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Kangaroos, Bulldogs deserve a Good Friday blockbuster

17th April, 2014
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The Kangaroos face the Bulldogs in what could be one of the matches of the season. (Source: AFL)
Expert
17th April, 2014
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I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to Australian Rules football – I hope there is never a night grand final, and I also hope that the AFL never schedule a game on Good Friday. Both, however, appear to be inevitable.

Outgoing CEO Andrew Demetriou has long been an opponent of Good Friday matches, but he won’t be there next season. The momentum is starting to build, and it seems the AFL will play a match on this day from 2015.

Carlton, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs had previously expressed interest in playing on Good Friday, but Essendon have recently emerged as the frontrunners to host the fixture at the Docklands as they are likely to fill the stadium.

Now life isn’t always fair. To give someone something because it’s their turn  isn’t necessarily the best business decision, but the only Melbourne-based clubs without a permanent blockbuster match each season are North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.

They obviously don’t have the drawing power of Essendon or Carlton, but these two teams from working class backgrounds have had an excellent rivalry in the past and would more than likely make Good Friday a special occasion.

All the other stand alone marquee match-ups are now etched in the AFL’s culture and physche: think Essendon and Collingwood on Anzac Day, or Carlton and Richmond to mark the first match of the season at the MCG. Even Melbourne has one with the traditional Queen’s Birthday contest against the Magpies, while St Kilda take on Carlton in the only Monday night fixture of the season.

The Bulldogs and the Kangaroos at least deserve the chance to trial it. If the AFL believes in equalisation, which the Dogs and Roos have been two of the biggest trumpeters of over the years, the League now has a chance to prove it.

I would still prefer the AFL leave Good Friday as a footy-free day. Local and country leagues have had the date to themselves and taken advantage of it recently to reap important financial dividends.

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But the NRL, A-League and Super Rugby all hold matches on Good Friday, and the AFL is all about being the No. 1 code in the land. Even though the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal happens on Good Friday in Melbourne, the league would no doubt find a way to ensure the appeal is a major beneficiary of Good Friday football.

The Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal is all about hardship and helping people. Although football pales into insignificance in comparison, the Dogs and North have also done it tough.

If an AFL game is to be played on Good Friday, why not allow them to contribute to this special day and hold their own blockbuster? They are sure to do the concept proud.

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