AFL twists and turns for fixtures to keep Covid-hit season alive
The scheduling gymnastics the AFL has performed to keep the season alive will continue as the coronavirus crisis creates further hurdles.
The scheduling gymnastics the AFL has performed to keep the season alive will continue through August as the coronavirus crisis creates further hurdles.
A state of disaster was declared in Victoria on Sunday, dashing any hope of the competition returning to the state and now the window to play AFL games in Tasmania this year has narrowed again.
In South Australia, hopes have also diminished of being able to fill Adelaide Oval to half its capacity until the latter stages of the season at best given the virus has re-emerged in the state.
The options for the competition are tightening at a time of enhanced scrutiny on clubs following a series of breaches of the AFL’s COVID-19 protocols by five sides last week.
The AFL is now a quarter of the way through a 20-day phase that will see it complete round 12 of an abridged season by August 17.
That will leave it with five rounds — some clubs have six games — to complete.
North Melbourne and Hawthorn had hoped to complete a lucrative contractual agreement to play four matches each in Hobart and Launceston in 2020 despite the crisis.
The Tasmanian government rebuffed an initial scheduling of Kangaroos matches in Hobart in early August and Premier Peter Gutwein extended the ban further on Monday.
Tasmania had planned to open its borders to Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory without quarantine on Friday but has delayed the move.
Barring another extraordinary fixture decision, the Kangaroos and Hawks will at best be able to play only a couple of matches in Tasmania.
“It’s been very difficult, but it simply isn’t the time to be opening our borders right now,” Gutwein said.
“Now’s the time to ensure we utilise our best asset, our moat, and we keep Tasmanians safe.
“There will be no AFL football played in Tasmania for the month of August. We will continue to review that on a weekly basis.”
The prospects of crowds being able to fill Adelaide Oval during the Power’s premiership push have also dissipated after restrictions were tightened due to two new COVID-19 cases.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said his government was considering limiting crowds at the ground to 10,000 fans, well below recent hopes of an attendance of 25,000.
Port Adelaide and Adelaide are scheduled to host games in rounds 10 and 11, which includes the Power’s clash against the Western Bulldogs on Monday night.
At the moment, clubs based in Queensland are still allowed to fly into Adelaide for matches, while the two clubs will play matches on the Gold Coast in round 12.
There is an expectation Queensland will host even more matches later this season.
The Eagles and Fremantle believe they are likely to spend a second stint in a hub in Queensland to complete the regular season.
A decision on where the grand final will be played is expected in late August.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, meanwhile, believes the AFL’s decision to fine coach Nathan Buckley and assistant Brenton Sanderson $25,000 for a breach last Friday is fair.
The breach, which involved the Collingwood coaches playing tennis with Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik, occurred only hours after McGuire said anyone who broke protocols should be sent home.
McGuire claimed his commentary had been “completely misconstrued as usual”.
Eddie McGuire says that the AFL should consider putting future quarantine protocol breachers “on the plane homeâ€.
— Triple M Footy (@triplemfooty) July 31, 2020
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