The Spring Carnival may clash With AFL Grand Final!
The AFL is considering shifting next year’s Grand Final from the last Saturday in September to the first weekend in October setting it on a collision course with the 1st day of the Flemington spring racing and the Turnbull Stakes. The move is being considered to accommodate the arrival of the AFL’s 17th team, Gold Coast. It is expected that the AFL season will also be extended to 24 weeks from next year with 22 matches and two byes for each side. The season, which currently comprises 176 games, would extend to 187 games.
An October AFL Grand Final would also clash with the NRL Grand Final weekend and the Bathurst 1000. It seems unlikely that the AFL would actually do this. But if it did it would be more of a disaster for Victorian racing than to the NRL or V8′s.