Firstly, with all the talk about Anzac Day and whether clubs other than Collingwood and Essendon should be given the opportunity to play in the prestigious game, I started thinking about what else the AFL could do to increase the appeal of the day.
Recently, I heard Kevin Sheedy talking about New Zealand.
Sheeds was saying that we should include the Kiwis in our celebrations because they were as committed to the Anzac cause as the Aussies were and I reckon the next big step for the AFL, in regards to Anzac Day, would be to play a game in New Zealand.
Port Adelaide and St Kilda have built up a bit of a tradition playing against each other at AAMI Stadium on the Anzac Day weekend but I’d be more than happy for the club to give up that home game to play in New Zealand.
It would be a fantastic marketing exercise for both clubs and would be a great way for us to engage the New Zealanders, as we pay homage to the brave men and women who served and fought to protect both our countries.
Because of the time difference between Australia and New Zealand the game could be played before and as a curtain raiser to the game between Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG - an Anzac Day double-header.
The game in New Zealand would be one of the highlights of the season and being a team dressed in all black wouldn’t hurt Port Adelaide’s chances of making that piece of earth our own.
As a club we’ve tried a number of different things, from bringing in Vietnam veterans and current-day SAS troops to visiting Navy ships to try and stimulate the players in the lead up to Anzac Day.
It’s about trying to keep it relevant for the players and I think playing a game in New Zealand would be the perfect way to do that.
The second innovation I came up with is in regards to the AFL Dream Team competition.
Now, I have to be upfront and say that I don’t actually participate in the League’s Dream Team competition, but I’ve been actively involved in the English Premier League’s fantasy competition for the past five years and my sons play the AFL version religiously, so I know how it all works.
I was thinking about it and I reckon we could go one step further in Dream Team and make a version that is based around state of origin.
South Australians could pick a team filled with players born and bred in SA and the Victorians and West Australians could do likewise.
Players from the other states could be divided up or combined to form an ‘Allies’ team.
Each week the teams would play off against each other and then see which coach from which state wins.
Effectively you would be picking your own state side each week and I reckon it would create that state-versus-state rivalry that went out the window with the demise of state of origin games.
It would also give me a good chance to pick Adam Goodes in my team.
Goodesy was born in SA and how he ended up playing for the Big V in the Hall of Fame Tribute match a few years back, I still don’t know!
By the way if any of you innovative game makers out there think this is a good idea, give me call because I've got plenty more.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
