AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says Geelong have earned the right to host a final at their redeveloped home ground, Simonds Stadium.
If Geelong beat Brisbane as expected on Saturday they are favoured to finish second, with Fremantle their most likely opponents in the first round of the playoffs.
Were that to eventuate, it would be one of four finals in Victoria next weekend.
Three of those matches would be at the MCG, with the fourth either at Etihad Stadium or at Simonds Stadium.
“They did finish second, they are entitled to get some advantage, so it’s a possibility,” Demetriou told ABC radio.
“Given that Geelong finished second and we have this policy as a one-off where teams have earned the right to host a final, I don’t see why we wouldn’t contemplate it.”
Demetriou ruled out all four games taking place at the MCG, where finals featuring Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond are set to be played.
He said the alternative for the Cats-Dockers clash was Etihad Stadium but he thought Simonds Stadium was equally suitable and would be a “wonderful thing for Geelong”.
“One is Etihad and one is Simonds Stadium, which now has a capacity of almost 33,000,” said Demetriou.
“That’s the sort of crowd we would expect at Etihad Stadium.”
The teams clashed last year in the second elimination final, played at the MCG, and the match drew 44,460.
Demetriou argued that that was a series ticket game and there were about 10,000 MCC members in attendance.
The AFL would take over the Geelong stadium as it runs all finals games, meaning Cats members would not be guaranteed their usual seats at the ground.
Fremantle issued a statement on Thursday saying that the idea of playing at Simonds Stadium was “inconceivable”.
Geelong has lost only one in 43 games since round three in 2008.
Demetriou dismissed the Dockers’ complaints.
“I’m not sure about all the hullabaloo that’s going on (from Fremantle),” he said.
“That’s all a bit of positioning and tactics.
“But I think if Fremantle had finished second, there would be no-one complaining about playing at Subiaco.
“They’d have earned that right and that’s where they play all their home games.
“I haven’t heard anyone object to this game being played at Simonds Stadium other than Fremantle and they’ve got a vested interest in the game.
“But at the end of the day, it’s an AFL decision.”
Simonds Stadium, formerly known as Kardinia Park, has never hosted a final.
