NIGHT MOVES

AFL says evening Grand Final ‘inevitable’

QUEENSLAND’S bid for the Grand Final would include a historic 7pm first bounce it believes would provide the greatest ratings spectacle in Australian sport.

The AFL is expected to decide which state will hold the Grand Final early next week after hearing submissions that included a proposal from the South Australian government on Thursday.

But the league seems certain to hold a night Grand Final with strong support from broadcast partner Seven and AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, who has said a twilight or night trial is “inevitable”.

The exhaustive 80-page bid handed to the AFL on Tuesday proposes a range of twilight activities at the Gabba before a 7pm bounce that would put the game smack-bang in prime time.

The league would have to rule whether the Grand Final had half-time entertainment that would take as much as half an hour, or pre-match entertainment as dusk settled.

Unfortunately the annual Grand Final parade would be dead for 2020, with the bid unable to come up with a solution to contract-tracing thousands of fans in Brisbane in crowds six deep along a parade route.

As News Corp revealed on Monday, a bye after Round 18 is certain, which puts the league on track for an October 24 night Grand Final.

The Queensland bid accepts its financial component might be less than the $35-36 million offered by West Australia.

But it has offered a “turnkey” package featuring corporate suites, Grand Final entertainment and a pitch to house the Brownlow Medal, Rising Star and All Australian night at the Gold Coast convention centre.

Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane, chairman of the bid, said yesterday: “I think Channel 7 will absolutely have the biggest TV ratings of any sporting event in Australia.”