AFL’s June 11 dream fading fast

The West Coast Eagles are seriously considering temporarily relocating to the Gold Coast so the AFL season can resume next month.

Jack Higgins of the Richmond Tigers Football Club leaves in his car after being tested for coronavirus at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday Picture: AAP

The AFL’s hopes of a June 11 restart are fading fast with clubs west of Victoria considering relocation as their only hope.

West Coast are seriously considering a move to the Gold Coast so the AFL season can resume some time next month while Fremantle and the two South Australian clubs are also considering their options.

Difficulties navigating differences between state health rules have delayed an announcement on when the sport can return to competition with the window for a June 11 restart rapidly closing.

Last night South Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens wrote to the AFL saying they did not believe it should be allowed to operate by different standards to the rest of the SA community.

The crisis is set to hit the AFL’s bottom line with the organisation poised to lose at least $104 million in TV rights cash this year.

As the AFL Players Association discussed the prospect of a Gold Coast move with Fremantle and West Coast footballers, meetings between the league and various stakeholders continued on Wednesday.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who is a member of the AFL’s coronavirus crisis cabinet, said all parties were working hard to find solutions.

“I think it is one of those situations where there are no perfect scenarios,” he told The Australian.

West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett confirmed it was possible the Eagles could be based at a hub on the Gold Coast in order to “get the season away”.

Fremantle, too, is considering the prospect. But it is only one of several options being considered, with the preferable model ultimately still one that would enable clubs to fly in and out of their states on charter flights for matches.

That would require a change in mindset from the Western Australian government, and also a relaxation of rules in South Australia, for this to occur in the short-term.

The AFL is still confident of having all 18 clubs back on the track on Monday.

While being forced into a hub in Queensland will mean no home games for the Eagles and Dockers, it would require Victorian-based clubs to travel for away matches.

Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans reiterated that southeast Queensland would be an ideal hub given both Metricon Stadium and the Gabba could be used to host matches.

But the players of both West Australian clubs, and also Port Adelaide and the Crows, should the standoff in South Australia continue, will need certainty as to what is facing them.

The AFLPA briefed players in groups on Wednesday but the changing landscape has made it difficult for guarantees to be provided.

Negotiations between the league and its broadcast partners over a reduced arrangement for the 2020 season are continuing. But industry figures say five fewer rounds and shortened games will slice a minimum of 25 per cent off this year’s contracts. The league pockets an average of $417m a year in TV rights as part of its bumper six-year, $2.5 billion deal with Channel 7, Foxtel and Telstra that expires at the end of 2022.

A more savage 50 per cent reduction in broadcast fees this year would equate to lost revenues of $208.5m. The revised deal for 2020 is expected to fall within the 50-75 per cent range of the original agreement.

One step forward on Wednesday was players undergoing COVID-19 testing as part of the protocols released earlier this week. Richmond captain Trent Cotchin was among those who attended a testing station at Marvel Stadium, with all players ordered to undergo a test by Friday.

The Queensland government reiterated its stance that players will need to have received a flu vaccination in order to be able to play and train in the state.