- Geelong star has played 338 games in the AFL
- Is about to make a big career change off the field
Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield is set to quit as president of the AFL Players Association in a surprise move that comes just months after he called on the league to cut the length of games in a campaign that angered fans.
The 34-year-old was elected to the role in 2018 and is expected to officially stand down on Tuesday night.
His time at helm of the players’ body saw him campaign strongly for pay rises for the league’s stars and help get the sport through the Covid pandemic.
In January this year the veteran of 338 games for the Cats and Crows raised plenty of eyebrows when he told the AFL to reduce the length of quarters in a move he predicted would drive up demand, increase revenue and see players earn more.
Dangerfield said the move is necessary because fans’ attention spans are dwindling.
‘As audiences [sic] attention span reduces the debate will continue with the AFL quarter lengths. It’s Time to reduce them. – cue outrage,’ he wrote on social media in response to NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggesting the American basketball league could reduce the length of quarters from 12 minutes to 10.
Patrick Dangerfield (pictured with wife Mardi) is due to step down as president of the AFL Players Association after holding the top job since 2018
The Geelong great made some controversial calls during his time with the players’ body, none more so than his campaign to reduce the length of games
‘Now I’ve heard the ‘record ratings attendance argument. Less game less play BLA BLA BLA,’ he wrote in a follow-up tweet.
‘It’s simple supply and demand. Reduce the supply and the demand goes up. Sponsors and salary follow.
‘NBA has an oversupply. NFL have nailed the supply and demand and I’m not sure we [the AFL] have.’
He backed that up with a third tweet reading: ‘It’s clear everyone agrees the game is far too long and must be reduced. Finally something we can all agree on.’
When Covid turned Australian sport on its head in 2020, Dangerfield revealed he was open to drastic measures to keep the league afloat.
They included playing 16 home-and-away rounds over 10 weeks in order to complete the season, with quarters reduced to 16 minutes plus time-on.
‘We will do whatever we have to do in order to get the season away,’ he said.
‘I think it [the reduced quarters proposal] is far less taxing than a normal AFL game, so let’s keep our eyes open with what might be possible.
‘We don’t really know what we can and can’t do until we try.’
Dangerfield (pictured during last week’s match against Fremantle) will now concentrate on trying to deliver the Cats’ 11th premiership
Dangerfield was also all for the introduction of a mid-season trade period when the AFL struck a $2.2billion pay deal with players in September 2023.
‘There’s still detail to work around it, but I think it’s something that the game could benefit from,’ he said.
‘There’s players that could certainly benefit from it and depending on the situation that each team is in I think there’s benefits for both teams that lose players and teams that gain players.
‘Like anything, how it may initially start is not how it may finish or continue to operate in years to come.’
Dangerfield is hoping to lead the Cats to their 11th premiership this year after their campaign ended with a heartbreaking loss to Brisbane in the preliminary final last season.
He kicked two goals and recorded 12 disposals in Geelong’s first match of the season, a 13-goal victory over the Fremantle Dockers last Saturday.
