Sydney have put forward a submission to the AFL to scrap the pre-finals bye.

Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson revealed on The Agenda Setters that Swans CEO Tom Harley is leading the charge and has the support from a number of rival clubs.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Wilson’s report on The Agenda Setters.

The pre-finals bye was introduced in 2016 and has remained a part of the AFL fixture, except for the two COVID-affected seasons.

But it has had plenty of critics, with many fans and pundits pointing to the disadvantage of finishing top four, given those teams lose momentum with too long between games.

The issue will be put on the agenda when all clubs are in Adelaide next week for Gather Round.

“It’s more than lobbying. Sydney CEO and one of the most influential CEOs in the AFL Tom Harley has put forward a submission to Andrew Dillon and the AFL to scrap the pre-finals bye,” Wilson said on The Agenda Setters.

“And he has put it firmly on the agenda for Gather Round when the 18 clubs meet next week. And he has strong support, ironically, from Brisbane, the club that beat Sydney to win the premiership last year.

“Sydney hate the pre-finals bye, and they’re not the only club. They feel, and Brisbane agrees ... in fact, Chris Fagan put forward a submission to the AFL a few years ago, and it was shouted down, or pretty much ignored by the AFL.

“Will Sydney have a bit more luck? They’ll certainly have more support.”

Since the pre-finals bye was introduced, seven top-four teams have been eliminated in straight sets. In the previous 10-year period between 2006 and 2015, that happened only three times.

But even making the grand final from the top four can be disadvantageous.

Sydney went into last year’s grand final against Brisbane, having played just twice in 35 days. And they played just once in 27 days to reach the preliminary final.

“Only two clubs have won the flag from outside the top four, and that’s happened since the pre-finals bye. Never before this century has it happened,” Wilson continued.

“Sydney believe there was no real advantage to finish in the top four, certainly not in the top two.”

Sydney were the losers both times a team from outside the top four won the premiership: against the Western Bulldogs in 2016 and last year against Brisbane.

Fellow panellist Luke Hodge agreed the pre-finals bye doesn’t help the top sides.

“The whole point about playing for the whole season is to finish as high as you can so you can get that second chance, but it takes it away,” Hodge said.

“If you’re playing a preliminary final — one game in 27 days, and you’re playing the second game in 35 days, that’s not an advantage for playing a whole 24 rounds of football finishing on top or second on the ladder.

“You’re coming up against a team like Brisbane and they’ve finished fifth and had a full four weeks of football going into a final.”

Wilson went on to say that as part of Harley’s plan, the bye should be shifted to the week before the grand final to make it a huge celebration and build-up to the biggest game.