In the eyes of football operations boss Greg Swann, the AFL may have just had their biggest fear realised, with Geelong star Tom Stewart set to miss a Grand Final after suffering a concussion in Friday night's win over Hawthorn.
Stewart was subbed out at quarter time with a head knock, after a driving tackle from Hawks forward Mabior Chol in the first term.
Under the 12-day concussion protocols, Stewart will be forced out of action for next week's grand final, with the Cats set to face either Collingwood or Brisbane.
The ramifications for Stewart has raised debate about the pre-finals bye that takes place at the end of the end of the home-and-away season, and the potential of moving it to before the grand final, therefore allowing players to clear protocols and be available for a decider.
MORE: AFL Injury List 2025: Tom Stewart to miss grand final with concussion
Last week, Greg Swann spoke to AFL Record about the idea, eerily foreshadowing Stewart's situation.
“It’s more to do with somebody getting concussed (in the preliminary final) and not being able to play (in the Grand Final)," he said.
“That’s why we think that bye would be better off before the Grand Final.”
With Swann now at the helm, it is expected the bye could be moved to the week before the Grand Final as soon as next season.
In the 2021 COVID-interrupted season, the finals bye took place before the Grand Final contested between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs as a one-off.
While no player had to clear concussion protocols, the timing of the bye did give Melbourne star Steven May an extra week to nurse a hamstring tear he suffered in that year's preliminary final.