“Pull the band-aid off”: Lyon’s big Grand Final time slot call

The decision on the AFL Grand Final timeslot is again making waves, with the league set to review when the decider is played again early in 2026.

With Craig Drummond now stepping in as the AFL’s Commission Chairman, change could be afoot with the call to be made at the next Commission meeting in late April or May.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Wednesday night that the decision will focus on ‘what’s best for the footy, our fans and future’, and SEN’s Garry Lyon thinks now’s the time to bring in a twilight Grand Final.

He urged Drummond to get on with business and make the call, with a shift to a later timeslot an ‘inevitability’.

“Let's get this Grand Final time slot decided,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“Craig Drummond is the new Commissioner; he's come in for the first time. Don't prevaricate anymore. Just make a decision and go bang, let’s do this.

“In my opinion, the twilight Grand Final is an inevitability. So why wait?

“For the first time last year, the NRL have cleaned us up from a point of view of Grand Final ratings. Now's the time.”

While the call may be unpopular with traditionalists, Lyon thinks a shift back only two hours wouldn’t be the end of the world and would ultimately help grow the game.

“It might be unpopular. Every decision you make in footy is unpopular for some,” Lyon said.

“But at some stage, you've got to make a decision. The game continues to grow, and these are the prime slots.

“It's not the end of the world. You play half a game in daylight. You play half a game at night.

“For all the reasons, with half-time entertainment, and then the primetime aspect of it comes in.

“So, let's just pull the band-aid off, Drummo. Make a decision, stick by it and back it in with the rest of the Commission, and away we go.”