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ANDREW Demetriou has conceded Perth's timing of hosting a rugby Test is "not ideal" as the AFL looks to avoid a potential finals-fixturing dilemma.
With both West Coast and Fremantle in the frame to host finals in the first week of September, and the Wallabies’ clash with South Africa locked in for September 8, Patersons Stadium faces a logjam of events that weekend.
Speaking in Perth, Demetriou said he had approached the WA Football Commission and the state government to avoid a repeat of the situation in future years.
"It’s not our preferred position,” Demetriou said of the Test match being scheduled for the first week of the finals.
"But given the stadium’s there and it supports major events and there is an agreement between the government and the West Australian Football Commission, it’s probably not ideal that it occurs in September. But we’ll work around that."We’ve spoken to the government and to the football commission today about trying to avoid that in the future, but it is what it is and we’ll deal with it."
Both West Coast and Fremantle will host matches in the opening weekend of finals should the sides finish fifth and sixth respectively, with placings determinant on results this weekend.
Alternatively, there could be a Western Derby final between the two sides - or no WA finals that weekend at all, if West Coast remains in the top four and the Dockers finish seventh or eighth.
The league’s chief executive implied the Eagles would be in line to host a Friday night elimination final - with Fremantle likely to play on Sunday - if there were two elimination finals scheduled in Perth, given the league’s tendency to reward higher-placed sides with a longer rest period between matches.
"The team that finishes higher will get a preference, because that’s the way we do our fixture,” he said.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl...-1226459314328