AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou today reaffirmed the league's commitment to a day Grand Final.

"The fact is that the night Grand Final never came up in discussions with the Seven Network during our broadcast rights negotiations,'' he said today.



"I think even they accept that our position is one where we take great pride in playing our Grand Final on a Saturday afternoon, which people have built a great tradition around.



"We play most of our other finals at night; we think we've got the balance right.''



He was responding to Collingwood president Eddie McGuire's comments in today's Herald Sun, where he argued for the game to be played under lights.

"If we want to keep it as a daytime game, we might as well forget the entertainment," McGuire said.

"Get some massed bands to play Advance Australia Fair and Waltzing Matilda, then get everyone off the ground and bounce the ball.

"But if you want to have a real go, have an entertainment spectacular with a million-dollar budget.

"If you want to put on the biggest and best show, you do it at night."

Demetriou acknowledged the pre-match entertainment last year year was not up to scratch and the AFL was considering moving the pre-game show to half-time, bringing it into line with the NFL Super Bowl.



"(The entertainment) is an important part of our day,'' he said. "It's part of our brand and we need to get it right.



"The fact that we've talked about Meat Loaf so much shows that it actually matters to people so our guys have got their thinking caps on about how we do it this year.



"We've been talking about whether it's the right time before the match, or should we do it at half-time? What form should it take?"



Demetriou said comparisons to the Super Bowl, where Madonna performed this year, were pointless.



"It's a $12-15 million production that produces a singer every year who performs for free," he said.

McGuire said last year's Meat Loaf debacle proved the league was incapable of staging quality pre-match entertainment during the afternoon.

He said the AFL had a serious decision to make: either ditch all pre-match entertainment for an afternoon Grand Final or "get real" with a massive night spectacle.

"We have been trying pre-match entertainment since 1977. It doesn't work," he said. "People come down with trapezes where you can see the wires and footy legends with premiership cups come wandering on to the ground like brown's cows. It's embarrassing.

"We just got over Angry Anderson 20 years ago and (last year) we had Meat Loaf. We don't want that happening next year."

Meat Loaf was paid about $600,000 for a disastrous pre-match performance, with AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan later conceding "he just couldn't sing".

Originally published as AFL boss stands firm on day Grand Final