AFL boss discusses quarter lengths, Thursday night teams and THAT jumper stoush

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan says he personally has no issue with Port Adelaide’s request to wear the prison bar guernsey in Showdowns against Adelaide.

“But there is an agreement in place and we respect agreements,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“I can see both sides to this.”

He rejected any suggestion the league had ‘hoodwinked’ the Power into signing a deal it knew would soon become invalid due to the abolishment of heritage round.

“Of course not, Neil, it’s a ridiculous notion,” McLachlan said.

“The agreement of 2007, which that refers to, was updated in 2019.

“So there is a new agreement.”

McLachlan also responded to a campaign calling on the AFL to return to Thursday night team announcements for all clubs.

“I asked that question this week,” the league chief executive confessed.

“I wanted the teams, as well.

“There is a discussion about that.

“The challenge is that a lot of the teams aren’t right.

“You have extended benches, so what’s the value in that? We’re looking at that one.”

McLachlan also didn’t rule out tightening the league’s concussion protocols.

A new study, published by the Herald Sun on Friday, stated the league’s 12-day stand down rule for concussion was inadequate and well short of the 30 days some experts say is needed for concussed players.

“If that was the advice, we’d take it,” he said.

“But that’s not the advice at the moment.”

Press PLAY below to hear the AFL boss explain why