AFL Players Association president Patrick Dangerfield says he’s open to playing 16 home-and-away rounds over 10 weeks and the concept of quarantine hubs as ways to resume the 2020 season.
The Geelong superstar says playing every four to five days must be on the table as the game plots a route back from the coronavirus shutdown.
He acknowledged that some players, due to age and injury management, may not be up to playing each match with AFL clubs needing to embrace their entire list.
The Brownlow Medallist admitted as a 30-year-old he could fall into that category, but it shouldn’t be ruled out.
“We will do whatever we have to do in order to get the season away,” he told SEN Radio.
“To be totally honest, if it’s 16 games in 10 weeks then we’ve just got to find a way. Is it ideal? It’s not.”
He said shortened quarters of 16 minutes plus time-on, as tested in round one before the season was put on hold, would make it more feasible.
“The reduced game length helps a huge amount and we’ve only seen a very small sample size in that … but the ability for players to turn around and back up games, we need to be open-minded.
“I think it’s far less taxing than a normal AFL game so let’s keep our eyes open with what might be possible.
“We don’t really know what we can and can’t do until we try it.”
Dangerfield initially vetoed the idea of hubs, which would see teams split into three groups and isolated in different states to limit their exposure to COVID-19.
But he now says it’s worth exploring.
“The longer you look at where we are at nationally in terms of trying to combat the virus, I think it becomes more of an option to start the season,” he said.
“This is purely my own personal thoughts, (but) I don’t see us flying week to week, state to state, I don’t think that’s going to be possible so I think we’re going to have to open our eyes to that possibility that there’s certain hubs around.
“As more information comes to light I think it’s not as scary a proposition as what first initial reactions were.”
Dangerfield says it’s too soon to make a call on resuming training on May 4, which has been floated as a possible timeline.
“A lot of it is going to be government driven around rules on isolation,” he said.
“May 4 isn’t a date that was ever formally put to us as a PA and I suppose the situation we’re in is we’re waiting for an update from the AFL on where it’ll all stand but they are still gathering information.
“It’s frustrating for all but it’s better to get it right than rushing to a decision that could be ever changing.”
