AFL ready to deliver more suspensions for COVID-19 breaches

The AFL has made clear it will still suspend players who breach COVID-19 protocols despite easing some restrictions for players.

West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui trains with the Eagles squad at KDV Sports Complex soccer fields on the Gold Coast on Monday. Picture: Getty Images

The AFL has made clear it will still suspend players who breach COVID-19 protocols despite easing some restrictions.

As revealed on Monday, players are now allowed to visit immediate family and can fish, have a hit of golf, play tennis or surf.

It will be a relief for the four teams staying in Gold Coast golf resorts as Victorian infection rates continue to hover at levels that will make it hard for Western Australia to open its borders for fly-in, fly-out football.

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But the league has made clear the four players suspended last week for COVID-19 breaches would still have been penalised under its updated rules.

Melbourne’s Charlie Spargo will need to serve the second week of his AFL suspension for taking an Uber to a barbecue with friends, with both of those actions considered clear breaches.

Players who were allowed to train in groups of eight will now be able to train in groups of nine but there is no update on the amount of times teams can train together.

Players can golf, fish, surf and play tennis with another player, approved staff member of the same club or member of their household or immediate family.

They can also visit the home of players, approved club staff or have up to five visitors of people in that same category.

But players who wanted to be able to dine in restaurants or cafes or have friends over from outside the football community will have to wait for further loosening.

And they cannot take their children to the park to take the load off their wives and partners.

AFL chief counsel Andrew Dillon said the league would continue to monitor protocols in line with community standards.

“In line with state governments easing restrictions across the states, we, in conjunction with the AFLPA and medical officers, have taken the first step to ease the AFL’s return-to-play protocols.

“While the protocols are, in areas, still stronger than the broader community, the competition is able to participate in elite contact sport before the rest of the country, so we must all continue to ensure they are abided by.”

There were hopes in Victoria that crowds of up to 25 per cent capacity might be allowed as early as the Round 5 Collingwood-Essendon blockbuster on Friday, July 3, at the MCG.

But after another 12 coronavirus positives on Monday, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, said it would be “premature” to make a call on stadiums.

“We won’t be able to make those decisions and choices until we’ve got everyone doing the right thing,” he said.

Scott Morrison opened the door for smaller stadiums to allow crowds of up to 10,000 fans next month under stage three of the plan to reopen the nation.

“It would have to be a large, open area.

“There would need to be seats at the appropriate distance,” the Prime Minister said.

“It would need to be ticketed, so people would be able to understand who was in attendance at that event.”

Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said authorities would monitor whether the initial easing of restrictions caused a spike in transmission of the killer disease.

“It will depend very largely on what happens with any growth or not with any community transition of the virus,” he said on SEN.

“If we can move to having 10,000 people in a stadium without any appreciable growth of COVID-19 … that will give people making the decisions more confidence.”

Colbeck said it was not simply about assessing the number of fans attending a stadium for matches but also the logistical situation involving the movement of supporters to and from stadiums.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: COURTNEY WALSH