Melbourne’s Covid-19 outbreak threatens to crash Jack Riewoldt’s party

Melbourne’s escalating Covid-19 situation has the potential to disrupt a major milestone for Richmond Tigers star Jack Riewoldt.

Riewoldt has played his entire career to date with the Tigers. Pic: Michael Klein

Richmond Tigers forward Jack Riewoldt is not fazed by the possibility of playing his 300th game away from home as Melbourne battles to contain an outbreak of Covid-19.

Richmond had been scheduled to play Brisbane at the MCG on Friday night, but will now meet the Lions at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast.

Riewoldt said there were bigger priorities than the location of his milestone match.

“It’s an evolving situation and clearly it’s a game of football when it comes down to it,” Riewoldt said on Thursday.

“And it is an important game of football for me, but there are more important things at stake here at the moment, and that’s obviously the health and wellbeing of everyone here in Victoria that have done it tough.

“Four times now in lockdown now and hopefully we don’t have to go into a fifth.”

Riewoldt said he has been flattered by the build-up to his 300th game and expects the occasion to be a special one, and said he would not be deterred even if the game had have been played in front of empty stands at the MCG.

“The whole week has been special to me and the way I’ve been treated by the club, the media and the public is the thing that means the most to me,” he said.

“There could be one person or there could be 100,000 people in that stand on the weekend and it will still be as important to me and also extremely important to where our season sits at the moment too.”

Riewoldt will join Kevin Bartlett, Jack Dyer and Francis Bourke as one of only four men to play 300 games for the club it its 136-year history.

Riewoldt’s Tigers sit a game out of the eight after 17 rounds. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The AFL has confirmed updated venues for three round 18 games previously scheduled to be played in Victoria.

On Thursday evening, the league advised that Richmond and Brisbane would meet at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast rather than the MCG. The Lions had already arrived in Melbourne ahead of the clash but will now fly back to Queensland with Richmond on a chartered flight on Thursday night.

North Melbourne and Essendon had been scheduled to play at Marvel Stadium this weekend but will now take the field at Metricon Stadium in the first game of a Sunday double-header. Both sides flew to the Sunshine State on Thursday afternoon.

Metricon Stadium will also host the Giants’ clash with the Swans this Sunday evening, with both teams flying out of Victoria on Sunday morning.

“As I said earlier today, our approach remains to take risk out of the season wherever the opportunity presents and we will continue to make decisions that ensure the season is able to progress during the ongoing pandemic,” AFL Executive General Manager Clubs and Broadcasting Travis Auld said on Thursday evening.

“On behalf of the AFL I would like to thank the respective State Governments, each Club, players and the AFLPA, families, umpires, broadcast partners, venues and all football fans for their continued support and understanding as we all continue to navigate the pandemic.”

AFL players still in Melbourne were placed under stricter protocols from midday on Thursday to protect the season, as Victoria prepares to enter a five-day snap lockdown.

“The decisions we have made this morning regarding the locations of a number of teams have been taken out of an abundance of caution. Our approach remains to take risk out of the season where the opportunity presents,” Auld said.

“We continue to work towards our priority of reuniting the families of both the GWS GIANTS and Sydney Swans and the decision to relocate both sides to Queensland provides maximum flexibility required to achieve that.

“The Western Bulldogs’ travel is one day earlier than scheduled and provides the Dogs with certainty as they prepare for their match against the Gold Coast SUNS.

“The decision to relocate the North Melbourne and Essendon match to Queensland is a precautionary measure that provides flexibility for future rounds.

“As we have throughout the course of the pandemic, we will continue to take measures to ensure that we best manage and minimise risk for those in our game and in the wider community.”

GWS football manager Jason McCartney confirmed the Giants could be based in Brisbane for some time with the Swans.

“We will be based in Brisbane for the next few days and beyond the game we will look at what options and where we want to set up camp semi-permanently for the rest of the season until we move somewhere else,” McCartney told RSN.

“The players have been fantastic, they just take it in their stride. To be on a Thursday without a venue this weekend, it’s just part and parcel of it. It just feels like we’re in the amazing race at the moment”

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer 👀 pic.twitter.com/GKhlDTCgxK

— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) July 14, 2021

The AFL is still trying to reunite players and their families, which could now happen in Queensland.

Sydney chief executive Tom Harley said on Thursday the Swans did not even know where they would be staying in Queensland.

“We are playing the Giants, we know that much and it will be in Queensland somewhere. but outside of that, it’s moved really quickly and we are playing 1.45pm on Saturday. It’s been a disruptive week on a number of fronts, but it’s our turn to work our way through that,” he told SEN.

“Our primary concern has been the reunification of partners and families. It’s been over three weeks now. We are working closely with the AFL on what the options might be for that. It will continue to be the case regardless of where the team is based.”

The Bulldogs are set to play the Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday and have left early to avoid any potential border issues.

Carlton coach David Teague said he had “no information” his team’s clash with Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday was changing.

The Victorian government has made no decision on whether to ban crowds this weekend after at least one patron was Covid-positive at the MCG at the Carlton-Geelong game.

Originally published as Melbourne’s Covid-19 outbreak threatens to crash Jack Riewoldt’s party