We're about halfway through this unique period which features 33 games in 20 consecutive days.

The AFL has had to speed-up the fixture to finish the 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic potentially brings it to an end.

But what if footy feasts became normal in the future?

It's not the first time the AFL has tried to squeeze matches into a short amount of time.

READ MORE:

The 2018 JLT Community Series featured 18 matches in 16 days.

Matches were played on weekends and midweek.

It's common knowledge the AFL tests things in pre-season competitions which could be used in a premiership fixture.

The Standard's sports journalists Brian Allen, Sean Hardeman and Nick Ansell have opposing views on the topic.

BRIAN: I went into the footy feast licking my lips at the possibility of watching matches every night.

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions mean there's time to consume as much footy as possible.

With a pay TV subscription there's nothing stopping me. The feast started well with my Tigers thrashing the Bulldogs - a perfect first course.

I didn't expect to watch every game of round nine but quickly found I didn't have the desire to.

I'm only intrigued by how the Tigers are going. And thinking back to other seasons I'm not interested in watching other teams battle unless it's finals time or an occasion like Anzac Day.

I'll sometimes watch Friday night footy because it's prime time.

Richmond games are rolling around quicker but overall I'm not super invested in the footy feast.

Obviously it works similarly to cricket's Big Bash or the Australian Open tennis tournament with matches played on consecutive days.

Something tennis and cricket have going for them is they're easy sports to have on TV in the background.

They're longer and slower-paced sports with so much time to tune in and out.

There's also an abundance of time for replays.

Footy's such a fast-paced sport.

It's hard to get much out of if you haven't got both eyes on the action.

While the feast is there to tuck into, I just want my favourite meal - Tigers' matches.

I'm only interested in live scores, results and outstanding highlights from other games.

Footy, for the most part, should stay on the weekend in future years.

There's nothing better than a week of anticipation in the lead up to a big game.

SEAN: I am the complete opposite Brian.

I have watched every single game of footy since the restart and am as hooked as ever.

I may not be as heavily invested in some games as others (the main games I'm passionate about obviously involve my Bulldogs) but I still make sure I tune into every minute as you never know what could happen.

The footy feast feels like a big Netflix binge you fall into when you find a killer show.

I'm basically binging footy at the moment and it's amazing.

I watched the Geelong and West Coast, Brisbane and Richmond and Gold Coast and St Kilda games and was surprised at how invested I was.

The Cats-Eagles and Saints-Suns matches were finals-like and had you on the edge of your seat based on the action.

The Tigers-Lions made me frustrated watching Hugh McCluggage and his teammates blow chance after chance in front of goal.

That is the drama of footy I had not really felt in years and the footy fest has heightened that to another level.

But I am also a traditionalist with the game and can't wait for it to return to its weekend slots so the week has some form of normality to it.

This idea was good for the time we are in but it doesn't suit the game and it will create problems around injuries and management that frustrates all footy fans, no matter their club's allegiance.

Don't fix something that isn't broken and the way footy is fixtured is not broken, it has just been amended for an extraordinary time that's life during the coronavirus pandemic.

NICK: I think footy's poor on-field product at the moment isn't helping its cause. Brian, I agree completely.

I watch most games, but I feel like it's more out of obligation rather than for fun.

Footy just isn't fun to watch like it was 10 to 15 years ago. There was a glimmer of hope the other night when St Kilda battled Gold Coast in a thriller, while the Port Adelaide versus Richmond clash was also a good watch.

But the predictable, dire, down-the-line style and weird rule interpretations are just making the sport a congested logjam.

Remember when it was normal for both teams to score over 100 points?

It's just the way the elite game has evolved and that's fine - I'm all for coaches having the freedom to win as they see fit - but it just isn't the same spectator game it once was.

The fact my side, North Melbourne, is god-awful probably doesn't help my lack of investment but it is what it is.

I'm not sure if it can be fixed from where it is currently. Does it even need to be fixed?

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