AFL fixture: All the latest Round 20 news and possible venues
Four teams will play in Tasmania this weekend as the AFL finds a way to keep the season running amid lockdowns and border closures. See all the Round 20 latest.
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The AFL has almost completed the puzzle of the Round 20 fixture, with nine match-ups locked in for this weekend.
Venues for two games remain to be confirmed, but two matches will be played in Tasmania in a win for the island state.
The state government on Monday confirmed North Melbourne’s clash against Geelong in Hobart and the shock announcement that Hawthorn will play Brisbane in Launceston on Sunday.
Tasmania is the beneficiary of lockdowns in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, although crowds are capped at 10,000 and fans must wear a mask.
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Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs will face Adelaide at Mars Stadium in Ballarat and Essendon will play a home game against Sydney at the Gabba. St Kilda and Carlton open teh round on Friday night at Marvel Stadium.
The Kangaroos will host Geelong at Blundstone Arena on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re thrilled our game will proceed,” Roos CEO Ben Amarfio said.
“It’s a great result for our Tasmanian members and fans, not just to see their favourite Kangaroos players but also to see the Geelong Cats, a premiership favourite, for the first time ever in Hobart.
“Once again, we are very grateful to the Tasmanian authorities for approving the game, albeit under strict conditions.”
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Premier Peter Gutwein said all teams must produce negative Covid tests on Friday, and would fly into the state aboard chartered flights and out immediately following games.
“If you’re coming to the footy you will need to wear a mask. This is the first time this is required for football here,” he said.
BLUES RETURN COULD SAVE FIXTURE FIZZER
— Sam Landsberger
Charlie Curnow’s expected return on Friday night will soften an unavoidable fixture flop when Carlton and St Kilda clash in the treasured timeslot after having their finals dreams dashed on Saturday.
Curnow, 24, emerged from his second VFL game unscathed on the weekend and is on track to line up in what would be his first AFL appearance in more than two years.
Australia’s search for gold in the pool and on the track at the Tokyo Olympics is likely to outshine a largely meaningless Blues-Saints clash this week.
But the inclusion of Curnow would suddenly give the contest far more appeal. The flashy and mercurial forward was one of the AFL’s most watchable youngsters before he was cut down by persistent knee injuries.
The AFL will announce its revised round 20 fixture on either Monday or Tuesday, where the Blues will officially be given their first Friday night game for the season.
The switch will see David Teague coaching for his career under the bright Friday night lights because of the AFL Players’ Association’s antiquated rule limiting each club to one five-day break per season.
That rule again snookered the Friday fixture as the AFL was forced to move Essendon’s clash against Sydney because they played on Sunday. That match will now go ahead in Queensland on Saturday night.
But for Teague the focus will sharpen the microscope on his future as the findings from the external review of Carlton’s football department draw closer.
Collingwood great Tony Shaw said on 3AW Teague had done enough to coach in 2022 while Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel warned adjusting to a new coach would only make it harder to play finals in the short term.
There is hope footy fans will be welcomed back in Victoria from Round 21 as the state recovers from its fifth lockdown, which is expected to expire on Tuesday.
The AFL has told Essendon and Western Bulldogs they are playing on Saturday this week in what appeared to open the door for a Friday night blockbuster in front of fans in Round 21.
But it is understood premiership Bulldog Jake Stringer instead looks likely to lead the Bombers’ charge into September in a 3.20pm Sunday meeting against his old side.
The Dogs will host Adelaide in the early game on Saturday. The match will almost certainly be played in Ballarat although there is an outside chance it could be moved to Marvel Stadium — not the MCG.
Cautious public health officials are not expected to budge on the crowd ban this week despite the expected end of lockdown.
Recent positive cases at the MCG and AAMI Park have heightened the scrutiny on Covid-safe plans submitted by stadiums.
If, however, chief health officer Brett Sutton does approve crowds this week it is understood that would be for even less than 25 per cent capacity, which was the starting point after the last virus outbreak.
Gold Coast’s game against Melbourne will almost certainly be moved from Darwin to Queensland while North Melbourne’s fifth home game in Hobart is set to go ahead when it hosts Geelong in front of a crowd.
The Roos and Cats will share a charter plane to fly in and out of Tasmania on gameday as the AFL establishes the “sterile corridor” is has been working feverishly on with state governments.
The “sterile corridor” will allow clubs in Victoria to fly north to Queensland and south to Tasmania after living under quarantine conditions for 60 hours and abiding by strict protocols.
Greater Western Sydney could host Port Adelaide in Victoria next week by using the corridor to travel from Queensland back into Melbourne.
How new ‘corridor’ can keep comp alive
—Glenn McFarlane
The AFL is working towards establishing a “sterile corridor” which would allow teams to fly from Victoria south to Tasmania and north to Queensland as it looks to lock in its Round 20 fixture by early next week.
It is understood the league has been dealing with the Tasmanian and Queensland Governments as well as state health officials about trying to secure a fly-in, fly-out model for teams.
That would allow some travel between those states in the rundown to the finals.
If that can be achieved, it would mean North Melbourne could host Geelong at Blundstone Arena in Hobart next weekend, as well as open up more options for future games in Queensland.
An AFL spokesperson said on Saturday that while the venues and times of next weekend’s games are yet to be confirmed, the plan is to keep all the match-ups as currently scheduled.
The “sterile corridor” would be similar to what previously existed with South Australia — before their recent Covid outbreak — which allowed some teams to fly in, fly out on game days.
The AFL already has a case-by-case arrangement with the Western Australian Government, which allowed St Kilda to fly in early for a week’s strict quarantine at Joondalup before taking on West Coast on Saturday.
Richmond could do the same next week as it is scheduled to take on Fremantle at Perth Stadium, with the Tigers expected to fly out soon after their clash with Geelong.
Essendon remains the only Victorian team in Queensland, but more clubs would be able to fly in and fly out if a ‘sterile corridor’ deal can be finalised.
The AFL is hopeful of announcing the finalised Round 20 fixture by Monday or Tuesday.
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