AFL Hall of Famer Paul Roos has slammed suggestions of an in-season tournament, warning the league not to follow what he sees as the NBA’s self-inflicted downfall.
The concept, floated during last week’s meeting of AFL club CEOs, would likely debut after Tasmania’s entry in 2028 and could offer a $5 million prize plus a guaranteed finals berth.
But Roos, speaking from Hawaii on the ABC AFL Daily podcast, said the league’s obsession with copying American sport was “baffling.”
“If there’s a league you don’t want to follow in the world, it’s the NBA,” Roos said. “The NBA ratings have absolutely plummeted. It is unwatchable now. I’m an ex-basketball player and a huge, huge basketball fan. I watched the NBA Finals and no other games at all.”
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‘We don’t need fixing’: Roos rejects AFL’s push for gimmicks
The former Fitzroy captain warned that introducing play-in tournaments or other U.S.-style tweaks risks damaging the heart of a competition that, in his view, is thriving.
“They have destroyed their league by doing dumb stuff like play-in tournaments and mid-season games and changing rules offensively so you can’t touch anyone,” he said. “Scores are 150–140, and you’ll see the ratings have reflected it.”
Roos also dismissed the notion that struggling clubs might need the financial carrot. “Even the $5 million — let’s be honest, the lower clubs are pumped up by the AFL anyway. You’re not going out of business now if you’re an AFL club, so what’s $5 million?”
He called on league bosses to clearly explain their intentions. “What is the AFL trying to achieve? We have a great competition… the game has never been in better shape. Why do we want to change something that’s not broken?”