The AFL’s new Wildcard Round is back in the spotlight and causing angst, with it now being suggested hosting rights could move from state to state regardless of the teams competing.

In 2016 the AFL introduced a bye round (or weekend off) before the finals. Now, that weekend will be replaced by the Wildcard play-offs, where the 10th and ninth team will take on the eighth and seventh team to see who continues in the finals race.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Chris Scott’s Wildcard finals comments anger AFL

The concept has received mixed reviews from greats of the game, fans and coaches, with Geelong coach Chris Scott recently upsetting the AFL when he called it a cash grab.

While Scott’s comments reportedly went down like a lead balloon at AFL House, fans are now saying he is on the money.

ABC sports journalist Corbin Middlemas says hosting rights for the Wildcard Weekend could go to the highest bidder as early as next year with the AFL and the West Australian government already having some preliminary chats about the move.

This year — the inaugural year of the concept — hosting rights will go to the team highest on the ladder (which is the general rule of thumb for finals, oustide of the grand final).

But Middlemas says as of next year hosting rights could go to the state willing to fork out the biggest bucks.

The AFL says it will revisit the Wildcard Round model at the end of this year and it is still a work in progress.

But the plan to potentially hold the weekend in one state, like Gather Round, has sparked a storm among fans and commentators.

“So an AFL cash grab becomes a bigger AFL cash grab. There’s a pattern here ...,” said sports journalist Ralph Horowitz.

And a fan fumed: “If the AFL do this, I am out. I’ll no longer buy a club membership or invest in the AFL. Fans never asked for a top 10. Let alone make two teams play in an entirely different state from both of them. Absolutely ridiculous.”

And another: “So they want to flog off something very few fans actually want… So out of touch… So after the cash.”

And another: “This is beyond disgusting. Will be the final straw for many.”

And another: “Surely not. We are completely selling the game’s soul.”

And another: “Finish seventh or eigth and you are stuffed. No finals bye. No home final. Possible to play ninth or 10th at their home.”

Meanwhile, AFL greats Lance Franklin and Shane Crawford have blasted the whole concept, saying it is ridiculous and rewards mediocrity.

“Just leave it as a top eight,” Franklin said on The Buddy & Shane Show.

“As I said before, the drop off is big ... there is 6-7 really strong teams and then the rest are pretty average. I dunno. For me they should have left it as a top eight.

“Earn your right to make the top eight. Don’t just be gifted a top 10. For me it’s just ridiculous.

“When they play around with all these rules and change different things, it’s stupidity. I think you earn the right to be in the (finals).

“I think they’ve just done it and they haven’t given it too much thought. It annoys me.”

Crawford said it was a “dogs***” idea.

“It rewards mediocrity. That’s what it does. If you’re going to make the finals, you’ve got to get yourself into the top eight at least. Eight is too many as it is.”

Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson said Scott’s view (about it being a money grab) was not completely consistent with others at Geelong.

“I think there are other Geelong leaders who believe that Wildcard Round is there to help equalise the competition and help teams that are down the bottom of the ladder,” she said.

“It’s not just about money; it’s about teams like North Melbourne, and North Melbourne supporters, and St Kilda supporters potentially getting a final when they wouldn’t otherwise.

“I’m not sticking up for Wildcard Round, but if Chris says it’s all about money, I don’t think that went down all that well.”

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has previously defended the concept, saying the competition to grab a ninth and tenth spot on the ladder now means there will be more games of consequence during the home and away season.

“We know fans will go to those games,” he said last year.

“We know they’ll watch them in numbers. But what we also know is that, particularly final series (in 2025) where we had pretty much every game as a close enough to a sellout, our fans love finals games.”