'Should be banned': AFL fans all make same complaint about 'ridiculous' move

Fans are questioning the AFL's decision to schedule a Thursday night game in Perth after Fremantle's win over Essendon at Optus Stadium. Luke Jackson produced another rucking masterclass and Josh Treacy broke his run of ducks to lift the Dockers to a 41-point win over the injury-hit Bombers.
Jackson had 21 disposals to go with 48 hit-outs, 10 clearances and three goals in the 16.8 (104) to 9.9 (63) win in front of 37,570 fans. And while the strong turnout showed the Thursday night time-slot worked for the WA audience, the majority of the AFL world on the east coast were left fuming.
The 6.10pm start time translated to an 8.10pm start in Melbourne and Sydney - later than the usual 7.30pm start for Thursday night games - and it didn't finish until around 11pm on the east coast. It normally wouldn't be an issue on a Friday or Saturday night, but fans on the east coast couldn't stay up late because of work and school the next day.
Viewers flooded social media with angry comments questioning why a Thursday night game would be scheduled on the west coast. The AFL was likely looking to capitalise on the extra people in Perth watching State of Origin 2 on Wednesday night, but it alienated the TV audience in the eastern states.
One person wrote: "Dear AFL, for future reference, Thursday night games do not work in Perth at this time slot." Another commented: "Surely Thursday night footy from Perth simply doesn't work. Most people on the East coast (who work) will go to sleep at half time. Reckon Friday night is more suitable for the later start."
A third added: "They (Perth) should be banned from playing Thursday nights. The only state it helps is WA." While a fourth wrote: "Thursday night games should start at 7.30 if played at WA. They either accept it or forget it, kids go to school and to start at 8.10 is ridiculous."
Thursday night games should start @730 if played at WA they either accept it or forget it, kids go to school and to start at 810 is ridiculous @AFL @AFLcomau
— Rick K (@rick_k62) June 19, 2025
They should be banned from playing Thursday nights. The only state it helps is WA
— Cool Reigns (@reign40402) June 19, 2025
Works alright in Perth. Probably 40,000 there tonight. Pity @freodockers had to do it on a five day break in order to get a couple home games in a row. Have a good sleep 😴
— MarkTheAndrews (@MarkTheAndrews1) June 19, 2025
Only 14 different venues to choose from and the AFL schedule a Thursday night in WA the night after a State of OriginAnd put Essendoom there to capitalise on the NSW & QLD marketsAFL House is absolutely flying though @Sammy__Edmund
— Shane Donoghue (@shanedonoghue) June 19, 2025
Meanwhile, Fremantle's fifth win on the trot improved their record to 9-5 ahead of next week's home clash with St Kilda. Essendon are now 6-8 and face a major battle to turn around their fortunes, with a fourth-consecutive loss leaving them well adrift of the top eight.
Jackson dominated his contest against Essendon debutant Vigo Visentini, who battled hard for 15 disposals and 17 hit-outs but was outclassed by Fremantle's star big man. "He's a special player. We love having him. He's not going anywhere," star Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong told Fox Footy about Jackson.
"He's locked in with us. I think what him and Sean (Darcy) are going to build over the next couple of months is really exciting. I can't wait to be a part of it. As a midfielder, I'm licking my lips."
RELATED:
Cyril Rioli continues sad stance as Buddy Franklin set for return
AFL world sends flood of messages over news about Abbey Holmes
Nat Fyfe earned a rare start after spending the last two games as the sub, but managed just 11 disposals and one clearance before being taken off in the final quarter. Fyfe spent periods stationed in attack to help fill the void left by Sam Switkowski (hamstring), and coach Justin Longmuir was happy with the former captain's efforts.
"I thought he ran some really good patterns," Longmuir said. "I was really happy with the way he approached the role. I thought some of his physicality through the middle of the ground was great."
with AAP

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

32 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Eels star Cherrington to miss start of NRLW season

Kennedy Cherrington will miss at least the first three weeks of the NRLW season with the knee injury she suffered in the third State of Origin match. She could be joined on the sidelines by captain Mahalia Murphy, who is racing to recover from a minor hamstring injury in time for the season opener against Cronulla. Parramatta had initially hoped NSW forward Cherrington may recover from her posterior cruciate ligament injury in time for the opener on July 3. But she is now tracking to miss up to a third of the regular season with the injury that prevented her from playing the second half of NSW's game-three loss in Newcastle last month. It's a blow for Cherrington, who missed the end of last season with a separate knee issue. "It's tough for Kennedy but it'll be good to get her for the back half of the season," said coach Steve Georgallis. "We're hoping she'll be back for round four or round five at the latest." Eels captain for a second straight season, Murphy is hoping to return from a hamstring injury in time to face the Sharks. "Mahalia's just got a little niggle," Georgallis said. "We're hoping she should be back for round one but if we feel like she's not ready then we're not going to push her." The news is less rosy for Eels forward Boss Kapua, who fractured her fibula in an opposed session and will miss the opening weeks of the competition. "She's tough, she walked off the field and she just said, 'I'm a bit sore here'," Georgallis said. "We were glad it wasn't syndesmosis because syndesmosis can be like 12 (weeks), three months. She'll be three or four weeks. She might even be back before Kennedy."

News24

an hour ago

• News24

Bruised British & Irish Lions, bold Wallabies: Schmidt sparks dream of a golden uprising

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt believes Australia can push the British and Irish Lions, provided they stay within reach late in games. The Lions arrive under pressure after a 28–24 loss to Argentina, exposing early tour rust and lack of cohesion. With limited prep and players short on game time, Schmidt is banking on grit, structure, and familiarity with the Lions' setup to make Australia competitive. Australia coach Joe Schmidt is confident the Wallabies can be competitive against the British and Irish Lions, but he will be wary of a side wounded by defeat to Argentina in a Dublin warm-up. Andy Farrell's squad arrive in Perth on Sunday evening already feeling pressure after a slick Pumas exploited their lack of familiarity and cohesion in a rousing 28-24 victory on Friday. While far from the ideal send-off for a nine-game tour, which includes Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Farrell has time to fine tune. He was without the bulk of his Leinster players against Argentina, and his options are a lot stronger now they are involved. "We need to be a lot better than that. And we will. We'll dust ourselves off but that will concentrate the minds," he first Test in Brisbane is not until July 19 after five lead-in games, starting against a Nic White-led Western Force on Saturday before meeting the Queensland Reds four days later. Clashes against the NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and a combined Australia-New Zealand XV will follow. Lions skipper Maro Itoje said the loss to Argentina only served to highlight where they can improve. "We showed glimmers of what we can do. But we did not consistently pile on the pressure. Argentina caught us napping sometimes," he said. "We weren't accurate enough in some areas but when we looked good, we looked good." Schmidt is intimately familiar with the Lions coaching staff, none more so than Farrell who was his right-hand man during a successful stretch as Ireland boss. He will know how much the defeat hurt. "I know a lot of those guys very well ... they'll be well coached, well organised and they have strength in depth," Schmidt said of the Lions, speaking before the Argentina match "They can play in so many different ways, they can be really physical, they can be square and come at you, they can get you on the edges. "We're going to have to be really well prepared." Whether they are sufficiently prepared remains to be seen, with Australia's only warm-up a Test against Fiji on July 6. 'We want to be competitive' Schmidt is also conscious that outside of his Brumbies cohort, who featured in the Super Rugby semi-finals, the bulk of his squad have not had a competitive game since late May. He was initially said to be against members of his Test squad playing for their Super Rugby clubs against the Lions, to safeguard against injury, but appears to have relaxed his stance. "One thing we're conscious of is making sure our clubs are competitive," said Schmidt. "Some of these guys haven't played -- it'll be four or five weeks since they'll have played. So to get a game under their belt before they actually come into Wallaby camp may be the most advantageous situation." Schmidt was installed to restore Australia's reputation after they slumped to 10th in the world following a horror 2023 World Cup under Eddie Jones. Your Lions 2025 squad 🦁📋 #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025 While credited with bringing stability and a new work ethic, the Wallabies are still only ranked eight and Schmidt's record of six wins and seven defeats is nothing to shout about. But he is taking confidence from a last-gasp win over England at Twickenham in November and pushing Ireland to the limit in Dublin three weeks later. "How confident are we of success against the Lions? I'm confident that we can be competitive," he said. "And if we can be within a score of the Lions and there's five to go, then we're a chance." When they last toured Australia in 2013, the Lions won the series 2-1 with Wallabies prop James Slipper the sole survivor. Coached by Warren Gatland, the visitors clinched the first Test in Brisbane 23-21 before Australia battled back with a gutsy 16-15 win at Melbourne. But it was all Lions in the Sydney decider, triumphing 41-16. It proved to be the last tour they won, drawing the series with New Zealand four years later and losing to South Africa in 2021.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Broncos fans call out concerning Reece Walsh images as Origin recall in jeopardy

NRL fans were left concerned as Reece Walsh lined-up to play for the Broncos after he was struggling in the warm-up, before a number of individual errors cost his team. The Broncos were looking to string two performances together for the first time in a while as they entered the clash at Suncorp after a victory two weeks ago against the Titans. However, Walsh was visibly struggling when going through his routine with his right leg still strapped. Walsh returned from his MCL injury two weeks ago and appeared to be rejuvenated. However, the 22-year-old wasn't moving as well ahead of the Sharks clash and it was pointed out by Fox Sports sideline reporter Eloise Sohier. "Reece Walsh warmed-up metres away from me. He looked really uncomfortable. He called for extra strapping on that right knee," she said. And Melbourne Storm legend Cooper Cronk suggested he wasn't moving well in the first play of the game. "His first touch off the scrum wasn't exactly dynamic," Cronk said in commentary. This prompted questions to why Michael Maguire played Walsh when he was visibly struggling with his knee injury. And the pressure quickly piled on the Broncos having entered half-time 22-12 down after some horror defensive efforts. Walsh was involved in one when Teig Wilton made a break through the Broncos line and easily stepped back on the inside past the fullback. Walsh looked slow to react, clearly hampered by his injury. He was also at fault for rushing off the line in the Sharks' first try in the second-half with Brisbane looking in disarray. Many tipped Walsh to return to the Queensland No.1 jersey if could string a few games together. However, Walsh's grimacing before kick-off wouldn't fill Maguire or Queensland coach Billy Slater with much confidence. And fans were left concerned over Walsh's participation for Brisbane after struggling through the first 40 minutes. Seriously if Reece Walsh still carrying a injury why is he playing?#sharksbroncos #sharks #broncos — Leith Ross (@xKingLJx) June 22, 2025 Another concern for the Broncos and NSW was the injury to Payne Haas. The NSW prop has been the best player for the Blues and Broncos in 2025, but carried a groin injury into Game 2 of Origin. And it appeared to be limiting him early in the clash against the Sharks with the forward leaving the field and heading straight down the tunnel. In good news for both teams, Haas returned with extra strapping and continued for his side. Both Maguire and NSW coach Laurie Daley will be hoping the best prop in the game remains fit with the forward a key player for both sides. Walsh's season was disrupted by a knee injury that sidelined him for six weeks, but he returned with two tries in the Broncos' thrashing of the Titans a fortnight ago. The 22-year-old has played five Origin games to date, and has clashes with the Sharks and Warriors to state his case for selection in Game 3. "When you are a Queenslander, that's all you want to do," Walsh said after the Titans game about a possible call-up. "If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go. If he doesn't, I'll still be cheering the boys and backing them at home."