Carlton coach Michael Voss has endorsed Essendon counterpart Brad Scott’s proposal to allow AFL fans to determine the outcome of the extra-time debate following the Anzac Day draw. However, Voss has also cautioned about the potential escalation in physical demands on players if additional minutes are introduced to resolve tied home-and-away matches. The enthralling contest between Essendon and Collingwood on Thursday, witnessed by a crowd of 93,644, concluded with both teams tied at 12.13 (85) each, leaving spectators in astonishment. This draw marked Scott’s first as a coach after presiding over 240 previous matches for both Essendon and North Melbourne, reigniting discussions surrounding the necessity for extra time in regular-season matches.
Scott, who previously served as the AFL’s general manager of football before returning to coaching, believed football supporters would be best placed to make a decision through a league-run poll. Voss, Scott’s former premiership teammate at the Brisbane Lions, concurred, albeit with a caveat.
“I’d hand that over to supporters to see where they would like to go with that and what the future looks like,” Voss told reporters on Friday. “There is higher demands if you choose to go down that path – that’s the only consideration. If that was to happen a couple of weeks in a row, that would make things interesting. But I can see why there’s an argument for and I can also see why there’s an argument against. I traditionally like it the way that it is but I’d be happy to lean on others to come up with that final call.”
The AFL introduced extra time for lead-up finals matches more than 30 years ago and eliminated the possibility of a grand-final draw following the tied 2010 decider between Collingwood and St Kilda. The draw on Anzac Day was the first this season, following two occurrences last year. It was only the fifth draw in 247 AFL/VFL meetings between old rivals Essendon and Collingwood, and their first since the fabled 1995 Anzac Day encounter.
“If you ask the fans I think they probably want a result,” Scott said after the match. “It’s an even competition and I think we fixed the major one – we don’t want a draw in a grand final, as an industry. But I don’t have a strong view for and against (extra time in home-and-away matches). If I was at the AFL, I’d poll the fans.”
Essendon captain Zach Merrett, who won the Anzac Day Medal as best afield, expressed a preference for additional time to determine a winner, despite experiencing cramp in his hamstrings towards the end of the contest.
“I love competing, I love winning and I hate losing, so I would love to have played for an extra five or 10 minutes to get a result,” Merrett said. “But it’s a unique feeling walking off with no team song for both (sides).”
Collingwood coach Craig McRae deemed the draw a fair outcome at the end of a closely contested match.
“We fought for 120 minutes and we couldn’t find a margin,” McRae said. “I’ll leave that up to others to decide whether we need more time. It was a great game.”
