Covid Victoria: Local footy, Auskick cancelled amid Melbourne outbreak

Eastern will wipe this weekend’s games from the draw as leagues scramble to deal with the seven-day lockdown.

Local football has been cancelled this weekend. Picture: Valeriu Campan

It’s the early-season break local football was dreading.

No junior or senior matches will be played this weekend after the State Government this morning announced a seven-day “circuit-breaker’’ lockdown in response to the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

Clubs will have the option of training tonight but grounds will be deserted on Saturday and Sunday.

And leagues well have to decide if rounds will be rescheduled or scrapped.

In a message to its clubs, the Southern league said: “As has been announced by the State Government, we are heading into a statewide lockdown for seven days from midnight tonight at this stage.

“Stay safe everyone and we will come back (regarding) resuming play when we have more information as well as whether we can reschedule this round or not.’’

The Eastern league said matches set down for this weekend would be removed from the fixtures.

It said they could not be postponed, in line with a bylaw dealing with COVID-19.

The bylaw states that “if any match or matches or entire round or rounds is cancelled due to COVID 19, the game shall be removed from the fixture and no points will be allocated to either team.’’

“Match ratio will be applied to the ladder for that division and grade for the remainder of the season. The board may at its discretion add or remove home and away matches based on the prevailing public health requirements at the time.”

Eastern said that while the lockdown did not start until midnight, clubs should consider cancelling training tonight.

Meanwhile, Norwood said yesterday that a number of its players had visited a “tier one’’ exposure site on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

The players attended training on Tuesday night and used the changeroom, gym and medical facilities.

The club said the players were being tested for the virus and isolating for 14 days.

“As a further precautionary measure, the facility is being deep cleaned. The change rooms and broader facility will remain closed until further notice,’’ it said.

This morning the club said training had been suspended.

“A deep clean of the pavilion has been conducted this morning by our contracted cleaners and the facility will closed until further notice,’’ Norwood said.

Frankston YCW players celebrate their win last Saturday. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Chief executive officer Peter McDougall said the Northern league would also be scrubbing this weekend’s matches from the fixture.

“As we informed all clubs at the beginning of the season, if we were required to cancel any matches during the season, we would not be rescheduling those games,’’ he said.

“This is still the case and therefore no matches fixtured for the weekend of May 28-30 will be rescheduled.

“As disappointing as this is, I anticipate there will still be a lot of football and netball played this year and we have so much to look forward to in season 2021.

I encourage everyone to comply with the COVID restrictions currently in place and hopefully we can get back onto the football field and netball court next weekend.’’

In the MPNFL, clubs will meet AFL South East officials next week to discuss the impact the shutdown will have on the season.

Pines coach Paddy Swayn suggested Round 8 could be played after Round 18.

“Rather than make this week’s game next week,’’ Swayn said.

“Because everyone has things planned, whether it be past players’ days or whatever, you could just postpone this week’s game to the end of the season, with Round 8 going after round 18.’’

Pines coach Paddy Swayn.

AFL South East general manager Shaun Connell said all options would be considered.

“We will discuss with the clubs next week around what that impact is on the competition for the remainder of the season,’’ Connell said.

“All options will be discussed with them next week.’’

Round 7 of the Ballarat Football Netball League is unlikely to be rescheduled, according to competition officials.

The only way it could be played is if clubs agree to fixtures being moved to the Queen’s Birthday weekend in two weeks.

In a statement, the league said points previously allocated for a bye would be removed with no further points awarded to ensure ladder integrity.

One senior coach said yesterday that it would be “brutal’’ if the season was interrupted.

Hampton Park’s Nathan Wilson said players, coaches and clubs were anxious about the outbreak.

“With all the hard work that’s been put in, you’d hate for it to come down again,’’ he said.

“We all know what last year was like. It was tough without local footy, and it’s been a breath of fresh air for the whole community to have it back.

“It would be a shame for it to shut down again, even for a short period, because then it would start compromising the draw. And it would get compromised if we were to miss one, two, three weeks. We want everything to stay steady.’’

Wilson added: “To have it back and then taken away again would be brutal on everyone. There’s no doubt local footy has been affected numbers-wise from having last year off.

“If we keep having this stop-start stuff people might start throwing their hands in the air. Have everything crossed that it stays to 15, 20 people and everything will be all right.’’