Eddie McGuire and Brendan Fevola clash in heated radio debate about one of the most controversial points about AFL Grand Final week

Brendan Fevola and Eddie McGuire have clashed in a heated debate over whether teams should be given a bye-week ahead of the AFL Grand Final.

Brisbane will look to defend their premiership crown against Geelong on Saturday afternoon at the MCG.

However, both sides are set to be without key players, with Cats star defender Tom Stewart due to miss the showpiece event due to a concussion sustained during a tackle with Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol during their preliminary final last week.

Now several figures within the footy world are calling for the AFL to switch up the finals schedule, including Cats star Jeremy Cameron.

The goalkicker argued that the pre-finals bye should be moved so that Stewart’s pre-finals heartbreak won’t happen again to another player.

'It sort of sparks the debate around when the bye should be, doesn't it? And everyone's got their own opinion on that,' he said.

'I'd sort of like it to be before the Grand Final myself. That's just my personal opinion.

'I think all the award nights and everything can be in that week off, make that exciting.

'After the Brownlow, I'm rolling into bed at two o'clock once I drive home. So if that's on a week off, that would be fantastic.

'But each to their own, I'm sure that'll sort of evolve as the years roll on as well. But yeah, it's just my take.'

The discussion was raised earlier on Wednesday morning on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick Breakfast Show, with former Carlton and Brisbane star Fevola and ex-Collingwood president McGuire going head-to-head on the matter.

Fevola argued that in order to make the Grand Final the spectacle that it should be, both teams should have the best chance to have their top players fit and ready to play in the final by introducing a pre Grand Final bye-week.

‘We move the bye week, so you don't give an advantage to the teams [in the bottom half of the eight],’ Fevola told The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick show.

‘You just roll into the finals, you have it NFL style; on the week off, on the Monday you have the Brownlow Medal, you have the All-Australian dinner on the Wednesday – you have the Rising Star, Jim Stynes, Mark and Goal of the Year on the same night - then on the Thursday, you have an open MCG for media day and Friday you do the Legends Game. Saturday, you can do the VFL Grand Final – give it its own day.'

McGuire agreed initially with the ex-Carlton star’s reasoning, however, believed that a pre-final bye-week would devalue the merit of teams attempting to secure a bye in the second week of finals.

'It all makes perfect sense but let me take you back to why it was what it was what it was; we had people tanking and also – to your point - extrapolated from a final four to a final eight, and the bigger it got, the less anyone could actually win,’ McGuire said.

‘So only the top four were ever going to win. So, as a result of that [change], we've had teams like Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs come from outside the top four [to win the premiership]. It meant they could get set. The other thing is if you go back and watch YouTube highlights of finals in the first two weeks, the [stadiums] were half-empty.

‘They couldn't get the ticketing right, and that week has now made Grand Final week become Grand Final month. As a result, the amount of money that comes in and the TV ratings – last week was through the roof…'

‘Yeah, because big clubs are in … if Collingwood wasn't playing...’ Fevola responded, but McGuire hit back.

‘… Blah, blah, blah…’ the former Collingwood president jested, before stating that two weeks of anticipation around the final would in fact be pretty dull. ‘I'll see you and raise you, the year before Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs had 96,000 people at the MCG for an all-time record. I agree with what you can do with that situation but two weeks of covering two teams - people will be going nuts. It's hard enough in Grand Final week.'

Fevola wasn’t done though.

'I've got one more thing for you, buddy,’ he began.

‘Who do you want playing in the Grand Final? The best players on the park?'

McGuire responded by saying ‘yeah...’ before the radio host added: ‘Tom Stewart, he's not playing.'

The AFL are likely to bring in a 21-day stand-down period for players who suffer concussions in the top flight and McGuire believes this will make Fevola’s argument for a pre-Grand Final bye-week obsolete.

'Next year they'll bring in 21 days for concussion, it won't make a difference… you can't wait for people,’ He explained.

But Fevola hit back: 'It doesn't give him an opportunity to play in the Grand Final but if he had a week off, it would give him an opportunity. You want the best footy and the best opportunity to get their bodies right!'

The discussion then moved on to the pre-finals bye, with McGuire arguing: ‘So Fev, that's why we have the bye before the finals…'

‘No, but that's just helping the teams outside the top four, and you need to earn the privilege and then you get the week off,' Fevola responded.

However, McGuire reaffirmed his point earlier that certain players, unfortunately, miss Grand Finals each year due to injury.

Eddie: 'There has been two teams that have [won the premiership] outside the top 4 in the history of the game, so it's not helping them that much. Concussion is the same as a hamstring; it's a medical situation. If you've got it, it's unfortunate and that's just part of the game. People miss Grand Finals every year.'

Geelong, meanwhile, are wrapping their arms around injured star Stewart. While he won’t play it is likely, according to Jeremy Cameron, he will have a role on match day.

'On the night you're, I guess, hoping it's just a sore rib, or he's landed on the footy and broke a rib or something that he can get back from,’ Cameron said.

'But as soon as you hear it's concussion, it's flapping for the team.

'Like he's such an important character, and continues to be that important character around the club, and he's there to support everyone that needs a chat - especially we've got some younger defenders in the team that really look up to him - and he's important to everyone.

'So yeah, we wrap our arms around him and make sure that he feels a part of it.

'Because we wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for Tom this year, and he's battled a few injuries this season that a lot of guys probably don't know about. So to keep playing good football, and particularly stand up in that first final and throughout, was enormous for us.

'So we've just got to do our best to make sure he feels a part of it.'