ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

Thursday no worry: Clarkson

AFL: Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has criticised the scheduling of the Hawks’ qualifying final with Richmond but coach Alastair Clarkson is at peace with the Thursday night clash.

The blockbuster at the MCG on Thursday, September 6 will kick off the finals.

“Putting it at night and particularly on a Thursday night ... it’s going to be very hard for a lot of families, younger people to attend,” Kennett told SEN radio.

“It’s almost impossible for any of our 10,000 members from Tasmania to come across, let alone our other 10-15,000 around the country.”

AFL fixture boss Travis Auld defended the Thursday night finals scheduling, which has been in effect for two years, in Perth and Adelaide.

“They go to school in Western Australia and South Australia,” Auld responded

“Our expectations are we will get 90,000 plus, we are confident with those teams and the strength of those teams that there will be a really strong crowd.”

Auld said the Thursday night game was critical to allowing teams to freshen up before the two sudden-death semi-finals in week two of the playoffs.

“(It) has taken a game out of the Sunday,” he said.

“If you look at week two of the finals, we will have an eightday break and a seven-day break and two seven day breaks.

“That’s really important to the clubs that are competing.”

With his Hawks meeting the Tigers in a final for the first time ever, Clarkson was more concerned with getting his team right.

“You’ll get a different point of view from the players and coaching point of view than from a chairman,” he said.

“Our focus is just ‘where do you want us to play, let’s just try our best to get the job done’.”

Defender James Sicily and James Frawley will be due to return, while four-time premiership backman Grant Birchall, who hasn’t played since round 15 last year, remains in the hunt for a stunning AFL return.

“He’s had a pretty strong block of training over the last four to six weeks,” Clarkson said.

“We’ll see where that goes. “Our biggest dilemma is going to be has he got the match fitness?

“I dare say we’ll be backing this guy in if he gets himself there because he’s a ripper. We’d select him in a heartbeat.”