Port Adelaide midfielder Travis Boak believes the AFL must do a better job balancing the fixture when footy returns to normal beyond 2020.
Boak pointed out Richmond’s end to the 2019 season, where they played seven consecutive games at the MCG going into finals, and believes that the AFL can’t allow advantages like that while interstate sides are forced to travel in and out weekly.
“The biggest thing that’s obviously been talked about is the games that Victorian clubs have at home at the MCG and the big run they have,” Boak told SEN Breakfast when asked what should be done to even up the fixture.
“Obviously Richmond had a good run leading up to their finals campaign not long ago.
“The amount of travel that interstate clubs do have becomes pretty taxing and I just think that needs to be looked at a little bit more and if there’s something that can be done there I think that’s something that needs to change.
“The biggest thing for us – we’re home one week, we’re away the next week. If we were able to get a little bit more time at home, it would be a little bit nicer and to have clubs in Melbourne spending seven weeks in a row at the MCG is probably a little bit out.
“That’s the biggest outlier here and that’s what needs to change.
“If it stays the same of a week on and a week off. I get that as long as there’s clubs in Melbourne that have seven weeks at home.”
The Tigers finished the 2019 season with seven games in a row at the MCG, three against fellow tenants of the venue in Collingwood, Melbourne and Carlton.
They also hosted Port Adelaide, West Coast, Brisbane and GWS.
Boak does feel the extra travel puts interstate teams at a disadvantage as the season goes on.
“There’s no doubt it does. Travelling to Melbourne for us is alright, it’s an hour flight, but certainly for the Perth teams you can understand their frustrations as well,” he said.
“Towards the end of the year, if you’re travelling 11 to 12 weeks of the year it does eventually take its toll.”
The AFL recently told West Australian teams that they were not allowed to train in groups of 10, despite government allowance, until all teams in all other states are also allowed to.
This is to make sure we have a level playing field when footy does return, but some feel that the AFL would not have clamped down if the roles were reversed and Victorian teams were the ones allowed to train.
Boak admits he understands where the AFL is coming from.
“To be perfectly honest I understand where the AFL sits with it. I get that – that we want to start together and that’s where it sits,” he said.
“Obviously it’s a little bit frustrating. I don’t know where it would have been if Victorian clubs were able to train and we weren’t.
“In this situation I get it and I understand it, but there is some things that need to change in terms of making sure that interstate clubs are looked after a little bit better.”