CAITLIN BASSETT: The AFLW and AFL grand finals should both be played at twilight

The AFLW grand final was a terrific spectacle and it was great the game was played under lights, but next year let’s make it a twilight decider to create a real family friendly affair.

With plenty of firsts to celebrate, namely North Melbourne’s first flag, the one I believe that had the most impact on fans was the timeslot — AFLW’s first night finale.

The beauty of the AFLW is that it isn’t constrained by the rusted on traditions of the men’s game and the AFL has been open to flexibility with the timings over the competition’s short nine-season history.

Four previous games have been held on a Saturday afternoon and three on a Sunday and I believe the first ever night decider has revealed the best time for the match to be held across both AFL and AFLW: Twilight.

The atmosphere created on Saturday night was amazing but with bounce down at 7.45pm AEDT it was after 10pm by the time the Roos lifted the premiership cup.

The camera panning to the crowd captured kids asleep on their parents laps having tried and failed to stay up after bed time.

For viewers in WA, sitting down to watch the game at 4.45pm was perfect, there was time in the morning to get chores and errands done and gathering at the pub to watch with mates or at home was a great way to kick off a Saturday evening.

The men have stuck steadfast to a 2.30pm local time start only experimenting due to COVID in 2020 (hosted in Queensland at night) and 2021 (played in WA at twilight, 5.15pm WST) and despite its growing popularity the AFL have not been keen to budge.

It’s strange given 2.30pm on a Saturday is not considered prime time during the season, in fact it’s the time slot that clubs are least likely to ask for when submitting fixture requests.

In a competition where blockbuster matches during the season are scheduled in twilight or night slots surely the broadcasters would be fighting to have the biggest game of the year played at the same time.

A grand final start time of 5.15pm AEDT for both men and women would still allow for afternoon viewing in the west and mean the game would wrap up at a reasonable time for families with kids attending.

A twilight game would allow punters to attend grand final lunch functions pre-game and go to the pub for post match celebrations or commiserations.

The game itself needs to be an event that people want to attend regardless of which teams are playing, and the half-time entertainment would pack a bigger punch after dark with light shows and fireworks adding to the atmosphere.

As the AFLW continues to develop, the next challenge is the location of the grand final.

Currently, the top-ranked side is awarded hosting rights.

With a limited capacity of 12,500 at Ikon Park, tickets to the past two grand finals at the venue have sold out within a few hours of going on sale.

While interstate clubs like Brisbane and Adelaide have been dominant in the competition, the decision to lock in a bigger stadium such as Marvel is tempting. But it could backfire if two non-Victorian teams made the final.

In 2019, the final between Adelaide and Carlton was played at Adelaide Oval in front of a record breaking 53,034 fans, showing that given an opportunity fans will turn up in force. But there is no guarantee they will travel interstate.