Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir claims Opening Round teams have unfair advantage after Geelong loss; Rory Sloane and Damian Barrett weigh in

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir believes the teams that played in Opening Round have an unfair advantage over the sides that don’t, in the wake of his side’s loss to Geelong on Saturday.

The Dockers led by as much as 35 points at GMHBA Stadium, before being overrun by the Cats.

Opening Round has completely bypassed the South Australian and West Australian teams since its inception, with the focus on putting a spotlight on footy in New South Wales and Queensland.

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Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir. Fox Footy

Despite blowing a six-goal lead, Longmuir feels the unfair advantage created by the uneven fixture is a problem.

“I think anyone who has been around football would realise this is an advantage,” Longmuir told reporters.

“We should all start the season the same way. There should be no competitive advantage in teams having played a game before they play another team.

“It just makes so much sense to people in the industry. We’ve just got it wrong.”

All of the teams that played in Opening Round will have byes across the next few weeks, but the ladder will remain uneven for the first half of the season.

Adelaide great Rory Sloane agrees with Longmuir, saying the early byes are problematic for players.

Rory Sloane. Nine

“You want consistency too as a player. You’ve got the pre-season games, then you’ve got a week off before Opening Round, it is very disjointed at the moment,” Sloane told Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.

“And I completely agree. Just go as hard as you can at round one. You can still have a focus on (Queensland and New South Wales), pump some games up there, but just make sure everyone is playing.”

However, it’s unlikely that the AFL would ditch Opening Round in 2027, given the MCG will remain in cricket mode through early March.

Australia will host England in the 150th anniversary Test match at the venue, which will force the AFL to get creative with its early-season fixture.

“They almost can’t (ditch Opening Round) next year because of the complications around the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG,” reporter Damian Barrett said.

“There’s no access to the main stadium. I think we’re stuck with at least one more year of a disjointed start to the season.”