AFL scrambles to avoid fixture chaos
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said hubs are not yet being considered despite one club being turned back at the airport.
The Giants will fly to Brisbane on Saturday for a crunch clash against the Lions despite being sent home from Sydney airport on Friday by health authorities due to their Covid-19 status.
As AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan declared hubs were not currently on the league’s agenda despite the coronavirus situation in Victoria, although state medical officials remain cautious.
Queensland health authorities denied the Giants entry into the state on Friday because they had been in Victoria for a clash against Richmond on May 15 and were deemed “dirty”.
But a fortnight will have passed since the game on Saturday, which will allow the Giants to complete their obligations as they seek to retain a place in the eight.
The uncertainty surrounding the season increased dramatically this week following a Covid-19 outbreak in Melbourne which affected teams and venues.
The Tigers were forced to relocate a home game against Adelaide on Sunday to Sydney in order for the match to be played.
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said the club reacted quickly once it became clear the clash against the Crows would be shifted.
“We finally got there. It was a quick turnaround but it is a mindset we have become accustomed to over the past 12 months,” he told SEN.
“I was out watching the lunar eclipse with my family the other night, just having a little moment there, when I got the dreaded call from Gil about ten past nine and from there, it was all systems go.
“Even as of midday (on Thursday), we knew we had to get on a flight, we knew we had to leave Melbourne by 4pm, but we actually didn’t know where. It was like the old mystery flight.”
Both the MCG and Marvel Stadium were deemed hot spots after fans who were unknowingly infected with Covid-19 attended matches at the grounds last weekend.
Essendon, Carlton and Hawthorn also departed Victoria midweek and may yet spend further time on the road depending on how well the latest outbreak is contained.
It was not until Friday morning that there was confirmation the top-of-the-table clash between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium would be able to proceed.
The Demons were on high alert after a player, who is currently sidelined through injury, attended a hotel in Mordialloc that has been identified as a Tier-1 hotspot.
The Bulldogs underwent testing earlier this week after a staff member realised they had been at the Highpoint Shopping Centre which had also been identified as a hotspot.
While Victoria is due to come out of lockdown next Thursday, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is doubtful the Magpies will be travelling to Adelaide to play the Crows in round 12.
“The likelihood of that would be fairly low, I would have thought,” he said.
“It is something we are all too familiar with, to be honest, given that most of last season was played in that paradigm (of uncertainty), so that fact we’ve been there before takes a little bit of the unknown away.”
It has been reported the AFL is considering holding the annual Dreamtime clash between Essendon and Richmond in Perth this year after it was relocated to Darwin last year.
But McLachlan said on Friday no decision had been made as the league continues to monitor the health situation in Victoria and the border guidelines imposed by other states.
“It is premature to make that decision. It is scheduled and fixtured at the MCG,” he told 3AW.
“If we are not able to play that game with the particular restrictions and there are circumstances where it is not appropriate, we are in discussions on a switch with other (cities including) Sydney or Perth.
“We have to work with governments on what is possible. Clearly we run conversations in parallel.”
Gale said he had been told there were a range of options being investigated.
“If things improved rapidly, we just don’t know. The one thing we learned last year is that things don’t change by the hour, they literally change by the minute,” he said.
The Richmond boss was among a group of CEOs who met with the AFL executive on Tuesday.
“We are on a bit of a war setting and we need to be ready and willing and able to move and to pivot and be flexible and agile, as Gil says,” he said.
“But the outlook has improved more than we expected and there are a range of really, really important investment priorities for the code that are probably ten year prospects.
“But by and large, I think we are in really good shape and we have reason to be excited about the future, but there are just some really big decisions (ahead).”
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