Why bye has to go

WHO knows what will be at stake when Geelong hosts the GWS Giants in the last round of the AFL season? Top spot? A double chance?

What will Richmond and St Kilda be duking it out for? Or the West Coast Eagles and the Crows? Will last year’s premier the Bulldogs, set to play the Hawks, still be in contention?

This AFL season has been fascinating for the quality of football and the evenness of the competition and with half a dozen weeks to go it is hard to imagine any team will take its foot off the pedal to preserve players for a finals campaign in the manner Fremantle and North Melbourne did in 2015.

With the ladder as it is, there simply appears too much at stake.

Last year, concerned with the integrity of the game, the AFL introduced a bye weekend for the first week in the finals. It seemed like an over-reaction then, and it seems even more so today.

This week Geelong announced it wanted to push the limits of the floating final round and the associated bye and play its final home game on a Monday night.

There are excellent footy reasons for chasing a move to Monday as the Cats have a poor record coming up after a bye and pushing the game back will minimise the break.

Yesterday commercial sensibility won out and the Cats changed their mind, opting instead to push for the more lucrative Saturday night fixture.

It was a decision no doubt informed by the knowledge that Monday night is inconvenient for fans.

We doubt the AFL considered this possible outcome when it introduced its kneejerk bye.

Now, if they haven’t already, other finals teams will be manoeuvring for the most favourable Round 23 draw. Well, why stop at Monday? Will Port Adelaide, currently fourth and set to play the Gold Coast at home, push for a Tuesday night fixture?

This madness needs to stop and the solution is staring the AFL in the face. Next year, it must scrap its nonsensical bye.