Lethal slams AFL after Cats star ruled out of decider
Shayne Hope |
AFL legend Leigh Matthews has lashed “bozos” at league headquarters and added his voice to growing calls for a week off before the grand final in the wake of Tom Stewart’s heartbreaking concussion.
Geelong star Stewart will miss the season decider after he was concussed in the first quarter of Friday night’s 30-point win over Hawthorn in the qualifying final.
The 32-year-old utility was hurt in a tackle from Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol and has entered concussion protocols, ruling him out of action for at least 12 days.
New AFL football boss Greg Swann has already flagged the likelihood of the pre-finals bye – introduced in 2016 – being switched to the week before the grand final.
But Matthews said the fact the change had not already been made years ago was an example of the AFL operating as a “slow-moving bureaucracy”.
“This was the elephant in the room. It was always going to happen,” Matthews said on 3AW on Saturday.
“What’s going to happen now? It will probably get changed over summer … so who are these bozos behind the scenes at the AFL, in the executive and the commission, that have allowed this to exist since the concussion protocol was put in place?
“That might have been three or four years ago. That is the time that’s been really slow moving.”
Five-time All-Australian Stewart is the first AFL player to miss a decider under the 12-day concussion protocols, introduced in 2021.
AFLW star Chelsea Randall missed Adelaide’s grand final loss to Brisbane through concussion that year.
But a week off before the grand final would not necessarily have allowed Stewart to play.
He would still have to clear concussion protocols before being given the green light.
The pre-finals bye was introduced in 2016 to ease integrity concerns after multiple clubs rested significant numbers of players late in the home-and-away season.
On Friday night, Geelong coach Chris Scott indicated he was in favour of a week off before the grand final.
The dual premiership mentor also voiced his opposition to the pre-finals bye, which has long been thought to dilute the advantage enjoyed by top-four teams in the finals.
“I understand it’s not optimal for the AFL to have masses of players rested for inconsequential games in the last home-and-away round of the year,” Scott said.
“But I just didn’t think that was a good enough reason. I feel that the clubs should have autonomy over this stuff.
“And it was in a period of time, too, where the AFL just couldn’t find another space for a bye during the year, and then they found one overnight.”
Brisbane Lions premiership mentor Chris Fagan is also among a group of senior coaches who would prefer the week off be placed immediately before the grand final.
AAP
