Home Grand Final could be double-edged sword for Brisbane’s premiership hopes
Brisbane champion Jason Akermanis knows what it takes to win Grand Finals and the triple premiership player has issued a warning to his former club about having the game at the Gabba. Plus, could the game have no beer or pies?
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Jason Akermanis has warned Brisbane Lions this year’s Gabba Grand Final shapes as a double-edged sword for his former club’s premiership hopes.
The Lions will jump to equal-first with a win against Collingwood on Friday night and are chasing their first flag since Akermanis was doing handstands on the MCG in 2003.
But the AFL Hall of Fame champion said the pressure on Brisbane to capitalise on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity could be overwhelming.
“Having a Grand Final at home for the one time in 1000 years that’s going to happen, will that be a good thing? Whoa, absolutely,” Akermanis, the 2001 Brownlow Medallist, said.
“There’s the familiarity of sleeping in your own bed, eating your own food and being around your own family.
“For comfort it’s an advantage. But it also can be bad — it can be horrible.
“There’s already pressure to perform. They’re a good side, so they’re already putting pressure on themselves.
“There’s blokes like Shaun McManus (Fremantle) that couldn’t play at all at home, but you put him in a hotel room, isolated on the road and that guy was a superstar.
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“On the road you’ve got no one down the shops saying, ‘You’d better win’ and that stuff you put up with as a player.
“But if the boys use it for their advantage then it’ll be better than the alternative.”
The Lions have won just one final since 2004 and were knocked out in straight sets at the Gabba last year.
They’ve hit a flat spot recently, winning their past two games by a combined three points, and rank last for accuracy.
They will consider tabling an offer to Essendon free agent Joe Daniher after Port Adelaide spearhead Charlie Dixon re-signed this week.
But Akermanis backed Brisbane’s goalkicking woes to “sort itself out” quickly.
The AFL has been promised a crowd of 30,000 for the Grand Final although only 16,000 can attend against the Pies.
Health authorities have banned fans purchasing tickets at the gate or transferring tickets due to COVID-19 contract tracing measures.
The Lions have lost their past 15 games against Richmond and nine out of their past 10 against the Pies.
But coach Chris Fagan has implemented a new game style in 2020.
Last year the Lions were instructed to kick long and hug the boundary when exiting defence whereas this year they kick short and straight, using the corridor more than any other side.
“They just need to tweak that final kick inside 50m,” former Essendon assistant Rob Harding said.
“If there’s no options kick it long and central, like Hawthorn used to, to the top of the square.”
GRAND FINAL WITH NO BEER OR PIES?
It’s like Christmas without Santa – a Grand Final with no pies and beer.
But this could be the price Queensland has to pay for the 30,000 fans it hopes to pack into the Gabba on October 24 for the historic AFL showpiece.
News Corp understands there is currently nothing written into the Gabba’s contract with the AFL about food and beverage provisions and there is enormous doubt over whether fans will be allowed to visit the bar during the big game.
The Gabba has coped fine with maintaining social distancing in food and beer queues for regular season AFL crowds of up to 15,000.
But unless Queensland health officials can be convinced that leaving your seat for a XXXX at quarter-time can be safely managed when the crowd is doubled to a near-capacity 30,000, the AFL’s first ever night-time Grand Final might be the first dry one too.
Queensland may prove that an AFL Grand Final outside Victoria is still every bit a Grand Final, but what if you can’t get a beer?
Gabba sources confirmed there are still a lot of details to do with Grand Final day operations which will remain fluid until closer to the event.
Much will depend on Queensland health and how they feel closer to October 24, with even the 30,000 crowd number yet to be set in stone unless the rate of community transmission can be controlled.
“The Gabba has been operating under a scalable COVID-Safe site plan since June, which currently has approval or up to 50 per cent capacity (around 20,000) and includes a number of measures around bar/catering areas such as segregated zones, queue markers and cashless transactions,” said Gabba General Manager, Mark Zundans.
“As the broader community would appreciate, the pandemic situation is changing daily, and the response is in line with it.
“The Gabba has worked very closely with Queensland Health throughout the pandemic response and this will continue as we plan and prepare for this iconic event in Queensland.
The State’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young said there could be no guarantees.
“We should be able to have that 30,000 but that 30,000 is not an absolute given,” said Dr Young.
“The plan is, depending where we are in Queensland on October 24, we’ll make a decision whether it’s safe to have that 30,000.”
The AFL is in the process of formulating a COVID safe plan for the Gabba Grand Final.
Plans must be presented to all state governments before hosting matches.
This plan includes regulations about social distancing around common areas including food and beverage outlets.
An AFL spokesman said planning and details would be worked through over the coming eight weeks before the Grand Final.
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One of the reasons why the Gabba has been permitted to host crowds of up to 20,000 is that social distancing at beer and food queues can be maintained with that number of patrons.
However, the great unknown is what happens when the crowd swells? Could the same safety standards be guaranteed?
The Gabba concourse can be narrow in parts and a system would need to be orchestrated where masses of patrons weren’t congregating in tight areas, stairwells and exits.
Bringing a packed lunch from home may be the most sensible option.
It’s also possible fans might be asked to wear masks, after advice from Queensland Health last week that the practice was advised in public areas.
Originally published as Home Grand Final could be double-edged sword for Brisbane’s premiership hopes