Adelaide coach Don Pyke allegedly asked the AFL Coaches’ Association boss to campaign for a best-of-three premiership-deciding series in the wake of his club’s Grand Final loss to Richmond in 2017.

Pyke’s push, reported by veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson on 3AW’s Sportsday on Tuesday, comes in the wake of suggestions the long-term contract biding the AFL Grand Final to the MCG was only finalised last month — not in April as first flagged.

The Crows spent the entire 2017 home and away season in the top two, finishing first on the ladder after Round 23 before winning two home finals to progress to the Grand Final.

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Finals Week 1

However the Crows — like all previous Grand Finalists — had to play at the MCG against the Tigers, who play nearly all of their home games at the venue.

Wilson said the loss to Richmond sparked Pyke to take action behind the scenes.

“So Don Pyke, after losing to Richmond, went to the Coaches’ boss Mark Brayshaw and said ‘this is something you need to push on our behalf’,” Wilson told Sportsday.

Adelaide coach Don Pyke allegedly asked the AFL Coaches’ Association boss to campaign for a best-of-three Grand Final series. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Corp Australia

“What is interesting to me is the coach of the Adelaide Crows, who’s a very smart bloke and he’s not a bad sport, he honestly believes it is a totally unfair system and he wanted to fight it.”

In April, legendary footy journalist and Open Mike host Mike Sheahan flagged an impending “push” led by non-Victorian clubs for a best-of-three Grand Final series. Less than a week later, the long-term Grand Final-MCG contract deal was announced.

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Wilson said outgoing Sydney chief executive Andrew Ireland had been the biggest advocate for a best-of-three AFL Grand Final series.

“Andrew Ireland has made this a cause célèbre for him,” Wilson said.

“It came up when they were having these big discussions about fairness of fixture. He said ‘if the fixture’s going to be fair, you have to fix the Grand Final’. And he put forward this best-of-three idea.”

In April, the AFL and Victorian state government announced that the MCG’s contractual hold on hosting the Grand Final had been extended until 2057.



Outgoing Swans boss Andrew Ireland has pushed hard for a best-of-three Grand Final series. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

But Wilson on Tuesday night revealed that the mega deal was only officially “signed two weeks ago”. She said the reason behind the delay was due to the MCG protecting its privilege to host the AFL game that decided the premier, which would be tricky situation if it was a best-of-three series.

“To have the MCG hosting the Grand Final for most of our lifetimes … the state government was determined the deciding game was going to be at the MCG and that is why negotiators have been blueing about right up until two weeks ago when the deal was finally sealed,” Wilson said.

Fox Footy commentator and former Geelong player Dwayne Russell said the idea didn’t make sense.

“It won’t work, because if Sydney and Adelaide are playing in the Grand Final and Game 1 is at Sydney, then Game 2 has to be at the MCG and then Game 3 has to be at the MCG — and Adelaide don’t get a (home) game. How does that work in terms of fairness? You have a best of three series and Adelaide don’t host a game?” Russell told Sportsday.

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Wilson said the noise around a three-match Grand Final series had diminished since the Eagles’ triumph over Collingwood in September, but added that it “interests me that this is not going away, despite the Victorian Government deal”.