AFL monitors Brisbane cluster as it ponders historic grand final decision
The Queensland Government is confident it can control a COVID-19 cluster that has added uncertainty ahead of the AFL’s decision this week on where the grand final will be held.
The Queensland Government is confident it can control a COVID-19 cluster that has added uncertainty ahead of the AFL’s decision this week on where the grand final will be held.
A decision regarding the location and date of the grand final, as well as a plan for the entire finals series, could be made as soon as Tuesday as the AFL assesses various bids for one of the jewels of Australian sport.
But the virus outbreak in a juvenile detention centre in Brisbane, which has led to the tightening of community restrictions in the state capital, is a timely reminder that the potential for disruption remains.
It prompted Western Australia Sports Minister Mick Murray to call for the decision to be delayed as authorities ascertain the potential impact on the Brisbane community.
WA premier Mark McGowan said it was clear his state was the safest location to host the decider.
“In the interests of football and in the interests of health and safety this would be the best location for it,” he said.
“Clearly Western Australia is the safest place, we are the strongest football state we have the best stadium.”
Since the season resumed in June, the AFL has been able to outrun the virus by shifting out of Victoria, and then Sydney, through the relocation of teams and fast-tracking of the fixture.
A senior official told The Australian the AFL would devise an alternate option for the finals series, including the decider, as a safeguard for any future disruption.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her government was awaiting the AFL’s decision.
It is understood the state’s bid will focus in part on the opportunity to further grow the code in Queensland with investment of up to $10m.
Live sites could be put in place at communities from the Gold Coast to Cairns to make it a whole-of-state celebration of Australian rules football.
Palaszczuk is confident the state will be able to manage the outbreak without it becoming more widespread.
Brisbane’s three-time premiership winning coach Leigh Matthews believed there was no threat to the competition unless there was a drastic jump in cases in the city.
He said the hub protocols effectively preclude anyone based in the league “villages” from any contact with those based in the general population.
Lions chief executive Greg Swann, who is on a subcommittee tasked with forming the Queensland bid, said there was clear logic to the majority of finals being held in the state.
The Lions are among a group of clubs vying to earn a “home” qualifying final, with Port Adelaide and West Coast also in contention.
If possible, the AFL would be keen to hold finals in multiple states, though the WA border restrictions requiring clubs to quarantine for a fortnight add complexity to the equation.
South Australia has also proposed a plan for Adelaide Oval to host the grand final.
“It is so fluid. The whole season has been that way. They would have to be thinking there may well be a Plan B,” Swann told 3AW
The Gabba sold 15,000 tickets for Brisbane’s clash with St Kilda on Sunday and remains hopeful of pushing toward 30,000 by the middle of October.
The Gabba has a COVID-19 protocol in place which stops fans from roaming from the area of the ground they are seated to minimise risks.
The date for the grand final is another point of conjecture for the AFL, with finals-bound clubs canvassed about their views on a pre-finals bye this year.
This will mean the difference between the grand final being held on October 17 and October 24, which is the date the WA Government is hopeful of easing restrictions.
The scare in Brisbane this weekend, combined with the significant time clubs have already spent based in hubs and the ongoing accommodation costs to the AFL, will determine whether the break is shelved.
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