IN A COMPETITION where marginal gains matter and every club is searching for its next competitive advantage, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir had every right to call out a perceived disadvantage when it impacted his club again on Saturday night. 

Overrun by a Geelong team that had already played in Opening Round, Longmuir was asked directly about the inequality of starting the season against a team that already had a game under its belt. 

He delivered the strongest criticism yet of how Opening Round impacts the fairness of the competition, saying the League has "got it wrong" and all teams should be starting the season in the same way. 

The Fremantle coach is not prone to making big statements for the sake of it, or using deflections after a loss, so his comments – which have been backed up privately by rival coaches – should be taken seriously after three years of staggered starts to the season.  

They also shouldn't be interpreted as an excuse or sour grapes after a loss, given the coach has held the same opinion for those three years and voiced his opposition to Opening Round multiple times, telling AFL.com.au in February that it was an advantage to start the season a week earlier than your round one opponent. 

Longmuir's post-match comments were backed up by multiple coaches contacted by AFL.com.au on Monday, with one declaring that "every senior coach and assistant in the League would share his view". Melbourne coach Steven King publicly backed Longmuir's comments on Sunday. 

It is not just about conditioning either, with coaches pointing to skill level, decision-making and the ability to handle pressure as aspects of the game that consistently improve from week one to week two of a season.  

Then there is the nervous energy that a lot of players take into their first game of a new campaign, and how that can impact their performance compared to the following week. 

The fine line coaches have to walk is whether they share the views that Longmuir made public after a loss and risk them losing impact, or keep their powder dry and lobby for change in private. 

It is clear, however, that Fremantle feels it has done as much as possible in private, with chief executive Simon Garlick also speaking publicly during the pre-season in opposition of Opening Round and calling for it to be removed. 

"We've said it enough," Longmuir said on Saturday night. 

Sources at Fremantle said the Opening Round inequality was not mentioned internally as part of the build-up to Saturday's game, and the players have been keen to avoid using it as an excuse since. 

Co-vice-captain Caleb Serong, who was outstanding against the Cats with 30 disposals and eight clearances, said the players and coaches had focused their review elsewhere. 

"I don’t think anyone within the four walls has even mentioned that as a reason why we lost the game," Serong said on Monday. 

"We had plenty of opportunities to win that game, so that's not something being spoken about internally. 

"'JL' was asked a question and gave his honest opinion, and we want people in the football world to give their honest opinions, so I love that he did that. But he hasn't mentioned it once to us."  

Asked if he agreed with his coach, Serong emphasised that it was not an excuse for the loss, but he did not understand why teams could not start their seasons at the same time. 

"I think that's just a no-brainer in my opinion … all being on the same playing field is a great way to start the season," the three-time All-Australian said. 

The motivation behind Opening Round to kickstart attendance and interest in Queensland and New South Wales is well placed and accepted around the competition. 

There is a widely held view, however, articulated by Longmuir, that those clubs not involved should have the chance to launch their seasons against other teams in the same position. 

After three years of Opening Round, the numbers show that it is clearly an advantage to be involved in the first week of the season. Of the 14 teams that played in Opening Round and then faced a first-up opponent the next week, 10 have won. 

The exceptions have been Adelaide and Melbourne beating Collingwood and St Kilda respectively this year, Brisbane beating Sydney last year, and Fremantle beating the Lions in 2024.  

If the staggered structure is not going to change, the League should rotate the teams that do travel to the northern states for Opening Round after three years of excluding Fremantle, West Coast, Adelaide, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne from the first week of the season.

It isn't the ideal fix, but if a competitive disadvantage is going to be built into the fixture, the same teams should not be made to wear that every year.