Richmond coach Damien Hardwick threw his support behind a shorter AFL home and away season on Tuesday.
The lastest high-profile figure to support the move, Hardwick joined North Melbourne president and football personality James Brayshaw’s recent call to cut the length of the AFL season from 22 games down to a more manageable 20.
“Twenty rounds, that’s probably a good result,” Hardwick said ahead of Richmond’s road trip to Western Australia.
“I don’t think there’s a sport that’s as harsh and as gruelling as ours, it asks our players to do an incredible amount of work.
“We can keep having the argument, but the reality is the 22 games are here to stay.”
Brayshaw criticised the AFL insistence on maintain a 22-game season due to the league’s lucrative (and rising) $1.25 billion broadcast rights deal, a stance also recently supported by Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich if the AFL were to consider reintroducing a return of State of Origin matches.
The AFL’s current five-year deal with Channel Seven, Foxtel and Telstra is set to expire after the 2016 season and the next deal involving bids from competing broadcasters is expected to push that number towards the $2 billion mark.
“I don’t think they’re going to be too keen to give the games back,” Hardwick said of the current broadcast deal.
“I think the product is a really good product, it’s just how long that product goes for is probably the big one.
The Tigers head to Perth this weekend looking to add to a three-game win streak when they take on the West Coast Eagles and retiring ruckman Dean Cox.
Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
