BRENTON Sanderson has called for an end to early afternoon footy in Queensland after his team demolished the Brisbane Lions by 105 points on a warm winter's day at the Gabba.
The Adelaide coach was critical of the 1.10pm start and the capped rotations as Brisbane's mercury reached 25 degrees.
The Crows had to play the second half with just two fit players on the bench after second-term injuries to Andy Otten (knee) and Tom Lynch (neck), but they suffered little as they slammed on 13 goals to the Lions' three after half-time.
Sanderson was scathing in his criticism of the scheduling though, calling it "baffling".
"I think if you’re going to schedule games up here at this time of year, you’ve got to put them at night, otherwise you’re going to put players' health and safety at risk," he said.
"For the AFL to constantly preach player safety with the rules, you can’t have a game in these conditions with a reduced interchange cap, as you saw today.
"I mean our players, every player's cramping, every player's absolutely spent, and you want us to turn up in six days and take on Richmond in a blockbuster game?
"We’ll do everything we possibly can, and I’ve told our players not to listen to me in the media today, because we can win next week, but it’s a challenge for us."
Despite his concerns with the heat, Sanderson could not have been happier with the Crows' performance.
"I know we often play a straight bat with good wins, but I’m so proud of our players today," he said.
"It's difficult to win up here.
"For our boys, with only two on the bench for a half in these hot conditions, to beat them like we did is something to be really proud of.
"The challenge for me as a coach is to ensure that we turn up with that same aggressive mentality next Saturday night against Richmond at home."
