Shorter breaks ‘not ideal’ but Dangerfield says it makes sense

GEELONG star Patrick Dangerfield says it would “make sense” to jam more AFL games into a shorter period and would back a move to extend the bench to ensure player safety.

The Cats lost two players in Thursday night’s win over Brisbane, with Mitch Duncan and Quinton Narkle needing scans to assess their hamstring injuries.

They will travel with Geelong to its next hub in Perth and Dangerfield, who was best-on-ground against the Lions, expects the majority of the team list will be “exposed” this season.

It’s believed the AFL could try and play as many as five games across a 20-day period when the next bunch of games are released, which could include breaks as short as four days between matches.

AFL boss Gillon Mclachlan suggested on Friday morning the league was even looking at playing up to six rounds while players were out of Victoria for at least the next 32 days.

“While players and clubs are up there, I think they go, ‘Let’s play’,” he said on 3AW.

“There’s a huge logistical challenge about actually getting the games away, given who’s played who and who’s where. So, we are looking at, if we can, playing certainly more than one game a week over a period of time.”

Dangerfield, also president of the AFL Players’ Association, said that was “not ideal” but conceded it was the right move to complete the season.

“To me it makes sense that the season is condensed,” he said.

“If that means there are times we have to play off a four-day break or five-day breaks, which is already happening, that’s what we have got to.

“We have to make sure we expose all our list and rotate where it’s appropriate, and there will be a few more changes this week with those players coming out

“It’s not ideal, but this year nothing is ideal. We understand our obligation to the league more broadly.

“It just means as clubs, as players, everyone is going to have to be ready.”

Dangerfield said he supported the interchange bench staying at four as a rule but acknowledged that could need to be changed.

“My view has been to leave it as it is, but I use the word fluid, and if we are playing games in the next period of time, maybe there would be the potential to extend it,” he said.