X-FACTOR BACKS NEW CONCEPT
GEELONG captain Joel Selwood says the Cats are embracing the chance to combine pre-season training with AFLX games.
The Cats will start AFLX training today ahead of their round-robin matches on Thursday, February 15 in Adelaide.
Coach Chris Scott said this week the Cats would treat the Twenty20-inspired concept “seriously” and planned to send a reasonably strong squad to Hindmarsh Stadium.
Geelong will be pooled with two of Adelaide, Collingwood, Fremantle, Port Adelaide and West Coast, with the top two sides to play in the final.
The games will consist of two 10 minute halves in a seven on seven match, played on a rectangular ground. “It’s a pretty exciting concept, especially that time of the year where it gives players a chance to work on their fitness and see a bit of a new game,” Selwood said.
“It’s going to be seven on seven, pretty quick up and back I would have thought, short periods of time, so it’s not going to take a hell of a lot out of the guys but it’s definitely going to make you work.”
But whether Selwood would be representing Geelong was still yet to be decided.
“I think we’ll get more of an idea when we get back in January,” he said.
“We’re unsure on where every others’ programs will be at that stage but working in with the coaches and seeing what they want too.”
Scott said Geelong backed the theory behind the introduction of the fastpaced modified game.
“I’m actually an optimist with AFLX. I think it’s been thoroughly researched by the guys at the AFL,” he said.
“I think the logic behind it’s really sound, in that we need to grow the game in areas where there aren’t great facilities.
“Not just Western Sydney or other parts of Australia, but around the world as well. It’s hard to get AFL-sized grounds.
“One of the reasons I’m an optimist is because we have done versions of it — and when I say ‘we’ I mean the industry — for years.
“We don’t need to think too laterally to work out what it’s going to be like.
“That’s been our program. Smallsided games have been a part of AFL footy for a long time, and it works, it’s exciting.”