It’s season over for the AFLW and no premier will be declared as coronavirus wreaks havoc
Crows defender Courtney Cramey reflects on the AFL’s decision to end the AFLW season with no premier to be declared.
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The AFL Women’s season has been brought to an abrupt end, with no 2020 premier, and the sporting dreams of the country’s best women’s footballers shattered.
But as the league grapples with preventing the spread of COVID-19, the AFL was yesterday left with no choice, but to take the unprecedented declaration that it was season over for the women, with the men’s competition suspended.
The near future of the AFLW season had been up in the air since last week following a decision by the league to forgo the last two minor rounds and fast-track to a three-week finals series between the top four teams from each conference.
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Fremantle, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Carlton were winners from the weekend’s semi-finals and were due to play preliminary finals this coming weekend.
That will not happen.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the AFL commission had considered a range of options, including awarding the flag to Fremantle as leader across both conferences, but said it would have “been contrived”.
“There are no winners today,” he said.
“The decision, it was incredibly disappointing, but I think (it) ended up being obvious today.
“I would have loved to have finished.”
Technically, it leaves Adelaide – who didn’t qualify for finals after finishing sixth in Conference A – as the league’s reigning premiers.
But football veteran and Crows leadership group member, Courtney Cramey, said there was absolutely no joy in that for players.
“Fremantle and North Melbourne were clearly the competition leaders in 2020 and it is incredibly disappointing that they cannot go ahead in what would have been an exciting finals series,” the two-time Crows premiership winner said.
Last week, the players were presented with a number of options by the AFL Players’ Association so they could vote on the future of the AFLW competition amid the coronavirus crisis, including that a grand final between the two conference leaders – Fremantle and North Melbourne – be played this past weekend.
“We were all in agreeance that we wanted an outcome for the 2020 season and it’s disappointing that hasn‘t happened,” Cramey said.
“In hindsight, Freo could have battled it out this weekend against the Kangaroos to have guaranteed an outcome.
“It’s disappointing, I think football brings normality to a lot of lives, however, (COVID-19 is) a bigger issue beyond football and you have to do what’s right to keep people safe.
“I feel sorry for the girls who advanced this weekend to a prelim and won’t get to play out the season and the boys who played out the weekend and felt great about bringing something to the community and now that’s suspended.
“This is just our new norm really.”
Originally published as It’s season over for the AFLW and no premier will be declared as coronavirus wreaks havoc
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