AFL news: MCG puts call out for more staff ahead of footy season
Things are getting desperate at the MCG as officials scramble to fill hundreds of jobs ahead of Round 1 of the AFL season. Here’s how you can help.
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The league wants to fill the stadium as footy returns with a bang when Melbourne unfurls its premiership flag against Western Bulldogs on Wednesday night in a replay of last year’s Grand Final.
But the MCG must first address a staff shortage in its hospitality outlets with hundreds of vacancies still needing to be filled to operate the venue at full capacity.
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Persons from 15 years old can apply to work at the MCG ahead of the bumper games between the Demons and Dogs, Carlton and Richmond (Thursday night), Essendon and Geelong (Saturday) and Hawthorn and North Melbourne (Sunday).
While hospitality experience is preferred, it is not compulsory. But the clock is ticking on the recruitment mission only six days out from the season-opener.
The league is keen for footy fans to return to the game with confidence after moving clubs interstate to help save the 2020-21 seasons.
But the AFL does not want fans to have to face long wait times for food and beverages at outlets around the ground in Round 1.
MCC chief executive Stuart Fox said the MCG had experienced the same staff challenges many businesses had faced off the back of the COVID-19 crisis.
Fox urged potential workers to send in their resumes ahead of the new season to help Melbourne warmly welcome back AFL games without any staff shortage-related hiccups.
“There is no secret that the hospitality industry is experiencing staff shortages across the country at the moment, and the MCG isn’t immune to that,” Fox said.
“Our catering partner at the MCG, Delaware North, is a few hundred people short to fill a variety of hospitality roles.
“Every single person who visits the MCG is important to us and we aim to provide exceptional experiences, and want to ensure we have enough staff to fulfil that vision.
“The team has been busily recruiting around the clock and has exhausted so many avenues, but we still need more casual staff members.
“So our message is – if you want to work at the beating heart of Melbourne, apply now.
“If you’re looking for a casual role, especially if you hold a current Victorian RSA certificate, we’re so keen to chat with you and have you involved at the home of sport.”
To apply, email your resume to vicjobs@delawarenorth.com
Delaware North managing director Gary Brown said there were also positions available at Marvel Stadium and Melbourne Park.
“This is not a Melbourne-wide or Victoria-wide issue – it’s a nationwide and industry wide issue that is affecting the entire hospitality industry on a never-before-seen scale,” Brown said.
“Hundreds of thousands of temporary visa holders left Australia over the past few years, many of them from the hospitality industry.
“Unfortunately, we are not yet seeing an influx of them returning, which is one of the main factors driving the current staffing shortage.
“We are doing everything we can to get ready for the AFL season, including bringing in team members to Melbourne from our operations across Australia and New Zealand.”
CRIPPS BACKS WALSH TO MAKE EARLY RETURN
Cripps was brilliant in the Blues’ pre-season win over reigning premier Melbourne, turning the tide on two years of up and down form where Cripps shouldered a huge mental and physical load.
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Cripps said he had no regrets playing through a back injury which required painkilling injections last year and backed star teammate Sam Walsh to return from an ankle injury within “the first month” of the new season.
The West Australian is yet to play a final in his 138-game career and has never beaten Richmond in Round 1.
But Cripps said Voss had helped wipe the slate clean at Carlton after another tumultuous year, and had already taken steps towards improving the defence and sharpening a bolstered midfield.
“He (Voss) has got a presence about him. You talk to anyone, he has got that aura about him,” Cripps said.
“He talks really well, he’s good at relationships. He’s good at getting around the boys one-on-one, and you can tell he’s done a lot of work on leadership and culture and how things should be run.
“We’ve more just talked about how we can get the most out of the (midfield) group. He’s backed me in to play my way, but a talented midfield is something that we want to create.
“He played in a great midfield and we feel like that is something we want to build as a group as well.”
Cripps’ own form has been a major talking point over the past two years after finishing third in the 2019 Brownlow Medal on26 votes, behind Nat Fyfe and Patrick Dangerfield.
His scintillating early form has seen his Brownlow Medal odds slashed from $51 to $13 with TAB, but Cripps said the Blues had proved nothing yet, as they prepare for Richmond next Thursday night.
He said new faces Adam Cerra and George Hewett had helped raise the bar for the onball group this summer but Cripps said there were no excuses for his performances last year.
“I’ve learned a lot over the past couple of years, and I went to work in the off-season and had a good pre-season, so I’m pretty determined to have a good year,” he said.
“I’d still rather produce for the team than not play at all.
“I’ve never been one to use excuses for injuries. Just get out there try and perform your best.”
Mitch McGovern looks set to unseat Lachie Plowman in the third defensive position, while the club has been ecstatic with pressure small forwards Corey Durdin and Matt Owies.
Cripps said the return of Charlie Curnow and emergence of young tall Tom De Koning alongside Harry McKay gave the Blues plenty of attacking options.
“There’s a lot of different weapons up there, the way Tom De Koning played the other night, his presence across the whole ground,” he said.
“His jump … if the roof was shut he might have hit his head.
“Charlie is a good story because he has had a tough couple of years, but one thing we’ve seen from him over the pre-season is he hasn’t lost any athletic ability.
“It might be something he will manage for the rest of his career, but I’m excited to see him have a really good year.”
Cats skipper says age claims a bonus not hindrance
—Lauren Wood
Geelong’s premiership credentials remain firmly intact, skipper Joel Selwood has declared, calling on the football gods for a bit of luck ahead of his tilt at a fourth flag.
The 33-year-old heads up the oldest team in the competition by average age, but Selwood is adamant that talk that the Cats’ shot at the ultimate prize is beyond them is well off the mark.
If anything, Selwood said the suggestion that age would be a downfall was actually the complete opposite to the belief at the Cattery.
“We don’t read too much into it and don’t listen too much,” he said on Wednesday.
“We do have an older group of players that actually enjoy trying to get each other better and try getting the kids better so we keep playing on.”
The Cats were ranked second in the competition for contested possession differential in 2021, along with clearance differential in a midfield that is among the best the game.
No AFL captain has tipped the Cats to make this year’s Grand Final, with Melbourne and Brisbane the most-nominated teams.
Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins were noted as key chances behind Blue Harry McKay to win this year’s Coleman Medal by the 18 AFL skippers.
Cats premiership forward Cameron Mooney recently said that “with age comes enormous experience”, which includes Hawkins (33), Isaac Smith (33), Patrick Dangerfield (31), Mitch Duncan (30) and Zach Tuohy (32).
Selwood has made 11 preliminary finals in his 15 seasons at Geelong in a clear indication of the team’s longevity at the top of the game, but he said having some luck on their side would go a long way to ensuring the team remains in the hunt.
“It could be (a premiership side),” he said.
“There’s so much luck that’s involved, too. Good health, especially in these Covid times (is so valuable).
“We had Jeremy (Cameron) out, Mitch Duncan, Paddy (Dangerfield) out for long periods of last year – they’re probably our three best players, with Hawk (Hawkins).
“We actually need to get a bit of luck on that front, too.”
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