Mo Hope has called for a nine-game AFLW season next year, so each team can play each other once.
With a decision on the 2019 fixture to be made by October, the high-profile North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroo believes momentum will be killed if the league reduces the number of games.
“There is a huge increase in girls playing and you can see how much it has impacted lives," Hope told North Media.
“I’ve been inspired by how many people are getting outside and playing footy.
"There’s the highest female participation in sports ever now and AFLW is a massive credit to that."
News of a possible reduced six-game season plus finals was released last week and Hope didn't hold back with her views.
“I’m no maths genius, but shortening the fixture just doesn’t add up,” Hope said.
“Last season there were eight teams in the AFLW competition, and each team played seven games. This year there are two additional AFLW teams, and they’re talking about reducing the number of games we play… I don’t see the point of it and I don’t agree with it.
“Does it make sense to work myself to exhaustion ... to wake up early before work to run, and stay later to train, for just five or six games?
“I don’t think everyone realises the effort we put in in order to play the game we love."
According to Hope, complicating matters for the players is full-time work.
“We work long hours, put a huge strain on both our bodies and our minds, as well as being put under the public eye and constantly facing criticism by media and the public… it’s not easy,” explained Hope.
“I want to play against every single team. Because it’s the rivalry. I want to play against Collingwood 100 per cent. I want little girls to be able to come to more than one game at Arden Street. I want to be able to play in the north and south of Tasmania.”
Hope is desperate for more games because she believes it will improve the competition and as far as any rules changes, that's also a big, 'No'.
“As an athlete who plays in the AFLW, I would never compare AFLW to AFL because I love watching the men and love what they do and I idolise those dudes," she said.
“But don’t change our game, and if you do, definitely don’t change it because we’re girls.
“Don’t move the fifty-metre line closer because we’re girls. I want to say I kicked a goal from the 50. I don’t want to say that I kicked it from 30.
Despite the recent wave of criticism, Hope hasn’t lost track of the overall goal.
“A while back I met a little girl who was seven-years-old,” she recalled.
“She was super excited to meet me and she told me that in ten-years, she would take my place. That’s pretty awesome.
“But I want to make sure that when she takes my place, she will be in it full time. She won’t be working for twelve hours before she has to come to training.
“And you know she’s definitely not playing only six bloody games of football.”
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