Giants chairman Tony Shepherd spruiks AFL super hub in Sydney

A super hub in Sydney would highlight the investment the AFL has made to establish the sport in NSW.

Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw is yet to learn if the club will have to leave Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

A super hub in Sydney would highlight the investment the AFL has made to establish the sport in NSW, GWS Giants chairman Tony Shepherd said.

At least three Victorian clubs and the Gold Coast Suns are set to be based in Sydney this month to keep the season afloat in a bonus for NSW, according to Shepherd.

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“It‘s a great opportunity for the AFL to profile a bigger range of clubs in Sydney and NSW,” Shepherd said.

“It brings a lot of patronage to hotels, cafes and restaurants, and to people who will be engaged in running the games. It is good from a jobs point of view.

“A bit of travel won‘t hurt the Victorian AFL clubs (either). The Giants travel 14 times a year. They’re used to it.“

With Victorian clubs preparing for a mass exodus from Melbourne due to coronavirus restrictions, the AFL is facing a bill that could run towards $10 million.

When the AFL raised the prospect of clubs spending the entire season in a hub at the height of COVID-19 fears in Australia, the cost was estimated at $40 million.

The league has averted several crises to date, including the season-long hub, but the worsening situation in Victoria will come at a hefty price.

To date, the AFL has had to cover the costs of relocating the Perth and Adelaide clubs to southeast Queensland for over a month.

The next month shapes as even more expensive should more than half the competition set up camps in multiple locations and criss-cross the country on flights.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who was a member of the AFL’s coronavirus crisis cabinet, made the initial assessment of $40 million in April.

McGuire, whose Magpies will relocate to Perth after a clash against Essendon on Friday night, said the next venture would “cost an absolute fortune, a bomb”.

Having redrawn this weekend’s round, the AFL is still finalising the next month of fixtures.

The AFL held a conference call with the chief executives of all 18 clubs on Thursday.

But the league was unable to provide clarity on the draw due to the logistical hurdles that need to be overcome.

Clubs are still unsure which city and state they will be based next weekend, let alone who they will be pitted against in Round 6.

Instead the league told them that radical cuts to the football department soft cap had been set in stone, with funding to be reduced from $9.7 million to $6.2 million.

This means staff, including assistant coaches who remain stood down, are unlikely to return next year.

Football clubs negotiated with the league to ensure they would retain health and wellbeing staff and also keep AFLW employees after fears positions would be axed.

While the Queensland, NSW, West Australian and South Australian governments have clear concerns about Victorians arriving in their states, Shepherd is confident in the AFL’s COVID-19 procedures.

“The AFL has very strict protocols. It will be safe,” he said.

“They have two tests a week and they are constantly testing temperatures. Everybody reports the smallest sniffle. Probably the safest person you could sit next to right now is an AFL player.”

Although yet to receive departure dates and times, North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw said the Kangaroos were preparing to relocate, with his former home of Sydney a likely destination.

A dozen North Melbourne players and four staff were forced to move from Melbourne suburbs locked down on Wednesday into temporary accommodation to comply with government regulations.

“It has been in line with the rest of the year, to be honest. It has been a bit different,” Shaw said.

“Our players are a no-fuss type of group. They got on with it pretty quickly.”

The Sydney premiership player said the Kangaroos would not force any players to attend hubs in a week when several stars had raised concerns about travelling for an extended period.

Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury said in the podcast Jock & Journo it was likely the Magpies would field a less than full-strength side during their time in WA.

The absence of vice-captain Steele Sidebottom for four weeks due to multiple COVID-19 breaches is a clear issue.

Meanwhile, Thursday night’s clash between Carlton and St Kilda was almost called off after a positive COVID-19 test for a Marvel Stadium security guard.

The AFL said in a statement the security contractor had last worked on Monday.

The AFL said he had no contact at any time with sealed football-­related areas.

Pod up! Holding the ball rule, Hub Life, state of play in the AFL n covid breach https://t.co/yqPW5DoSSB pic.twitter.com/vJk3yQFfMK

— Scott Pendlebury (@SP_10) July 2, 2020