Roos 'front of the queue' for Good Friday footy, says Brayshaw
Two-decade push puts North at front of queue, says chairman
NORTH Melbourne wants to play an annual Good Friday blockbuster against Carlton, starting with the 2015 season opener, Kangaroos president James Brayshaw has declared.
Brayshaw said the Roos' long-held interest in the prospective fixture meant they deserved to be "at the front of the queue".
North floated the idea of a Good Friday match to the AFL in 1992 and has since campaigned hard to play on the date.
Brayshaw also said any Good Friday fixture would need a big club like Carlton to help turn the match into a blockbuster.
"That's one of the reasons why we think Carlton is a really good fit, because they're a big team. And I think to make a blockbuster work you need to have a big team involved," he said.
"I think both clubs play really exciting brands, so for us it's just a great fit.
"Every time we play the Blues we get 45,000-plus fans, so I think it needs to have a club like that to be involved."
Good Friday football has been off the agenda under AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou's tenure.
But since Demetriou has announced 2014 will be his last season at the helm, Good Friday debate has gone into overdrive.
"Now we understand next year it's going to be on the table, it's going to be round one, so I think it's going to be amazingly exciting," Brayshaw said.
Essendon and the Western Bulldogs have also been mentioned as potential starters for the holiday fixture.
"I understand why lots of other clubs are trying to jump the queue, if you like, because it's a pretty enticing day," Brayshaw said.
"It's probably one of the few that's left on the calendar unattended, if you like.
"But we'd like to think that for 30 years we've been beating the door down so, if and when, we should be at the front of the queue.
"I'm pretty confident that North Melbourne will be involved."
Brayshaw is against rotating the Good Friday match between clubs and said he would not be "particularly happy" if North missed out.
The North president dismissed concerns that playing football could detract from the Good Friday Appeal if the match was a twilight or late afternoon fixture.
Meanwhile, Brayshaw said he was surprised by AFL deputy CEO Gillon McLachlan's comments that Tasmania would be best served by one club – instead of North Melbourne and Hawthorn continuing to play games in Hobart and Launceston, respectively.
"(It's an) honour and a privilege to play in Hobart, we absolutely love it," Brayshaw said, before adding the Roos wanted to increase their commitment from two to three matches per season.