New move could see the premiership history shifted dramatically.
A plan to change the official start date of the creation of the AFL has raised the ire of Collingwood president Eddie McGuire as it would hand arch-rivals Carlton an extra six premierships.
The move AFL Commission chairman — and Carlton premiership captain — Mike Fitzpatrick, and Geelong president Colin Carter, would see the start of the AFL pushed back 27 years from the currently accepted first season of 1897.
The extra six flags for the Blues would alter the total club tall significantly, as Carlton and Essendon currently top the table with 16 flags, one ahead of the Magpies. But a new foundation date of 1870 would see Carlton jump to 22 and Essendon to 20 while Collingwood would pick up one more premiership to move to 16.
The changes would also change the foundation date of the AFL from 1990, when the competition changed its name, to 1987, when West Coast and the Brisbane Bears joined the comp.
McGuire slammed the move saying it is a waste of time and effort.
“I’ve had this conversation before and I thought this had died a natural death because it’s so stupid, but obviously not because it’s been pushed up again,” he said.
“Do you reckon someone wants to point up and say, ‘We’ve got 22 premierships’ … that’s what it is.”
“It’s the rewriting of history and, as I’ve mentioned to Mike Fitzpatrick, do you know what happens when empires rewrite history? They’re invariably about to topple over,” he said.
“That we have got the AFL Commission chairman sitting on this is staggering to me.
“We’ve got massive things to worry about in football
“Nothing drives me (more) mad than people wasting our time.”
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