Change to Grand Final start time reignites; Queensland on ‘high alert’ ahead of Opening Round — Daily

The AFL’s long-running debate over the annual Grand Final time slot is set to resurface yet again in 2026, with the league’s new chairman set to oversee discussions on whether the decider remains a daytime fixture, or shifts to later on the last Saturday of September.

The Age reported on Tuesday evening that Craig Drummond is expected to address the issue promptly, with a view to reaching a decision early rather than allowing the matter to linger deep into the season.

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Taking input from chief executive Andrew Dillon and the AFL executive, the former Geelong Cats president in Drummond will weigh up a potential shift away from the traditional 2.30pm start.

While the prospect of increased television audiences is no doubt a very attractive one for the league to keep reconsidering each year, it would go against the sentiment of fans, who have consistently backed the afternoon Grand Final in league surveys.

Drummond’s appointment as successor to Richard Goyder is set to be ratified by clubs and the Commission on Wednesday.

If the league does move away from the afternoon, a twilight fixture — similar to the 2021 Grand Final in Perth, which aired in prime time in the eastern states — has long been viewed as the more likely alternative, in part due to the time required for presentations and post-match celebrations.

WEATHER WATCH INTRIGUES AHEAD OF OPENING ROUND... AGAIN

Only one year on from Queensland weather forcing the abandoning of two Opening Round fixtures, keen AFL observers are once again keeping an eye on the state’s forecast this weekend.

In line with Friday night’s Geelong vs Gold Coast fixture and Saturday night’s Brisbane vs Western Bulldogs clash, the Bureau of Meteorology (regularly referred to as BoM) is anticipating heavy rainfall across the south-east of Queensland.

And while the worst of the building tropical cyclone is expected to hit land much further north of the two cities, SEN’s Sam Edmund reports the state is on “high alert” heading into the weekend.

There is no suggestion either fixture in the state will be postponed like they were in 2025, which caused a number of complexities for Essendon and the Suns in particular for the remainder of their home-and-away season.

‘MOVED ON’: LIONS TIPPED TO DEAL SWIFTLY WITH NEALE’S OFF-FIELD ISSUES

As the back-to-back reigning premiers in Brisbane prepare to begin the defence of their crown for a second straight year, intrigue remains over the return to the field of two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale.

The 32-year-old confirmed on January 2 this year he would step down from his co-captaincy role at the Lions, after he and ex-partner Jules “separated” as a result of him “letting his family down”.

His departure from the role now sees the Lions adopt an unprecedented three-person co-captaincy, with Harris Andrews this year joined by Josh Dunkley and Hugh McCluggage.

Chris Fagan’s side has proven an unflappable force in recent times, with AFL 360’s Garry Lyon expecting that to remain the case despite Neale’s off-field issues.

“It’s hard for us to know, but the bottom line is, it will affect some players more than it will others. Then, there’s the element on how it will affect Lachie and his footy,” Lyon said on Tuesday night to Fox Footy.

“I think he’ll deal with it, and continue to play at the standard that we expect ... that man there I think will handle the football side of the fight.

“Then, it’s for the rest of his teammates to be able to separate what goes on at the football field, and then what goes on outside of it. For some, the older players I would imagine, would have partners and relationships with Lachie’s ex-partner — that is when it becomes an issue that they’ve got to get it on the table.

“They’re a really good footy club, they will have dealt with it by now and moved on. I think this is a footy club that will handle it.”

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