South Australia would block the push for a full round of matches in Queensland and New South Wales to open the AFL season under the long-running Gather Round expansion in Adelaide.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the proposal to extend the opening round in the northern states represented a material risk to his government’s investment in the Assembly and he would insist on the exclusion of the concept in talks with the AFL.
Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has proposed including all clubs in the opening round in the future, making it a regular edition of the Gather Round but earlier in the season, with games played in NSW and Queensland.
While Pridham said it would be an obvious move for the league, Malinauskas dismissed the idea.
“Well, how many people are going to be in the Greater Western Sydney stadium (if) Freo plays Saint Kilda? There’s going to be 12 people in the crowd going to show up,” he said.
“There’s a secret sauce to the Gather Round because it’s unique and different. If you try and replicate it in a way that’s half-assed, you end up diluting the real thing that’s got the magic to it. And I think the AFL needs to think about that very carefully.
“I have accepted and supported the opening of the round as a concept because of the strategic value that it represents, but to do it in a way that is half of the Gathering Round, I think that would represent a material risk that we will be very careful to avoid ever happening in our ongoing contract negotiations.”
Malinauskas and the AFL had hoped a new contract to continue with the Gather Round would be finalized this weekend and announced on Sunday night.
“If something happens in the next 36 hours where a few deals are made or whatever, it could be, then sure, maybe Sunday night we’ll get a big announcement. But I’m not going to do anything to raise the prospect of that. There’s a lot to work on. I’d rather get this right than rush it.
“Everyone will be very happy, but unless it’s right, we’re not going to do it.”
Malinauskas will also look to include hosting a State of Origin game next year in the AFL’s talks.
“I’ve told Andrew (Dillon), so I don’t mind saying it here, that I think we have more negotiating power and we’re getting more power at the table from a state government standpoint now than we did four years ago or three years ago when we negotiated an extension.
“It would be crazy if I didn’t try to cheat on our behalf and see if there’s an opportunity around the State of Origin.
“Next year is the 150th anniversary of the SANFL. I think that’s as good a time as any if we can pull it off.”
The AFL is considering contingencies for future rounds when Tasmania joins the competition in 2028 as the 19th team, creating at least one bye a week in matches. One option would be to have Adelaide or Port Adelaide bookend the Gather Round by playing two games in five days.
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Michael Gleeson is an award-winning sports writer specializing in AFL and athletics.Connect through X or email address.
