"We are going into this with 18 clubs and we'll come out with 18 clubs," he told SEN on Tuesday morning. "That's our commitment over the next four, six, eight, 10 months, whatever it looks like, that we will have the same structure at the elite level. "There's a whole lot of speculation going on about that and I'm not going to add to speculation," McLachlan said when asked if mergers or relocations could take place in the long run. "It's not something I've thought about or buying into.

"Right now our task is to preserve our revenue streams, cut costs, raise liquidity, have a focus on the other side [of the shutdown] so when we can restart in June, July, August, September, whatever that period is, we start with the 18 teams in the locations they are, playing AFL football. Loading "We're dealing with the issues at hand, and doing that in the knowledge that hopefully our supporters and our members come out of this tough period going, 'I can't wait to go and watch my team'. "I want them to know that's the total focus." McLachlan said the role of the clubs, players, AFL and the industry as a whole was to make sure the game comes back "as strong as it can be" and "be such a life force for so many people in the community who would've gone through a really tough winter".

He credited the AFL's "strong balance sheet" for its ability to secure the line of credit from the banks and said the recent purchase of Marvel Stadium was an important factor. "Having a freehold title over that whole asset and it being debt-free and unencumbered has meant that the decision of the commission over years to build and invest in that asset is bearing fruit at the moment," he said. McLachlan has stressed that the league needs to be agile and flexible if and when the season resumes to play as much of the remaining home-and-away season as possible. But he stressed the "caveat" was that it needed integrity by way of each team playing each other once, casting doubt on whether a premier will be crowned if all 153 regular season games are unable to be played. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The grand final could take place in late December, but McLachlan poured cold water on the prospect of it forming part of a blockbuster day of sport on Boxing Day directly after the first day of the traditional MCG Test match.

"I've heard that raised," McLachlan laughed. "I reckon Boxing Day is important to cricket. If we're all working together to work through venue issues and others, I think Boxing Day is a cricket day and has been for a long time. "It's Melbourne's Test match day and if that's going ahead then I reckon we'd be churlish to say, 'Yeah, we're going to play on Boxing Day'." McLachlan was also hopeful that the league wouldn't be hamstrung by Marvel Stadium's deal with the Big Bash League considering the Melbourne Renegades use the Docklands stadium as their home venue. "I hope that in the end this is bigger than all of that," he said.