The AFL Grand Final will remain a showpiece afternoon event in 2019.
The decision is expected be announced at the AFL's season launch on Thursday night.
Both AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder and AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan were behind talk for change to a twilight grand final, however the game's bosses have resisted the temptation.
“This is a fast moving story. We are hearing the grand final will stay in the daytime,” Mark Stevens said on Channel 7.
“The AFL will keep it in the afternoon, resisting moves to twilight. We are expecting that decision to be finalised tonight. It will stay in the daytime.”
Gill keen to actually announce it at 8.35pm but the expectation is the day GF remains for this year at least. Would love not to have to have this rigmarole next year but they don’t seem to mind it in at AFL House
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) March 14, 2019
The MCG will host the AFL Grand Final until at least 2057 as part of an agreement between agreement between the AFL, the Victorian Government and the Melbourne Cricket Club.
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In the game's history, no VFL or AFL grand final has started later than 3pm.
A majority of traditional fans opposed the moves while McLachlan and Goyder argued it had both financial benefits for the game and television broadcasters.
