NORTH Melbourne's premiership coach and captain have both backed the AFLW to retain a night Grand Final, with winning skipper Emma Kearney suggesting the men's competition should follow suit.
A sold-out crowd of 12,122 crammed into Ikon Park on Saturday night to watch the Roos win their first-ever premiership, just three weeks after the AFL confirmed the season decider would be played under lights for the first time.
AFLW GRAND FINAL Full match coverage and stats
MATCH REPORT North completes unbeaten season to win first flag
THE MOMENT Roos' razzle dazzle leaves Lions in their wake
TALKING POINTS Garner's glory, Roo cements legacy
BEST ON GROUND Garner's record haul earns Best on Ground Medal
CROCKER’S RELIEF Roos deliver under weight of expectations
'PRESSURED INTO SUBMISSON' Lions crumble under Roos' dominance
The decision was a charmed one, with persistent rain that fell in Melbourne throughout the day on Saturday moving aside for clear skies in the evening.
Kearney is in no doubt the call was a successful one and floated the possibility of the men's decider in September also being held under lights.
"A night Grand Final, it's pretty special," Kearney said during the post-match presentation. "Maybe we might see it in the men's, who knows?".
Kearney then added with a smile, "maybe not".
Her coach, Darren Crocker, himself a premiership player with the Roos, backed his captain's call.
"I agree with ‘Kearns’, great night tonight," he said. "Having the Grand Final at nighttime might be the recipe for definitely AFLW."
With the rain clearing by the evening, it meant the pre-match entertainment by Australian band Lime Cordiale was held under blue skies before the first bounce at 7.45pm AEDT.
With daylight savings currently in place in Victoria, the sun set at around 8.30pm AEDT.
The AFL has been flexible in the timing of its AFLW Grand Finals across the competition's short eight-season history, with four held on a Saturday afternoon and three – including the previous two – being hosted on a Sunday.
Last year's decider between North Melbourne and Brisbane was held at Ikon Park on a Sunday at 2.30pm AEDT, the latest start time across the AFLW's history but still in the traditional afternoon timeslot.
The AFL has explored the potential of a twilight or night Grand Final for its men's competition but has only experimented with hosting its showpiece event under lights during COVID-19 interrupted campaigns in 2020 and 2021.
The 2020 Grand Final, hosted in Queensland, was played at night while the 2021 decider in Western Australia was played in a twilight spot at 5.15pm local time.
In August, the AFL acknowledged the growing popularity of twilight games, but confirmed the men's Grand Final would persist with the traditional 2.30pm start time in 2024.
"While there was an acknowledgement of the great presentation of a Saturday twilight event, especially across some marquee games in that timeslot during this year’s home and away season, there was a collective view that the Toyota AFL Grand Final should remain in its traditional slot for 2024," the League said in a statement after the AFL Commission approved the traditional start time for another year.
