AFL great Michael Voss is emphatic: keep the pre-finals bye.
Brad Scott is also a fan, once he steps back from the obvious self-interest as a senior coach.
And Adelaide winger David Mackay says players love to keep playing, but won't be fazed by having the weekend off.
For the the second year, there will be a weekend off between round 23 and the opening week of finals matches.
It was a massive factor last season in the Western Bulldogs' fairytale finals series, coming from outside the top four to win the premiership.
"It's fantastic, it should stay," Voss, an assistant coach at Port Adelaide, told reporters on Monday.
"I know people talk about top four, and if they win that first week (of finals) what does that mean for that particular team.
"But I think it's a really great opportunity to celebrate football. Everyone take a breath, come in fit and healthy.
"And a great way to be able to display other things about our game, some of the award ceremonies ... it seems to be pretty favourable to do it in that week."
Scott said if North Melbourne came into a finals series on the back of five-straight wins and were in the top four, of course he would hate it.
"If you have a few guys who are sore and injured and you finish in the bottom half of the eight, I reckon it's a great idea," Scott said.
"If you take a step back and take your coaching hat off, then do we like it? I thought the first week of the finals last year was some of the best footy we've seen in a very long time.
"It's very hard to argue that having the best players all available in the first round of the finals is a bad thing."
Mackay said players preferred to keep playing.
"It's really important as a player to keep that continuity and keep playing, particularly at this time of year," he said.
But it could be a godsend for Essendon's Michael Hurley and Orazio Fantasia as they return from injury ahead of a potential elimination final.
"Myself and Orazio Fantasia are pretty happy with the bye coming up," Hurley said.
Share
