Nic Naitanui happy to make sacrifice for good of AFL

West Coast star believes the Eagles would be prepared to make a short-term sacrifice in order to restart the AFL season

Nic Naitanui says West Coast Eagles are prepared to make sacrifices in the short term to get the season underway Picture: Getty Images

West Coast star Nic Naitanui believes the Eagles would be prepared to make a short-term sacrifice in order to restart the AFL season amid continued uncertainty as to how the competition will begin.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has declared the state will not ease border restrictions “just to meet the needs of football”, which could see the Eagles and Dockers forced to relocate for a period in order to be able to compete in the competition.

A quarantine period of 14 days for each trip interstate would preclude them from the preferred charter flight model favoured by the AFL to play out an abridged 17 round season.

Naitanui is hopeful that by the time the season resumes, with the AFL to make a decision next week with a view to a mid-June start, the WA clubs may be granted an exemption.

“Fingers crossed they give us an exemption but, if not, we might have to relocate to Victoria and it might be a little training hub for a while,” he told SEN.

“It will be interesting, but fingers crossed we don’t get to that stage.”

South Australian Premier Steve Marshall added another element of complexity for the AFL to consider when stating he would prefer the Crows and Power play their matches interstate in the short-term.

He is happy for the clubs to travel in and out of the state for matches without going through a 14-day quarantine period, provided they comply with strict health protocols.

But he said he did not want teams from other states to visit Adelaide for matches, a preference he has passed on to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.

Adelaide’s chief executive Andrew Fagan said the Crows needed to be “open minded and willing to be flexible to ensure the return of football as soon as possible”.

Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett, who is a member of the AFL’s coronavirus cabinet, said the challenges posed by different state regulations added difficulty to the decisions the league is trying to make.

“There are a lot of unknowns still flying around, many of them beyond the control of the AFL. There are a lot of balls in the air,” he said.

The national cabinet, which approved the league’s health protocols last Friday, will meet again in Canberra on Friday.

The AFL is set to be guided by advice stemming from that gathering and also a decision from Victorian Premier Dan Andrews on whether to halt the state of emergency that currently exists in the state until May 11.