AFL’s failure to lock in venue and time before AFLW Grand Final week is beyond farcical

THE third inspection of the Gabba turf was pointless, the damage had already been done to the AFLW. It’s beyond farcical the venue and time was not locked in before Grand Final week, Andrew Hamilton writes.

MONDAY’s pitch inspection at the Gabba was almost pointless.

The damage had already been done.

And I’m not talking about the surface, you’ll never convince me Kevin Mitchell can’t grow grass between now and November when I’ve managed to produce enough greenery for a lively deck through the cracks in the pavers on the front deck in the past few days.

If only the damage was confined to pitch five, Kev’s Ashes go-to strip.

Brisbane captain Emma Zielke at the Gabba. Picture: Jono Searle

Instead the AFL, the Queensland Government and Stadiums Queensland will all be hurt by this, the best they can hope to emerge from this looking is weak and disorganised.

The AFL men’s competition and the battling Lions and Suns’ Q Clash has also been caught in the crossfire of such a shocking scheduling mess-up.

But most of all, the damage has been done to the credibility of the new competition.

It is beyond farcical to have entered a Grand Final week without a venue and time locked in.

AFL DAILY: FOLLOW ALL THE LATEST AFL NEWS AS IT HAPPENS

DECIDER SETTLED: CROWS WIN THROUGH TO GRAND FINAL

REPORT: BLUES PUSH UNBEATEN LIONS TO DRAW

That infamous one-page atlas at AFL headquarters has struck again. No one thought for a minute it wouldn’t be two Victorian sides playing in the Grand Final.

The girls have been let down badly.

They are the ones who took all the risks here. The AFL can posture that they have absorbed a great cost to give the girls a go.

But that’s rubbish. They were about building their fan base, pure and simple.

Brisbane CEO Greg Swann and Queensland Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni discuss the AFLW Grand Final venue. Picture: Liam Kidston

The girls are the ones who put it on the line, they would have known they would be compared by some to the men, ridiculously unfair given they are part timers and many of whom have come across from other sports.

They expected resentment from some quarters. They accepted they would have to fit their training times around the blokes, earn a pittance and play in the absolute heat of summer so they could be done before the AFL started.

How does a bloke who mows lawns for a living have more pull than our Sports Minister @MickdeBrenni
Let the @lionsaflw play at the Gabba!

— Jamie Charman (@Charmo_19) March 19, 2017

The battle between the Lions & Gabba grounds people has been going on for 15 yrs. Only AFL ground still with a permanent wicket says it all.

— Craig McRae (@flybags4) March 20, 2017

What they didn’t expect, or deserve, was to be treated as pawns.

There is a real sentiment within footy circles at the moment that, with the Lions girls denied access to the Gabba, the State Government might be forced to contribute to a new headquarters for the entire club that would incorporate a playing venue that holds about 15,000.

The Gabba turf has required some repairs after the Adele concerts. Picture: Liam Kidston

Because they would have let down women’s sport so badly.

But they are supposed to be Lions, not sacrificial lambs.

The Brisbane Lions earned the rights to host the GF, it’s a simple as that.

The AFL has whispered the odd show of support, but they certainly aren’t up here fighting the fight.

If the Gabba is unavailable then why not push to play the game a the Adelaide Oval, where league officials predict more than 30,000 would attend, will be on in earnest.

I ask the AFL this, what do they value more, the integrity of the competition or a bumper crowd?

Originally published as AFL’s failure to lock in venue and time before AFLW Grand Final week is beyond farcical