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St Kilda, Geelong renew push for AFLW teams

Caroline Wilson

Geelong and St Kilda have reinforced their bid to join the national women's league in 2018, putting forward separate submissions to be considered this week by the AFL Commission.

In what looms as the last chance for the two Victorian clubs to sway head office,  the Saints and  Cats have again reminded the commission of the clear disadvantage to their businesses should they be denied the chance to join AFL Women's.

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It is understood the commission is not unanimous with a view to retaining just eight teams. The two clubs' belief is that while the AFL executive remains determined to consolidate the national women's league, several commissioners are open to expansion.

Either way it has emerged that the AFL will bring forward the launch of next season with a stand-alone game on Australia Day, most likely between Carlton and Collingwood. The national January 26 holiday falls on a Friday next year and is traditionally semi-final day at the Australian Open.

The earlier start will mean that the competition will run for at least an extra week with two rounds of finals. 

The AFLW has also determined to make a call on its grand final venue policy well before the start of the season to avoid a repeat of this year's embarrassing late switch from the Gabba.

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Gillon McLachlan and his football lieutenant Simon Lethlean will recommend that the competition remains an eight-team league for at least another season but will not move forward with a number of key decisions surrounding strategies for 2018 until the commission moves on whether or not to generate two new licences.

While the AFL has held misgivings over rapid expansion into year two pointing to the national women's talent pool, the league is also reluctant to significantly expand the length of the women's season.

CEO Brian Cook said on Monday that the Cats were denied a licence last year because of the lack of talent in the club's region, a shortcoming the club had rectified with its first women's VFL team. Cook said the club's 52,000 members were being denied a Geelong AFLW side and would therefore be lost to the women's league.

Both clubs believe they are being denied female talent and have also pushed for draft concessions should they succeed in swaying the AFL.

They have both lobbied commissioners and notably Simone Wilkie who chairs the league's women's advisory body.

The Saints play Geelong at Etihad Stadium next weekend and will stage a curtain-raising exhibition game against a combined Australian Defence Forces team. The Saints have formed an advisory group, which includes director and Australian Olympic Committee aspirant boss Danni Roche.

"Our [women's] advisory group has formed the view that the longer it takes us to join the competition, the further away we are from a premiership," Saints boss Matt Finnis said recently, "and that the AFL should act sooner rather than later."Â