Jeff Kennett says Sydney’s ANZ Stadium best bet for AFL grand final

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett fears crowds will not be allowed back to the MCG in time for the grand final.

Richmond line up for the anthem during the 2019 AFL grand final at the MCG. Picture: Mark Stewart

Hawthorn boss Jeff Kennett says Sydney’s ANZ Stadium should host this year’s AFL grand final if fans remain locked out of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

And the former Victorian premier says the Victorian Government will only have itself to blame if the premiership decider is lost to an interstate raider because of the deepening COVID-19 crisis.

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“If we are unable to hold it at the MCG because of a lack of crowds, I think Sydney is the obvious choice,” Kennett said.

“It will give more Australians from across the country an opportunity to attend.

“It would be played at the Homebush stadium and that is probably the appropriate place.

“That’s where I would prefer because it’s easier to get to for supporters.”

Kennett said Perth’s 60,000-seat Optus Stadium was not a realistic option.

“It’s a longer flight and God only knows what you would catch while you were there,” he said.

The Hawthorn president and AFL “war cabinet” member said he doubted the AFL could be forced to honour its contract to stage the Grand Final at the MCG until 2057 if crowds were not permitted.

“There’s a long way to go yet but if we are still unable to have people at the ground, I don’t think the Government, given its pathetic performance, could ask the AFL to go against the public interest, which would be to have as many people as possible attend the Grand Final,” Kennett said.

“We have a contract in place but if we can’t stage a grand final here at the MCG there is only one group of people you can blame and that’s the Government for so mishandling both the Cedar Meats and quarantine hotels.”

Kennett also took aim at NRL supremo Peter V’landys, who has welcomed the prospect of a “second-rate event” like the AFL Grand Final coming to the Harbour City.

“The guy is a silver medallist - and not a very good one at that - and if he’s trying to be a gold medallist that’s understandable,” Kennett said.

“I don’t mind him flailing about but the reality is, by any measure, the AFL leaves him at the starting gates. Not only in terms of crowds at games on a regular basis but on memberships of clubs, on television ratings and on the size of the competition.

“We are in the big league and he’s in the minor league just trying to punch his way out of a wet paper bag to get noticed.

“He could walk down any street here in Melbourne, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Brisbane and nobody would know him from a bar of soap.”

ANZ Stadium, home of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has not staged an AFL game for four years but is the second-biggest ground in the country with a capacity of 75,000.

League boss Gillon McLachlan said on Friday a call on where the Grand Final would be played would be made in August.