AFL stars at odds over radical extra-time call

Melbourne champion Christian Petracca and Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield have differing opinions on the AFL’s draw rules.

Twenty-nine years after the first Anzac Day meeting between Essendon and Collingwood ended in a draw, the teams could not be split as the match finished with the scores locked at 85-all on Thursday.

Both sides had opportunities to edge ahead in the final minutes, with a missed goal from Bombers forward Kyle Langford and a dropped mark from Pie Jamie Elliott, but the clock ticked down with the scoreboard reading 12.13 (85) to 12.13 (85).

Drawn results stand during the regular season matches with added time only played during finals, including the grand final with replays scrapped following the 2015 decider.

In the event of a draw, both sides receive two of a possible four premiership points.

Thursday’s result marked the first draw of the 2024 season after two home-and-away matches were drawn in 2023.

Speaking to Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren, Petracca was supportive of playing a duration of extra time in-season in an attempt to crown a winning team.

“If you speak to a lot of the players I think they’d play an extra 10 minutes — five to 10 minutes,” he said.