NORTH Melbourne captain Brent Harvey has called for the AFL to change the rules to the new NAB Cup format and wants all teams to be able to make sweeping changes to their line-ups between their first and second games.
Groups of three teams will play off against each other in the first week of the new-look competition but only teams that play in the first game and the third game are allowed to make wholesale changes to the side.
Teams such as North Melbourne - who play Geelong in game one and the Western Bulldogs in the second game at Skilled Stadium on February 20 - can only change their team by bringing in the three emergencies they named for the first game.
However, Geelong - who plays in game one, then has a rest before taking on the Dogs in game three - can make unlimited changes to the team that played in the first game. Essentially, the rule allows Geelong to field two completely different teams.
Harvey said the restrictions made it tougher for North Melbourne to trial its younger players in the pre-season.
"You probably want it to be an even playing field over the whole lot," Harvey said at North Melbourne’s Australia Day barbecue.
"So if there are rules they probably need to be set for the whole three teams on the day.
"We’ve got a lot of young guys who are going to miss out and [coach Brad Scott] would probably want to play blokes like Majak Daw and these types of guys. It's a little bit unfair if we can’t give them an opportunity but Geelong or the Western Bulldogs can."
North Melbourne fans are eager to watch Daw, the Sudanese refugee who spent last year on the Roos' rookie list. Harvey said he was likely to appear at some stage in the pre-season.
"If we win on that day down at Skilled Stadium, Majak and the rest of the boys would probably get an opportunity the next week. We've got to keep playing well and those guys will eventually get a game," he said.
The North Melbourne skipper also stood by his recent comments in a daily newspaper about St Kilda and how the Saints should expect to be sledged on the field over the recent Facebook nude-photo scandal.
But he said talk was cheap and the Saints would be able to cope with it.
"The last two times we've played St Kilda they've embarrassed us so we probably need to concentrate on winning the game. If you weren't a competitor, you wouldn’t survive in the AFL. As long as we don’t cross that line that you're not allowed to cross, I will back our boys up to say what they want," he said.
"St Kilda are one of the best teams at sledging in the competition so I'm sure they are going to be sitting back waiting for the boys to give them some stick."
Harvey said there were no hard feelings between he and teammate Daniel Pratt who were photographed fighting during a recent training drill.
"It was competitive work so there was a little bit in it but we're good mates and it did get blown up a little bit."
