The 2015 AFL home and away season could be delayed due to a clash with the Cricket World Cup.
A later start in April looks likely with the one-day cricket tournament running between February 14 and March 29.
The Adelaide Oval, SCG, GABBA and the MCG will all be in use.
"We haven't done the work as yet to analyse what the best start time is for us, not just for Melbourne but for other strategies and other access points across Australia,” the AFL’s General Manager of Scheduling Simon Lethlean said.
"It seems that we're starting those decisions earlier and earlier now - it's round two and we're already looking to next year, but we'll do that work over the next few weeks and months and work out what's best.”
Roos predicts big changes
Paul Roos could field a new-look team on Sunday as he tries to turn around the Demons’ dismal run.
Following a 93-point loss against West Coast, Roos signaled the need for change.
"There's a bit of same old, same old," he said.
"That's probably my biggest task this week, to put a team on the field that's completely different.
"This could be a different team and players in completely different positions when we run out on Sunday."
Reserves at a loss
The AFL Players’ Association has proposed a deal in which players who miss reserves games as AFL emergencies would receive payments.
The argument is that players are disadvantaged by being ‘held over’ in case of injuries to team-mates as it lessens their chance of being picked the following week.
Any such arrangement would only impact players on contacts that include match payments or incentive clauses based on games played.
Ball-ups down
Free-flowing football in the opening two rounds has resulted in a decrease in the amount of ball-ups around the ground.
AFL.com.au reports the number of ball-ups around the ground per game has reduced from a 2013 average of 23, to 18 early this year.
Interestingly, the number of boundary throw-ins has increased.
"Two rounds is not significant enough to say that a trend has emerged or whether these figures will just normalise once we have got more games into the mix but the data we have in our hands in the moment shows a pleasing reduction in around the ground ball-ups," AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said.
"The caution is to wait for the next three, four, five weeks of data before we can really call a trend.”
McLean sees red
Carlton coach Mick Malthouse has revealed Brock McLean was called to account after failing to emerge from the substitute bench at the three-quarter time break on Thursday night.
While the midfielder copped criticism for his actions, Malthouse says he simply wasn’t aware if he could return to the field.
“I have not seen anyone throw a party (for) getting the red guernsey,” Malthouse told Channel Seven’s Talking Footy.
“I spoke to him about that and he had one reason — that he hadn’t been subbed before.
“He didn’t ask anyone — that was the only sin he made.”
