AFL fans face huge wait times at MCG amid security crackdown after guns incident

Footy fans have faced unprecedented wait times to enter the MCG for the Richmond-Brisbane Lions clash after an alleged gun smuggling incident on Thursday. Here’s the latest.

A tightening of security at the MCG forced fans to wait in long lines for beyond 30 minutes before Saturday’s clash between Richmond and the Brisbane Lions.

A response to an incident at Thursday’s MCG match between Collingwood and Carlton, in which two men were arrested after allegedly smuggling loaded guns into the stadium, spectators were notably slowed on their way into the ground for the twilight game.

Lines snaked around the venue, with the queue to get into the Members section at gate two and the Olympic Stand at gate three stretching hundreds of metres all the way to the top of Yarra Park as the siren sounded to start the match at 4.15pm.

Meticulous security was severely limiting the amount of fans let through past the under fire metal detecting gates to ensure virtually every patron with a bag was thoroughly checked.

That meant only a handful of patrons were inside the security ring at any given time, forcing everyone else to wait.

Security could be heard asking those in line for patience as “we are using a new system” for stadium access.

Some reported waits beyond 30 minutes, while others asked by the Herald Sun put the wait down to just 10 minutes.

Most fans took the crackdown in stride given the seriousness of Thursday’s incident but frustration grew for others as the game drew closer.

Fans faced extraordinary wait times outside the MCG on Saturday.

Meticulous security was severely limiting the amount of fans let through past the under fire metal detecting gates

One Richmond fan said MCC boss Stuart Fox “needs to get this sorted now, the lines have been at least 25 minutes to get in and this is not even a game between two Victorian teams”.

A crowd of 40,000 was expected for the Tigers-Lions clash, half of the 82,508 that attended the Collingwood-Carlton blockbuster.

One father was heard telling his son that they would get in “by half-time” when the siren to open the game could be heard from the parklands outside the MCG.

But the fans were herded through quickly once the game began, with the lines that stretched beyond 200 metres at the first bounce completely cleared 15 minutes later at 4.30pm.

The AFL and the MCC, which runs the ground, both promised the tighten security following Thursday’s incident.

Richmond supporters Laura, Gemma, Kalisch and Sammy outside the MCG.

Richmond supporters Laura, Gemma, Kalisch and Sammy said the extra security checks at the MCG while necessary were nevertheless an annoyance for football fans.

“I think it makes sense that we need to have it but it is kind of annoying,” they told the Herald Sun.

“Yeah, I guess you never think you’d have to worry about that, right? - Especially in Australia.

“Like, how do you not be pick up a water bottle filled with water, but you don’t pick up a gun - it’s a bit strange.

“I just don’t really understand how it happened.”

Originally published as AFL fans face huge wait times at MCG amid security crackdown after guns incident