AFL runs out of time to honour late legend Ron Barassi at the grand final as mystery surrounds date of Demons and Carlton great’s state funeral

• AFL still to decide how to honour the late Ron Barassi
• Talk premiership cup will be renamed after footy icon
• Tipped to be an off-season focus for leading AFL officials

The AFL won’t decide on how best to pay tribute to Ron Barassi until after the grand final, amid growing calls to rename the premiership cup after the football icon.

Australian rules legend Barassi, who died aged 87 on September 16, will be farewelled at a Victorian state funeral.

As well as the trophy, the league is considering renaming premiership medals after Barassi.

Outgoing chief executive Gillon McLachlan last week acknowledged there was pressure on the AFL to make a decision on its Barassi tribute before Saturday’s grand final.

But the league was unable to settle on a call in time for the Collingwood-Brisbane Lions season decider at the MCG.

‘The AFL will continue to work with the Barassi family on a fitting tribute to Ron,’ the league said in a statement on Saturday.

‘(CEO elect) Andrew Dillon and his team will do that during the off-season.’

AFL bosses have been consulting with clubs and key industry figures over how to acknowledge Barassi’s contribution to the game.

McLachlan has said the tribute will likely be similar to the league’s acknowledgement of Norm Smith and Jock McHale, both of whom have grand final awards named after them.

The Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the best player on the ground in the season decider and the Jock McHale Medal goes to the premiership-winning coach.

‘There are a variety of ways and I know the focus is on the renaming of the premiership cup. That will have different views,’ McLachlan said last week.

‘We’ll work through the process with our clubs and ultimately it will be a Commission decision.’

There has been no confirmation of when Barassi’s state funeral will be held.

The update on the AFL’s Barassi tribute came as the league announced the Allen Aylett Medal will be presented to the No.1 pick at the men’s national draft from this year.

The award will honour the life of former North Melbourne champion and VFL president Allen Aylett.

Aylett, who died in September last year, was president of the Kangaroos and led the club to their first VFL premiership in 1975 after recruiting Barassi as coach.

Barassi claimed a total of 10 VFL premierships as a player and coach at Melbourne, Carlton and North Melbourne.