AFL 2022: Leading epidemiologist says AFL can drop vaccine mandate

A leading epidemiologist says the AFL could drop its vaccine mandate within months but would need future measures to ensure the safety of players and staff.

Liam Jones has been playing with Palm Beach Currumbin in the QAFL. Pictutre Glenn Hampson

The AFL can safely drop its vaccine mandate this year and allow holdouts Liam Jones and Georgia Patrikios to return to football, according to a leading Victorian epidemiologist.

The league is yet to make a decision on that nationwide mandate despite the Victorian government ruling from this Friday that general workers no longer have to be double-vaccinated.

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett told the Herald Sun on Monday dropping that vaccination mandate ahead of the August start to the AFLW season would be safe and prudent policy.

The AFL will retain its mandate for the entire men’s competition given there are no further draft or trade opportunities for players to join the 2022 competition.

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Liam Jones was among the player who was vaccine hesitant. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But the league told the Herald Sun on Monday it was reviewing the mandate ahead of the AFLW season as it takes in risk assessments and further government advice.

Bennett said the league could continue to urge players to get regular boosters while allowing a handful of players to take the field without vaccines.

She said that policy would safeguard players and also push a strong health message given high vaccination and Covid exposure rates in the 18-30 year old AFL bracket.

The Herald Sun revealed last month Jones plans to return to the AFL next year, while St Kilda AFLW star Patrikios re-signed for two years last week but needs the vaccination mandate to be dropped to take to the field.

Jones’ manager Shane Casley said last month former Blues star defender Jones was in career-best shape and believed he could return to footy.

Bennett said dropping that mandate by August would be appropriate AFL policy.

“Healthcare and aged care will still have requirements but if a workplace doesn’t have a case to go to three doses, it might not keep a two-doses requirement,” Bennett said.

Georgia Patrikios has just re-signed for two years. Picture: AAP Image/Rob Prezioso

“Immunity is now so high that by the end of winter there will be very few young people who aren’t vaccinated or haven’t had an infection. They will be one or the other or both.

“So there is very little difference now in those who are vaccinated or unvaccinated. An AFL team won’t be compromised by having one player who isn’t vaccinated. They might get more unwell if they get Covid but that is something they can manage.

“At the end of the day you don’t have to agree with everything your players say and while it’s been great the AFL have focused on this as a health issue if they can continue to send out a message on boosters and players aren’t spruiking against vaccines, it is one way they can contribute.

“In terms of managing the messaging if the AFL were to pull this back they wouldn’t say boosters weren’t important, they would say we aren’t going to mandate it but we want our players to be ambassadors (for vaccination).”

The league’s policy has been successful in forcing players to be double-vaccinated with West Coast’s Jack Darling finally ending his holdout so he could take to the field.

In West Australian a government ruling means from June 10 only workers in vulnerable areas need to be double-vaccinated.