The AFL needs to recognise the “untapped” potential of moving the Showdown to a more national stage, football journalist Damian Barrett says.

Speaking to The Crows Show, brought to you by Optus, Barrett said the AFL should be taking lessons from sporting leagues in the United States.

“To me, it (the Showdown) is the standout rivalry of the game and arguably still untapped to how big it could become in a national concept,” Barrett said.

“The two biggest baseball teams in the world, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, they’re taking two games of a live season to London to play there.

“It can be done, that’s the biggest rivalry in baseball and they’re taking it to another country.”

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Barrett pointed to the shortcomings of Victorian rivalries as a driving factor in the Showdown’s rise.

“The Victorian rivalries have eroded to the point of near boredom compared to what they once were,” he said.

“I know in myself as a consumer, I look forward to these two Showdowns as much as any other game in the calendar.”

Earlier this year, Barrett referenced the idea of moving the Showdown to the MCG as part of his “Sliding Doors” column.

“If a Showdown isn’t played at the MCG on a Friday night some time soon… it will be an opportunity lost on so many fronts,” he wrote in May.

“It is the main AFL rivalry, by the length of Winx’s winning margin in her second Cox Plate (eight lengths).”

For the full segment, tune into The Crows Show at 11.30am Sunday on Channel 7 in Adelaide.