Seven not budging on blockbuster broadcast
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Andrew Demetriou could not reach an agreement with Channel Seven. (Getty Images: Sean Garnsworthy)
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says he has tried and failed to get the television broadcaster of tonight's Hawthorn-Geelong match to show the game live.
Channel Seven will show the game on a one hour-delay despite the game at the MCG being sold out.
Demetriou has told Fairfax Radio the AFL has spent several weeks trying to convince the network to broadcast the game live.
"Given it's a sell out and it doesn't happen enough for a home and away game on a Friday night, we've tried but we haven't been successful," he said.
Demetriou says the AFL plans to change an agreement so a similar situation will not happen in the future.
"We would do what we did in the last round of rights and hopefully put it out there as live football, people are starting to appreciate live sport all the time, short delays are OK, but I don't think long delays and replays work any more."
Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson has praised the ability of Geelong ahead of the sell-out match and says his side are primed for the occasion.
"It's going to be a big stage. Playing on a Friday night, in a finals type atmosphere, against a quality opponent," he said.
"That's going to be, irrespective of whether we win or lose, an enormous experience for a players as well as our coaching staff."
"The Cats have been a quality outfit for a long period of time now and we've been following their progress with a fair amount of interest.
"Because [we] respect them enormously as a club and a group of players, and its going to be a really big challenge fo us.
"If you've seen the All Australian side last year nearly half the side was made up by the Geelong players."
