The drop in TV footy ratings this year would be a concern to both the broadcasters and the AFL alike.

Anomalies such as the Commonwealth Games and now the soccer World Cup mean that some softening was unavoidable. But there have been very few nail-biting finishes to Friday night footy, which is the marquee game of the each round, and it sounds as if Channel Seven is looking to have greater input into fixturing next year.

Port Adelaide's Patrick Ryder last week: players like Thursday night footy. Credit:AAP

In my time, there was a saying among players that the only thing better than Friday night footy was Thursday night footy. For some, this was because their nerves did not increase over the weekend as they watched other teams play, or because they got an extra couple of days the following week for their bodies to recover. Others relished the increased likelihood of getting out on the town and having a weekend that more closely resembled a civilian's.

Player support for Thursday night games is largely irrelevant to the broadcasters, but it feels like there is an appetite for it among the public. They know there is only one more day of the working week to get through before the weekend. Monday night football, while huge in the US, never felt as if it was going to resonate as a regular fixture in the AFL.