Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has questioned the early start time for his team's match against the West Coast Eagles, suggesting it contributed to what he believes was a "record number of cramps" experienced by his players.
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03-26, 2025The game began at 12:10 pm local time in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity after morning rain. The Eagles surged early, kicking the first five goals, before the Lions responded to win by 19 points.
Prior to the match, the Lions celebrated their 2024 premiership, inviting club legends Leigh Matthews, Chris Johnson, Simon Black, Alastair Lynch, and Jason Akermanis to participate in the premiership flag unveiling ceremony. Akermanis told ABC Sport that the oppressive weather conditions raised questions about the scheduling, which also meant West Coast Eagles fans in Perth would be watching the game starting at 10:10 am.
Akermanis stated, "It's stinking hot. What is the AFL thinking? This is not the time to be playing… I don’t know why they think they can get away with it." Despite using ice vests, West Coast Eagles midfielders Bailey Williams and Archer Reid both succumbed to cramps during the game, and both teams looked battered and bruised post-match.
Fagan said, "It was hot and humid… I don’t know the reason, but I thought it was incredibly tough for the players. You need to ask the AFL about that. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game that started at 12 o’clock, ever. That’s 20-odd years, so (it’s) unusual. They were buggered, you could see it when you walked onto the ground after the game – probably a record number of cramps, I don’t know. I’ve never seen so many of our blokes struggle so much. I’m not sure we’ll do too much training this week. We’ll recover and get ready for Geelong (on Saturday)." Fagan also indicated the club would remain patient with defender Brandon Starcevich – who suffered his second concussion of the year last weekend – with no timeline set for his return.
