North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has taken aim at the AFL’s pre-season scheduling, labelling it the “biggest issue” he faces as a senior coach.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson, the four-time premiership mentor questioned why clubs that miss finals return to training only a fortnight earlier than those who push through September, despite finishing their seasons up to five weeks sooner.
“It’s not equal for all clubs”
Clarkson highlighted the imbalance using last year’s calendar as an example. First-to-fourth year players at non-finalists were back on the track by November 11, 44 days after the Grand Final. Brisbane and Sydney, who went the distance, started just two weeks later, giving North Melbourne a 79-day break compared to only 59 for the Grand Finalists.
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“The biggest issue I’ve got is that it’s not equal for all clubs,” Clarkson said.
“All clubs come back, whether you go through to the Grand Final or not, within a week or two of each other when there’s a gap of four or five weeks between the 10 sides that don’t play finals and the two teams that do get through to the end of finals. Those extra four or five weeks those clubs get are the most important weeks of the year.”
He admitted he would like more contact time with players, but accepted the rules are dictated by the AFL Players’ Association. “It makes it tougher, but it’s even more incentive to get up the top and get that benefit,” he added.
The Kangaroos are set to finish in the bottom four again this year, extending their finals drought to nine seasons.