An open mind is an admirable position to take. Anchoring to one way of thinking stifles possibility. It can be challenging when your ‘blink’ response to a suggestion is to ridicule it, writes Chris Scott.

WHILE the priority at the Cats remains focused on the health of our friends, family, colleagues and society in general, much work is being done in the background to ensure we are prepared for a return.

But what form will that resumption take?

The truth is nobody knows, but those charged with the responsibility at the AFL have an unenviable task.

My bias is clear, given my relationship with the AFL’s GM of Football, Steve Hocking, but there are good reasons to believe they will do a good job.

That is not to say they will please everyone. Not that Hock has ever been that fazed by what people think of him!

The game requires quick decisions in order to complete season 2020.

Usually, these would require patient analysis and time to weigh up all consequences, but perfection is unattainable in this environment.

In an emergency, sometimes good enough has to suffice.

An open mind is an admirable position to take. Sometimes suggested changes are dismissed out of hand, but now is the time to consider as many options as possible to help the game come back to life.

Anchoring to one way of thinking stifles possibility. It can be challenging when your ‘blink’ response to a suggestion is to ridicule it.

In recent weeks the suggestion of teams gathering in ‘hubs’ to play games in quick succession.

As is always the case when evaluating proposals, incomplete information is dangerous. It also depends on your perspective.

Are the ‘hubs’ a way of circumventing the social responsibility we all have just to shore up the coffers?

Or are they an extra layer of protection once physical distancing rules are relaxed? I don’t have a unique insight into the ‘hub’ idea.

I suspect it is one proposal among many and the fact it leaked has provided some fodder for a footy starved commentariat.

In order to play games in quick succession some necessary changes will likely be made.

It is interesting to consider how some of the forced changes for season 2020 will impact future seasons.

Some advocate for more players on the interchange bench, shorter quarters, and other such measures to assist in player recovery. Could this be the new normal?

Could games be played most nights of the week if game time was shorter?

If so, is this desirable? Your answers will depend on your perspective.

Stand-alone games, Thursday through Monday would certainly be an exciting prospect for the footy fanatic. The best players fresh and powerful as opposed to fatigued by the grind of one of the most taxing team sports in the world.

Or maybe that’s what you love about the game – the grind, the test of endurance and resilience. Patrick Dangerfield or Robert Harvey?

What we need to remember is that everyone is coming from the same starting point.

How do we get the 2020 season running, while protecting the health of those involved and the public?

How will we make the game better for those that play it, those that work in it and supporters and members who love the game?

This is the challenge for all of us. In the end we may disagree on some of the outcomes. But these decisions will come from a place of good intentions.

The leadership challenge dictates that the successful calls will have many fathers, but the failures will be an orphan.