"We've got a whole heap of issues that we are working through with the AFL, but it's created a series of extra costs at a time when the state can't really afford it."

Kelly's Elite Sports Properties stages the vast majority of AFL-endorsed grand final-related events, including, notably, the official grand final eve lunch held at Crown and attended by about 1500 people.

Kelly said the function could move to the Thursday of grand final week but that would create a clash with the Essendon women's lunch where the AFL's woman of the year is announced.

"What will happen is people will just go to their functions on the Thursday and take the rest of that day off as well as Friday," he said. "In the current economic climate, I think we ought to be doing more work not less.

"It's just an unnecessary public holiday, but if you were determined to gazette a new public holiday, surely you would hold it on the Monday after the grand final not on the Friday."