Darwin AFL game between Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons called off due to Covid uncertainty

Darwin’s round 19 AFL match between Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons is officially cancelled to accommodate the NT’s border closures.

DARWIN’S round 19 AFL match between Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons is officially off to accommodate the NT’s border closures with Covid effected southern states.

Due to the ongoing COVID environment throughout the country, the Northern Territory Government has closed its borders to Sydney and Melbourne.

The AFL has locked in a rejigged round 19 fixture list which has seen three matches flipped from round 20 forward to round 19.

The Gold Coast are now set to play Brisbane Lions at the Gabba while Melbourne will play the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

The unprecedented last minute move has emerged as the Covid situation in Victoria and NSW becomes increasingly uncertain.

The Suns were still planning for the Darwin game as normal as of Monday morning with the bulk of the squad planning to set down in the Top End on Friday.

The match between the Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons in Darwin has been cancelled. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

However, plans swiftly changed later that day as it became clear that the AFL were locking in a new schedule.

This is the third NT game in the 2021 season affected by the ongoing Covid situation with previous games between Gold Coast-Hawthorn (Darwin) and Melbourne-Brisbane (Alice Springs) relocated.

Head of AFLNT Stuart Totham said like all footy fans in the NT, the team at AFLNT is disappointed another game has been re-fixtured.

“We were looking forward to hosting a game and have been working very hard in the background with the AFL, Gold Coast SUNS and Melbourne FC to get a match off the ground in the NT,” Totham said.

“Whilst we are disappointed to not have a game at this stage, we understand the challenges the AFL and stakeholders are facing to get a game up and running in the Territory and to keep the 2021 AFL season moving along. AFLNT remain on standby and are enthusiastically willing to facilitate a fixture if required during the remainder of the season.”

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Gold Coast SUNS Chief Executive Mark Evans said the club had worked tirelessly to try and ensure the game could go ahead.

“We’ve worked extremely hard with the Northern Territory Government to chase down every possible scenario to help the fixture take place,” Evans said.

“Our partnership with the Territory means a lot to us, we will continue to strive to promote the game in the Top End both on and off the field.

“There’s still a few rounds left until the end of the season and we’ll continue to work with the AFL and the Northern Territory government to bring footy to our fans in the region.”