AFL clubs have questioned whether it is possible to protect players from the COVID-19 surge
Clubs have labelled the AFL’s restrictions, including daily testing, as ‘pointless’ - with a belief league wide that it would be best for players to contract the virus before the season starts.
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AFL clubs have questioned whether it is possible to protect players from the COVID-19 surge with “pointless” restrictions and daily testing requirements.
One club on Thursday said it did not agree with the need to test players and staff every day before training as it was a “waste of money and community resources”.
The senior official, who spoke to News Corp on the basis of anonymity, said the players were suffering from restriction fatigue and could not continue to be kept separate from the rest of the community when the men’s preseason resumed on Monday.
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There is a belief it could be best for the playing cohort to contract the virus before the season starts to help minimise in-season interruption.
“Unless you keep the players away from their housemates and their family members - like their partners who are working and their children who are going to school - how can you possibly stop them from getting it?” the official said.
“It is impossible, really, when you consider what is happening around the rest of the country.
“I understand why we have had to do everything we have done over the past two years, and the game is grateful to have been able to continue, but it is time for a rethink on how it all works.
“Why do we need to test players and staff every day, when they have no symptoms? If they have symptoms, we tell them to stay home.
“Otherwise, it is a complete waste of tests at a time when some people who are genuinely sick can’t get their hands on one.”
The official said it was time the AFL players fell in-line with the standards across the rest of the community which allowed people to enjoy social settings where they could wear masks and social distance.
Adelaide small forward Lachie Murphy, who has been re-signed for two more seasons, agreed.
“At what point do we scrap the testing, and we treat Omicron like the flu or common cold?” Murphy said on Twitter.
“You have symptoms, you stay home and wait until you feel better.
“Why do we have to get tested and a positive result to justify the (sic) you’re sick.
“Waste of time, money and resources.”
The AFL’s Covid-19 requirements are a hot topic in club land as teams prepare to return to training from January 10.
Meetings have been held in recent days in an attempt to identify clearly which players will be sidelined due to Covid-19 protocols.
News Corp confirmed there were more than 50 players currently isolating as a positive case or close contact.
However, club officials contacted on Thursday believe that number could rise to triple figures by Monday, pending latest test results and symptoms across the weekend.
At least one club is set to be missing as many as 15 players for the first training session.
Clubs face the prospect of daily rapid antigen testing, but it remains unclear whether all clubs will have ample supplies and guaranteed access from Monday.
In some cases, staff may be asked to stay away from the club if there are not enough tests to go around the player and coaching group, officials have warned.
The testing regime has become increasingly unpopular at a time when governments do not require people to undergo PCR testing to confirm positive cases.
Regardless, clubs are considering splitting its list up into small groups for indoor gym sessions and urging players to avoid congested areas such as busy cafes, shopping centres, pubs and clubs.
But fatigue is becoming an increasingly bigger issue for players who have been forced on the road and required to live in bubble environments away from family members over the past two years.
Club coaches and players are expected to comment publicly on the issue when the first press conferences of the year are held on Monday.
AFL’s Covid crisis ravages clubs’ pre-season preparation
More than 50 AFL players are expected to be in isolation and unavailable to resume pre-season training next week as COVID-19 sweeps through clubs.
Senior officials from clubs across the league on Wednesday confirmed they could be missing between 5-15 players next week because they either had COVID-19 or were deemed a close contact.
But the total number could increase further and push towards triple figures on the back of new years’ eve festivities, outbreaks in coastal areas and holiday hot spots and delays in testing results.
Some players have also been staying in the same accommodation on interstate trips and satisfy the four-hour close contact criteria.
It means clubs could be missing a big chunk of their list when pre-season kicks off again from January 10, hampering their ability to run full-ground drills and match simulation at times of outbreaks.
One club official said the situation was changing daily with as many as five players from their club confirmed positive within the past 48 hours. Others were still awaiting their results.
That club, which provided the information on the basis of anonymity, confirmed it had about 10 players in isolation on Wednesday.
All of the players had either mild or no symptoms and were in-line to make a full recovery by the end of next week.
Another Victorian club confirmed it had about six players sidelined due to COVID-19, while a cross-town rival said it had almost twice that in isolation at the start of the week.
This season, players who either contract COVID-19 or are a close contact – and are required to isolate – will be moved into the AFL COVID-19 protocols’ similar to the NBA.
It means those players will be treated in-line with the injury list and will be welcomed back to the club once they have met their quarantine and testing requirements.
Victorian and the two New South Wales clubs have been the hardest hit and make up the bulk of the AFL’s total COVID-19 cases. Western Australia will open its borders on February 5.
The league would not confirm the total case number on Wednesday, but sources at clubs indicated the likely total figure was likely to be between 50 and 100, pending the latest test results and symptoms.
Importantly, Victorian clubs are keen to ensure they will have a guaranteed supply of rapid antigen test kits for players and staff who will need to be tested every day to participate in training.
Clubs are also considering whether to reintroduce small group training sessions indoors.
The virus has hit the men’s ranks more quickly than the women’s teams over the past week as AFL players have been travelling and socialising more readily on their Christmas break.
The women’s players have been more limited in their movements as they are in the final stages of their preparation for the regular season which kicks off on Friday night.
As News Corp reported on Sunday, Covid-19 threatens to cause chaos for a third consecutive AFL season as clubs prepare to be without significant numbers of players and staff at times throughout the 2022 season.
The AFL had prepared for this situation with a hard-line vaccination policy which required players to be jabbed to be able to play at the top level.
Carlton’s Liam Jones is the only men’s player to step away from the game due to his reluctance to be vaccinated.
But there is certain to be significant hurdles in the coming months as outbreaks at clubs force players and staff to stay away throughout their contagious period.
Omicron case numbers have skyrocketed over the past fortnight. New South Wales (35,054 cases on Wednesday) and Victoria (17,636) are hardest hit.
But due to the delays and testing queues, the actual case numbers are believed to be higher, experts have warned.
Senior football officials are already discussing the likely scenario they could be forced to shut the club and cancel training, at times, to try and stop the spread.
Players will also be urged to stay away from congested areas such as indoor discos and dancefloors and order shopping and supermarket items online as part of soft restrictions.
Clubs are considering ways to try limit the case numbers in time for Round 1. The season-opener between Grand Finalists Melbourne and Western Bulldogs at the MCG on March 16 is less than 10 weeks away.
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