MAKE GAMES SHORTER: SELWOOD

GEELONG captain Joel Selwood believes the AFL fixture needs an overhaul and has backed calls to make matches shorter.

Selwood yesterday weighed into the ongoing state of the game debate, saying matches would be more compelling and of a higher standard if they were cut back to 80-90 minutes.

The 30-year-old suggested a revamp of the fixture, where every team plays each other once in the first 17 rounds. The ladder would then be used to build a seeded-style draw for the final stage of the season before finals.

Asked about potential changes needed to the game, Selwood told the Geelong Advertiser: “Probably make the draw more even.

“Play every side once and then re-do the draw after that for the next (period of the season) — whether you do a top 12 draw and then a bottom six draw.

“The length of games is the one thing for me that we could cut back on straight away. I haven’t watched too many games of footy this year and been glued to the telly because of the spectacle.

“So we’ve got to get back to maybe around 80-90 minutes of footy — but at a really high standard — instead of 120.”

Selwood’s ideas come after Patrick Dangerfield threw his weight behind a push to shorten the AFL season and the length of matches.

Selwood said he felt the overall spectacle of the game had declined since the introduction of expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

“I do (feel the spectacle is declining), but I’ve thought that (for a while),” he said.

“You bring in two new sides six and seven years ago. You’re asking 90 more players to play the game — from around the world now, with Mason Cox doing what he’s doing.

“You drag the boys over from Ireland and whatnot. You’re trying to find kids from everywhere. The talent pool is not as strong as it was when I arrived in 2007 across the league.”