The AFL should consider playing a 34-game "epic" season across 2020-21 rather than further reducing this year's fixture, Matthew Lloyd says.
The Essendon great said that this season would forever carry an asterisk if it was decided via a home-and-away fixture of less than the currently-planned 17 games.
With no guarantee of anything amid the coronavirus shutdown, it is far from certain that 17 rounds plus finals will fit into this year.
Lloyd said that the AFL should think outside the box and potentially have clubs play each other twice to crown an unprecedented 2020-21 season premier.
"Have we ever called Sam Mitchell or Trent Cotchin a Brownlow Medallist? I haven't heard anyone ever call them that," Lloyd said on Footy Classified, referring to the 2012 Best and Fairest gong that was stripped from Jobe Watson and reallocated in 2016.
"I don't hear too many people call it, because it's an asterisk Brownlow in a sense. Jobe Watson won it that year and everyone looks upon that [as tainted].
"Giving a premiership to a side for 15 games ... if we get down to 12 [regular season] games and suddenly finals and a premiership's given, it will never be remembered. It will be, 'Oh yeah, that year. Remember Port Adelaide won that one - wasn't a real premiership'.
"I'd rather an epic 34-game season, where we get 12 games off late this year and then have another 22 games next year into finals. You give players a break over Christmas, New Years, and get into a 34-game [season], play each other twice, rather than handing out [a lesser premiership].
"A 12-game or 15-game season ... I can't cop that."
Columnist Caroline Wilson said that the AFL was unlikely to award a premiership if it failed to complete a 17-game fixture this year.
"They're trying to fit 17 rounds, or 153 games, into 13 or 14 weeks - and I reckon they'll do it," Wilson said on Footy Classified.
"And I reckon they'll get the Grand Final at the MCG."
Wilson played down a touted best-of-three GF series, saying it was infeasible given that the AFL wanted a shorter season.
Footy has been forecast to potentially have scheduling clashes with cricket's T20 World Cup in the event of a later season. Wilson said the tournament may yet be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 like many other sporting events; such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, now to be held in 2021.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/34-game-2020-21-season-matthew-lloyd-suggestion/556f4fcd-7ffd-4a58-92bf-34bb84f383b4
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