footy fanatics (and rabid fantasy followers) around the country wait patiently all week for the drop of the line-ups for the weekend ahead.
But after last year’s rolling fixture forced clubs to release their starting 22 and emergencies 24 hours (give or take) prior to their next game, the new status quo has been set.
SEN and the AFL Record’s Ashley Browne suggests the tradition many of us love could be dead.
“It looks like the Thursday night team selection, that has been such a big part of the footy season for as long as we can remember, might be gone,” he told SEN’s Bob & Andy.
“The AFL look like they’re going to bring in, as they did last year during COVID times, announcing the teams the night before.
“So, no more Thursday night ritual.”
Browne suggested the trial run, which came out of necessity in 2020, has prompted the change.
“The clubs quite like the flexibility last year of only having to name it the night before,” he added.
“The AFL found there were far fewer changes and late changes that teams make.
“The AFL is still in a bit of a COVID footing for 2021 and I think that’s one thing the aren’t going to bring back anytime soon.”
Andy Maher and Bob Murphy rued the departure of this much loved routine.
Maher: “That’s something that the old-timers like me are just going to have to deal with, but I’m sure we can get our heads around it and move through it without too much trouble.”
Murphy: “It’s a big landmark of the week gone, isn’t it?”
Maher: “I’ve been following footy for 45 years that I can remember, and that’s been with me the whole time, waking up on the Friday morning and looking at the teams.
“So that’s a thing of the past.”
This is sure to wreak havoc with SuperCoach, AFL Fantasy and the like, but no doubt we will cope and endure, just as we did during an unprecedented 2020 season.