The AFL will look at everything from reduced squads, a new broadcast rights agreement and playing through summer and into next year once play can resume following the coronavirus suspension, according to Essendon legend Tim Watson.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Watson revealed "everything is on the table" as the game's leaders contingency plan for what has become a highly compromised season projected to cost the game hundreds of millions of dollars.
"I believe right now, everything is on the table about what this competition might look like when it re-emerges," Watson said.
"Are we going to overall reduce the competition to a 17-game season? Is there going to be a new broadcast rights agreement? Are lists going to be restricted to 35 players? Are they going to do without staff? Is there going to be a new-look state competition? New stadium agreements and all that sort of stuff.
"Is there a possibility, depending on how serious this becomes and how long the lockdown occurs, is it possible that this season could flow into next March?
"Then we could effectively have the 2020 season being played in 2021 or the conclusion of the 2020 season being played in 2021 and then a rest period for five (weeks) to two months and then we start the 2021 season.
"All of these things are going to be looked at and talked about during this break."
At this stage the season has been suspended until the end of May but the COVID-19 pandemic is only getting worse and it looks increasingly unrealistic that players will return to the field in June.
There are many factors that will determine what the competition will look like when it returns, with the AFL already becoming divided over the issue of pay cuts. Players have agreed to a 50 per cent drop while the season is suspended but the administration is adamant that more significant cuts are necessary.
On Monday leading AFL journalist Damien Barrett flagged longer lasting cuts that would have a major impact on the game's most highly paid players.
"There's every chance the contracts that are currently in place will be totally ripped up," Barrett told Footy Classified.
"They might resemble the duration in the next wave of job offers but they won't be anywhere near the level of money that's in play at the moment and I almost think that it might be start again."
Meanwhile, Watson's fellow Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd has revealed a list of players AFL fans may never see on the field again if the worst case scenario plays out and the 2020 season has to be abandoned all together.
"It's got me thinking of all the ramifications of this and if we do not play another game, which is highly likely, we do not play another game this year, I've got a list of names that you my have seen the last of these guys," Lloyd told AFL Classified on Monday.
https://twitter.com/FootyonNine/status/1242053238851018752?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwOn the list were all-time greats of the game Gary Ablett, Shaun Burgoyne, Heath Shaw, Harry Taylor and Eddie Betts.
"I don't want to be overdramatic but this is the situation. High chance that we don't play another game this season ... these clubs have to make hard decisions at the end of the year, we're still going to have a draft, there's still going to be 60 young footballers who need to enter club lists so there's going to be some emotional decisions that need to be made at season's end," Lloyd said.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/tim-watson-afl-coronavirus-suspension-game-changer/1e1e604e-6e54-49b9-936b-4c5d1ec23eda
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