Which clubs deserve Friday night football in 2015?

It’s the most lucrative time-slot in the AFL, and with the league currently planning its fixture for the 2015 season, there are some clubs which will push to be included on Friday nights on a regular basis next year.

In recent times, the AFL has made it clear that teams have to show their form that necessitates their right to play in the time-slot, to ensure that these matches are of the highest possible quality.

This year, St Kilda (16th in 2013) were the lowest-ranked side from last season to feature in the time-slot, losing to Collingwood by 86 points in Round 11, while last year, the Brisbane Lions (13th) were the lowest-ranked side from 2012 to feature on Friday night, when it lost to Collingwood by 49 points at the Gabba in Round 10.

As well as this, the current contract signed off by the Seven Network in April 2011 has allowed for the network to televise AFL matches live into Sydney and Brisbane via its sister channel 7mate.

This has allowed their respective teams, the Swans and Lions, to remain exposed to playing in the Friday night time-slot, thus putting it against the NRL’s Friday night double-header, of which typically one match involves a popular Sydney team and the other a Queensland-based side such as the Brisbane Broncos.

While the top-drawing and performing teams (such as Carlton, Hawthorn, the Geelong Cats, Essendon and Collingwood to name a few) will continue to earn this privilege on a regular basis in 2015, there are other clubs that will push to feature regularly in the time-slot next year.

As recently as July, Gold Coast Suns CEO Travis Auld has pushed for his club to be featured on Friday nights, backed up by better performances from the Suns.

His proposal came after the club drew 24,032 fans to its match against Collingwood on July 5, which the Suns won by five points after they lost their reigning Brownlow Medallist for the season with a shoulder injury.

“You’ve got to earn your spot for Friday night football, but I believe we play a brand of football that attracts people, so they might be looking to fixture us next year”, Auld said.

There’s no reason why the Suns don’t deserve to play in the time-slot. While they will almost certainly miss the finals after a poor second half of the season, the Suns are starting to make significant progress on the field and this was illustrated by them winning seven of their first nine games to sit in the top four after Round 10.

Four of those wins were, however, against each of the only four teams to finish below them on the ladder last year, two of which (against Melbourne and St Kilda) were away from home.

As well as this, the Suns impressively defeated Geelong by 40 points at home in round fourteen, but also suffered disappointing losses against recent grand finalists Fremantle, Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans by an average of 60.6 points.

The home matches against the Hawks, Cats and Swans drew crowds of 17,729, 18,236 and 21,354 respectively, while the Suns did not get the chance to host the Dockers at home.

Of course, the figure for the Swans match was made possible by the presence of Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, as he and Gary Ablett, Jr faced off in the battle of the AFL’s biggest defectors.

Therefore, if the AFL were to schedule the Gold Coast Suns to play on Friday night next year, then potential opponents could include any of the Cats, Pies, Hawks or Swans.

A Friday night match against the Swans would mark the first time since late 2005, when a Western Derby was played in the time-slot, that two non-Victorian teams share the Friday night stage during the regular season.

Additionally, the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide have also pushed to be featured more regularly on Friday nights in 2015, with each team having played in the time-slot just once each this year.

Both the Adelaide Crows-Hawthorn and Port Adelaide-Carlton matches in Rounds 17 and 22 sold out before game day, attracting crowds of 50,321 and 52,505 respectively.

Additionally, the Crows’ clash with Collingwood, played on a Thursday night this year, drew 50,051 spectators, while for the Power, last week’s match against the Blues, which they won by 103 points, was their first Friday night match since Round 7, 2011.

Their featuring in this time-slot was reward for their improved 2013 season, in which they returned to the finals for the first time since 2007 after several years in the wilderness.

Thus, the AFL’s foray into the redeveloped Adelaide Oval has been vindicated in more ways than one this year, with crowds for Crows games averaging 48,353 and the Power 44,364, yet the latter has been more successful on the field as of recent.

It was only as recently as last year where tarps covered some seating areas on game day at AAMI Stadium during Port Adelaide matches. But with the Power having emerged from the darkest period of its history, the large crowds have returned and so have their voice and passion for their team.

Taking into account the large crowds and the results, it would be harsh if the two Adelaide clubs aren’t given at least two Friday night matches at home next year. More large crowds would be guaranteed and both clubs would have the potential to make hundreds of thousands of money in the process.

As for the other clubs, Melbourne, the Brisbane Lions, GWS Giants and Western Bulldogs all probably won’t be considered, while St Kilda and Carlton, despite their poor seasons, could still feature regularly on Friday nights in 2015.

Friday night pioneers North Melbourne must also feature regularly in the time-slot in 2015, as they were the club that initiated the world-first initiative. Improved form this year will also support their bid for more Friday night matches next year.

The two Western Australia clubs only featured a collective four times in 2014, so WA fans will also want a piece of the Friday night pie as well.

Do you think your club deserves to play Friday night football in 2015?