A FURIOUS Brenton Sanderson believes the fixture is unfair and questions why some teams are seemingly never drawn to play the Brisbane Lions in the day.
Sanderson was fuming last week following the Crows' 105-point win in 27-degree sunshine, saying the fixture was "baffling".On Friday, he took a second swing at the scheduling of the game which gave the Crows only a six-day break to recover for their crucial round 21 clash with Richmond.
"I think we needed to make a point. If you crunch the numbers, theCrows in the last four years have played that day game in Brisbane[three times].
"Collingwood - it's been 14 years since they've played a day game atthe Gabba, Essendon 18 years, Hawthorn seven years, Richmond 13 years.For some reason Adelaide are OK to play a day game in Brisbane in themiddle of the hottest time of the year for them.
"I know [the weather] was reported [at] 27 degrees, but they measurethe temperature in the shade - they don't measure the temperature in themiddle of the ground."
Sanderson said he was simply fed up with the lack of support from the AFL and that publicising his grievances was the only way to be heard at head office.Watch: Brisbane hear a safety risk, says Sando
"Sometimes you've got to use this forum to get a message across - emails and phone calls don't often work - sometimes when you need a message [heard] you need seven or eight microphones in front of you," he said.
Sanderson said the Brisbane heat had strained his players."That puts pressure on our boys coming back for a six-day break," he said.
"It's a desperate time of the season when wins are critical. The fixture hasn't helped us in our ideal preparation."
Sanderson, who lost two players to injury during the Gabba game, linked the issue with the new cap on rotations.
"Unfortunately the interchange cap of 120 has seen an increase in injuries," he said, adding he'd like 160 changes a game.
"They (the AFL) thought it wouldn't.
"They thought it would decrease collision injuries - there's more concussions and there's more calf injuries, so has it worked?"
Sam Shaw will play his first game of the season on Saturday night against Richmond, replacing the injured Andy Otten, who had his right knee reconstructed this week.
At 192cm and able to run hard, Sanderson said Shaw's versatility would likely see him spend time in defence and attack.
He also tipped veteran midfielder Scott Thompson to return to the line-up next weekend.
Thompson has missed three of the last four weeks because of a back-related hamstring injury.
