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Daicos, Butters, MCG roof: Lyon and Watson’s footy hypotheticals
SEN • February 24th, 2026 11:14 am
Which AFL hypotheticals could actually come into existence in the near future?
Garry Lyon and Tim Watson have put forward a bunch of different hypotheticals that may or may not happen.
“Some of these might just be purely spitballing, others might be grounded in near fact,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
Watson added: “These are things that we may have heard when talking to people out there in football-related circles.”
Nick Daicos to sign with Tasmania
Lyon: “Nick Daicos to sign with Tasmania. Not today, not tomorrow, not next week.
“Have you heard this? Is this out there in the ether? Have I been talking to someone that says that is the case?
“I hope for Collingwood’s sake he stays, but will the lure of Tasmania loom large?”
Watson: “It might be a 25% chance that could happen down the track.
“It’s hard to sit here right now and believe that one day Nick Daicos will decide to play for Tasmania.”
AFL to play a game in Mumbai for premiership points
Watson: “The whole Indian market is sitting there and maybe we can attract some sort of viewership.
“The idea of a game being played in Mumbai within the next five to 10 years for four points.”
Lyon: “I can see that happening, 100%.”
AFL and NRL clubs are in talks to play double headers
Lyon: “On the same day at the same ground.
“The sharing of broadcast costs which can be streamlined, that wouldn’t come into it?”Watson: “No, impossible, 0%.
“There’s no way that Push-Ahead Pete (V’Landys) would join forces with the AFL. He’s a sworn enemy of the AFL.
“There’s no way known.”
Daisy Pearce to become the first female AFL coach
Watson: “I am hearing that there is a club out there that has their eye on Daisy Pearce as a potential AFL coach down the track.
“They’re keeping a very keen eye on what she’s doing over there at the West Coast Eagles.
“This is the way that it’s been put to me is that they - apart from the fact they think she has great coaching talent and could be a great AFL coach - believe it would be an unbelievable marketing coup.
“It’s a club that may not necessarily be one of the highest profile clubs in the competition. They’ve got an eye on her with that view to the future.
“What chance do you think that will happen in the next five years?”
Lyon: “15 to 20%. I don’t think a club would appoint a senior coach on the basis of marketability.”
Watson: “It would be the most talked about coaching appointment in the history of the game.”
Lyon: “It would be. I’m not saying Daisy won’t get there eventually, if that is what she puts her mind to.
“But I can’t see it happening in a five-year timeframe or even a 10-year timeframe.”
Butters has already told the club he will be playing with next year
Lyon: “What’s the percentage chance of this - Zak Butters has already told the club that he is going to play with beyong this year.
“If it’s not Port Adelaide, he’s already told one of 17 others clubs that would love to have him.
“What’s the chances that he’s already told Geelong, Essendon, the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, whoever…”
Watson: “There’s a possibility. I think there’s more than a 50% chance that has already occurred.
“I told you this the other day from somebody who is associated somewhere along the line - I can’t give them up - but they know people. They’re not an AFL figure, they’re not part of his management, but in a circle of people around a player people talk.
“This person told me categorically that he is going to be at Geelong next year. They’ve told me categorical.
“I say it’s still hypothetically a possibility, but they’ve told me categorically. Other people will be hearing categoric stuff about Zak Butters.
“It’s not necessarily about the fact that Bacchus Marsh (Darley) where he comes from is just up the road from Geelong, and the whole thing that Geelong sells and they’ve done so successfully.
“How outraged would a lot of footy fans be if Zak Butters ended up at Geelong?”
Lyon: “Ah well, it’s just the world we live in. It’s open slather, you all get a crack at them and they get to choose where they go.”
Shorter quarters allows for more footy
Lyon: “What if you play each other twice? It’s shorter quarters but you get more footy is the hypothetical we’re throwing out there.
“Or will it be a matter of when the 20th team comes in you play each other once in Rivalry Round and then there’s a State of Origin Carnival to kick off the season over two or three weeks.”
Watson: “Would you want to see that?”
Lyon: “If you cut the games back to 20 minutes (quarters) or 19, then the broadcasters need more footy if they’re going to continue to write a big check.”
The MCG will have a roof eventually
Lyon: “Will the MCG have a roof eventually?”
Watson: “I can’t see how they can put a roof on it without just shutting the MCG down for a whole year.
“There’s no way known that they could do that. They’d have to shut it down for a long period of time.”
Lyon: “Of course a roof will be on the agenda. I’m not sure if it will get done but it will absolutely be a talking point.”
Watson: “I prefer the outdoor element side of it for the vagaries of the weather and all those things to come in to play.”
Lyon: “I’m also an elements man, but with the way the world is moving and the way people are demanding of their sporting experiences these days I’d suggest the greatest sports stadium in the world would be contemplating all of that as they look about redeveloping the Southern Stand.”
The Brownlow Medal voting will be split
Lyon: “The Brownlow Medal voting will be split between the umpires and certain experienced media people eventually.”
Watson: “No, it won’t. That will never happen.”
Lyon: “That will remain the domain of the umpires? Irrespective of some of the issues we’ve been dealing with in recent times.”
Watson: “It’s unique in the way that it’s always been presented and that is that it’s an umpires’ award based on the best and fairest.”
