Paul Amy has penned an article in the Herald-Sun suggesting that the AFL is more than likely increasing the number of home and away games from 18 to 20 next year. In a move to address some complaints about the three byes and state game week that impact on AFL clubs ability to get games into their players.
Fewer byes certainly sounds like a good idea. The state game is great to watch and I hope it's not going anywhere, but the fact that some clubs end up with two byes in a row is an unfortunate side effect. The AFL having a good idea is so strange that I'm looking for a catch, but with the plan for AFL clubs to pay licence fees to help the standalones afford a longer season it doesn't really sound like there is one. 2 more games and fewer byes does place increased fitness demands on players, but it also seems like a small enough increase to be manageable. Naturally it was complaints by AFL clubs that got the league's attention, but 2 more games (in a 22-team comp) + fewer byes + more money to the independent sides sounds strangely like a reasonable plan from the AFL.