AFL and NFL set for high-stakes MCG turf war

Updated September 3, 2026 — 3:41pm,first published 12:31pm

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In today’s AFL Briefing:

Chris Fagan was shocked by Alastair Clarkson’s sacking, calling his treatment by North Melbourne “unfair”.

NFL bosses and the AFL are standing their ground when it comes to a potential scheduling clash with the AFL’s 2027 finals campaign.

GWS captain Toby Greene has met with Geelong as he ponders his future.

‘That can’t be right’: Fagan defends Clarkson after sacking

Nick Wright

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has sprung to the defence of axed rival and close friend Alastair Clarkson, declaring the treatment of the four-time premiership coach to be unfair.

North Melbourne shocked the AFL world when the Kangaroos revealed they would part with Clarkson after four seasons in charge in which they failed to reach the finals.

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He had taken the reins of a team reeling on the back of consecutive wooden spoons.

On Wednesday, president Sonja Hood said: “Having consulted widely across the club, it has become clear Alastair no longer has the belief from enough people at the club he is the right coach to take this group forward”.

When asked what the Kangaroos would seek in a new mentor, Hood said they needed “a coach that can coach for the modern game … It’ll be a coach that knows what they’re doing, and it’ll be a coach who’s the best fit for this club.”

Fagan’s relationship with Clarkson dates back to their time with Melbourne in 1997. They worked together again at the Hawks, where they orchestrated four flag triumphs, in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

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Fagan, who is preparing to lead the Lions into a qualifying final against Sydney on Saturday, said he had attempted to call Clarkson on Wednesday night to no avail.

“It was a big shock to me. I actually thought, ‘That can’t be right’ because I felt like under his guidance North had really started to improve, and we could all see their growth this year.

“It just reminded me of how tough coaching can be, when a bloke who’s been as successful as him as a coach can be jettisoned as quickly as that.

“I guess I just hope the feedback given in the press conference about him was given to him in person at some stage during the year so he had a chance to act on it. Feedback’s only good if you get it at the right time.

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“I don’t know whether that was the case or not, but I just hope it was because it was a pretty fierce press conference, I reckon, with the way he was spoken about, and I reckon it was probably an unfair description of a man who has done an awful lot for footy.”

AFL premiership coach and former North Melbourne captain Adam Simpson will take time to draw breath before deciding whether to throw his hat in the ring for the vacant role. Simpson and fellow flag-winning coach John Longmire – both North premiership players – are seen as obvious contenders.

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“I am going to have a good think about it, and whether or not that opportunity presents itself will be determined by others, and not me,” Simpson said on SEN on Thursday.

“But if someone rang me today ... I don’t know ... I feel really comfortable doing what I am doing at the moment [in the media]. I am going to have a good think in the next week, and have a talk to the family and see where that lands.”

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Simpson, who played in the Kangaroos’ 1996 and 1999 flags, led West Coast to the 2018 premiership and was part of Carlton’s four-man coaching selection panel that decided on Josh Fraser as the replacement for Michael Voss.

“It’s weird, I went through a coaching process with Carlton and now I’m like, ‘Do I want to do that?’ That is to be worked through,” Simpson said. “Hopefully [people] don’t think I am trying to pitch anything ... this is just me being as honest as I can.”

Fagan credited Clarkson with bestowing lessons that helped get him into the position he is today – a two-time premiership winner with the Lions who will now take part in their eighth straight finals campaign.

“He’s got great knowledge of the game, he’s a man who’s been dedicated to his profession, he set the trend in a whole lot of areas of coaching – particularly in his days at Hawthorn,” he said.

“I guess with his capacity to go overseas, learn from other codes, bring ideas back, [that] could be applied to the Hawthorn team’s situation and that led to an era where they won four premierships.

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“That was one of [the things he taught me]: keep looking for ideas, keep developing yourself professionally as a coach, don’t sit back and think you know everything.

“His honesty with his players [was another], he’s always very honest – sometimes brutally – but you always knew where you stood with him.”

While the Kangaroos continued to wallow in the doldrums of the ladder, Fagan sensed they had turned a corner under Clarkson. After managing 11 wins across his first three seasons with North Melbourne, they finished 14th in 2026 with nine victories.

“I would’ve liked to have seen him get a few more years at North to see if they could rise up. I felt like they might’ve been on the verge,” Fagan said. “Hopefully, his work gets acknowledged if that does happen.”

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Fagan said he hoped Clarkson would not be lost to the game, and he would continue seeking his advice in the future. “I don’t know what he’ll do next – maybe he’ll become the media, I’d love to see that, he’s always had a testy relationship with people in the media,” Fagan said, with a laugh.

With AAP

‘Not a circus coming to town’: NFL, AFL collision course in 2027

Jon Pierik

The AFL is on a collision course with the NFL over the use of the MCG in September next year.

As the NFL prepares to stage the historic clash between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the MCG next Friday, it has emerged NFL bosses and the AFL are standing their ground when it comes to a potential scheduling clash with the AFL’s 2027 finals campaign.

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The issue has arisen because next year’s first round of the AFL season has been pushed back a week, to potentially begin March 17, allowing the MCG to host the 150th anniversary Test match between Australia and England from March 11-15.

This means the AFL’s finals series will begin a week later than this year, with the grand final to be held in October. It also means there is a potential clash with the NFL in the second week of the AFL finals, when the MCG could host multiple AFL games involving elimination and qualifying finals.

The NFL fixture for 2027-28 has yet to be devised, but Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, international and league events, said on a conference call on Thursday that the Melbourne game must remain on the opening week of the league’s fixture.

“Week one, obviously, for the travel that is necessary to Australia, the week one game is important, given the travel there and the travel back,” O’Reilly said.

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“So, yes, is the answer. Obviously, you referenced the conversations that we are having, obviously, we have scheduling conversations all the time with partners. We have great partners in the MCG and the AFL.

“We will work to a good solution there that allows the NFL to continue to play in Australia on an ongoing basis.”

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The AFL did not wish to comment when asked about O’Reilly’s statement.

Melbourne Cricket Club boss Stuart Fox said his focus was on delivering next week’s game, and scheduling for 2027 would fall in the domain of Visit Victoria, which brokered the deal, and the NFL. Visit Victoria was also contacted for comment.

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One suggestion could be for the NFL game to be held on a Wednesday or Thursday morning, or it could decide not to make the trip.

The flexible contract between Visit Victoria and the NFL is for at least two games to be played over four years, and a third should the first two meet financial and viewership benchmarks.

Next week’s NFL game in Melbourne will start at 10.35am, corresponding with prime time in the US. The earliest the MCG could transform back into AFL mode is by Saturday night, as will be the case this year should Hawthorn lose to Fremantle in a qualifying final on Thursday night and require a home semi-final.

NFL fever is starting to grip the city, with NFL, flag football and team-based activities opening, while Flinders Street Station and Melbourne Town Hall will light up on Sunday night in the Rams’ and 49ers’ colours.

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The sell-out Melbourne game will be televised by Netflix, ESPN and Seven, with O’Reilly suggesting all signs were pointing to success.

“The demand for this game has been off the charts. [But] there’s a lot of things we’ll look at. Clearly, I think there’ll be pretty massive ratings and viewership globally and in Australia,” O’Reilly said.

“We’ll look at all kinds of engagement metrics around the game, but success is not measured in the game itself. It’s really looking at the long-term impact. We say this often, but this is not the circus coming to town.

“This is not us just coming for one game. This is part of a long-term commitment to Australia and the region, of bringing games, year-round activation, so we hope to see that continued fan growth … the continued growth of the game at the grassroots level.”

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Greene is great mates with Geelong premiership player Jeremy Cameron who has flourished at the Cats.

The loss of Greene would be disappointing for the Giants, although they are looking to reload their list with the departures of veterans Jesse Hogan and Jake Stringer and the potential elevation of Tom Green to the captaincy if Greene leaves.

Geelong are also in the hunt for Zak Butters, with the restricted free agent yet to declare his preferred destination after telling Port Adelaide that he wanted to return to Victoria.

The Cats are considered ahead in the battle for his services, with the Western Bulldogs also keen to recruit Butters.

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More:

AFL 2026

American Football

Brisbane Lions

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Alastair Clarkson

Brisbane

GWS Giants

Nick Wright covers sport for Brisbane Times.

Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.

Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age.Connect via X or email.

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