AFL is trying to outrun a pandemic

If the COVID-19 worsens in NSW the AFL could run out of places to hide, uncertainty is the only certainty.

Melbourne’s Nathan Jones trains indoors in Sydney on Tuesday Picture: Getty Images

Football 2020 is being played with a pandemic on its heels. It is running but running out of places to hide.

Crowded into the pockets by Victoria’s closures and the restrictions of two other states, the whistle got closer to the umpire’s mouth on Tuesday as COVID-19 crept back into NSW. This opponent is as relentless as it is ruthless. Fleet-footed and foul of breath. Always hurrying near.

The AFL and clubs have done an extraordinary job keeping the game going despite the setbacks, reacting and adapting at a speed never before imagined.

The escape from Melbourne went off with some tears but without a hitch. You only had to look at the mishaps suffered by the A-League to see how many potential pitfalls were avoided. Things, however, are on a hair trigger, on Tuesday even the rugby league was thinking of pulling up stumps and vacating its home state.

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The decision by Queensland to throw razor wire around the residents of Liverpool and Campbelltown caused little concern but has sounded the alarm. Young Giants player Nick Shipley lives with his parents in those parts and was ordered to immediately pack a bag and make for a safer suburb. Later in the afternoon the club was still trying to establish whether he could return or not.

It’s a minor matter, but if Sydney enters a lockdown or other states harden their hearts further it is going to create even more hassle for the brass directing operations from the bunker.

There are four clubs still in the Harbour City, a few days before there were six but Geelong and Collingwood decamped after the weekend game for Perth. You can’t get settled anywhere, bags need to be packed, documents ready and all plans subject to change. Make sure you’ve always got a change of undies and socks.

“The reality is things change really rapidly as we saw in Victoria,” Giants chief executive Dave Matthews told The Australian on Tuesday. “Hopefully the spot fires in Sydney get under control and are contained, that’s the key. We’re all dealing with a lot of uncertainty.

“Having got ourselves into a position where we were able to get some crowds back at the Giants stadium and the SCG, you just hope we can keep doing it. It’s unbelievable what everyone has had to deal with, but if we can keep the competition going it is important for the morale of the community.”

Rugby league has had to deal with getting the Storm out of Melbourne and the Warriors out of New Zealand, but on Tuesday they were feeling the pandemic’s hot breath on its neck in the game’s strongest state.

“We’re not moving to Queensland at this point, but we’ve got to be prepared for all scenarios and naturally that’s one scenario,” Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said. “At this stage we just want to make sure we can get to and from Queensland.”

At this stage the only certainty is the uncertainty, the unknown one of the few knowns. The AFL finally got out a fixture for Round 8 on Monday, but all clubs know nothing is guaranteed.

In Round 6 all clubs played in Queensland or NSW yet no club was afforded a home game. Sydney and GWS went north, Brisbane and the Suns came south. The Giants have not had to move but have had a home game shifted interstate at the last minute.

“We haven’t had to move ourselves as a club yet but every club in the competition is committed to doing what they have to do,” Matthews said. “It would be a shame if we have got to that situation in Sydney now we’ve got crowds back but everything we do is determined by what is the right thing from a community health perspective.”

Across town the Swans are monitoring the situation, but chief executive Tom Harley said they were taking a pragmatic point of view.

“The most important thing is people stay healthy and we are staying on top of it,” he said.

“I think the NSW state government has done a fantastic job and to also play with what is in front of us, which means the whole competition has to be flexible.

“It’s important we take advice from decision-makers and we signed up this year to do what is required to make sure the competition goes ahead.”

One thing that is certain is the Victorian teams are not going home any time soon, players chief Patrick Dangerfield told Gerard Whateley on SEN.

“If you look at Victoria and the shutdown period they’re in at the moment, it doesn’t make a huge amount of sense to go back there considering the circumstances and how tough that would be to continue the flow of the season.”