Fevola-McGuire clash over pre-Grand Final bye as Stewart ruled out

Geelong star Tom Stewart will miss the AFL Grand Final after sustaining a concussion, a development that has sharpened the debate over whether the league should adjust its finals scheduling ahead of the showpiece between Geelong and Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday. In a heated radio exchange on Fox's Fifi, Fev & Nick Breakfast Show, Brendan Fevola and Eddie McGuire clashed over whether a pre-Grand Final bye-week would give teams an unfair advantage or help the game reach its peak. The discussion comes as several figures in the AFL world weigh in on how the event's scheduling could affect the quality of the final, the players' health, and the appetite of fans.

Fevola argued that a pre-Grand Final bye would ensure players are fully fit and that the Grand Final truly showcases the best possible football. “We move the bye week, so you don't give an advantage to the teams [in the bottom half of the eight],” Fevola told the show. “You just roll into the finals, you have it NFL style; on the week off, on the Monday you have the Brownlow Medal, you have the All-Australian dinner on the Wednesday – you have the Rising Star, Jim Stynes, Mark and Goal of the Year on the same night - then on the Thursday, you have an open MCG for media day and Friday you do the Legends Game. Saturday, you can do the VFL Grand Final – give it its own day.”

McGuire initially signaled sympathy for Fevola’s logic but warned that a pre-final bye could erode the incentive to secure a top-two finish and the right to a second-week finals byes. “It all makes perfect sense but let me take you back to why it was what it was what it was; we had people tanking and also – to your point - extrapolated from a final four to a final eight, and the bigger it got, the less anyone could actually win,” he said. He added that the broader history of finals suggests top-four teams have been the true contenders and argued that a two-week buildup around the finalists can help sell the game but may also dull the spectacle.

The debate has re-emerged this season after Geelong defender Tom Stewart was ruled out of the Grand Final with a concussion, though Cameron said the star would have a role on match day. Jeremy Cameron, Geelong’s forward, supported Fevola’s line of thinking that scheduling changes could benefit players’ fitness and readiness. “On the night you're hoping it's just a sore rib, or he's landed on the footy and broke a rib or something that he can get back from,” Cameron said. “But as soon as you hear it's concussion, it's flap for the team. He’s such an important character, and continues to be that important character around the club, and he's there to support everyone that needs a chat - especially we've got some younger defenders in the team that really look up to him - and he's important to everyone. So yeah, we wrap our arms around him and make sure he feels a part of it.”

McGuire argued that the looming change to concussion protocols—an AFL policy that could see a 21-day stand-down for players with head injuries next season—could render the debate moot. “Next year they'll bring in 21 days for concussion, it won't make a difference… you can't wait for people,” he said. Fevola countered that a week off could still allow a player to participate fully in the Grand Final if cleared by medical staff, framing fitness and preparation as paramount to delivering top-tier football.

The pre-finals bye debate continued as the pair discussed the structure of finals. McGuire emphasized that the current system, which rewards teams that win in the second week of finals, helps maintain high-stakes competition and supports ticketing and television demands. Fevola argued that shifting the calendar would level the playing field and prevent the top-four bias from dominating the narrative, a stance echoed by others in the sport who have floated adjustments to sustain interest and revenue.

As Brisbane prepares to defend their premiership crown against Geelong at the MCG, Stewart’s absence represents a tangible challenge for Geelong, even as the club indicated he may participate in some capacity on game day. The AFL’s ongoing concussion policy and any adjustments to sit-out periods will be crucial not only for this Grand Final but for future seasons’ scheduling debates. The two radio voices concluded their segment with a back-and-forth about whether a pre-final bye would improve or undermine finals integrity, each presenting a case while acknowledging that the question remains subjective and its answers may evolve with the game.