Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has called on the AFL to scrap the Opening Round concept, arguing it gives teams that play in it an unfair advantage in the following round. The Dockers opened their season in Geelong on Saturday, losing to the Cats by 10 points after leading by 35 points in the first half.
Longmuir pointed to a trend where teams that played in Opening Round have won seven of nine matches against non-Opening Round teams in Round 1 since the concept was introduced. “I think anyone who has been around football would realise it’s an advantage,” he said. “There should be no competitive advantage in teams having played a game before they play another team.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott revealed the Opening Round likely won’t happen next year due to a clash with cricket. The MCG is hosting the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England from March 11-15, which may force the AFL to push back the entire season. “It’s a quirk of the fixture. My understanding is it won’t happen next year,” Scott said.
In Saturday’s match, Geelong rallied from a 35-point deficit to win 16.14 (110) to 14.16 (100). Shannon Neale kicked five goals, while Max Holmes, Bailey Smith, and Tanner Bruhn led the midfield resurgence. Fremantle had an explosive first quarter, kicking eight goals, but faded as Geelong dominated the final three quarters.
Scott praised his team’s belief after the slow start. “The most important thing is the players had belief that if we did shift a few things that we could turn the momentum of the game,” he said. “It’s a rare situation to have that belief when you’ve been so badly outplayed.”
