Collingwood and Geelong are expected to be on the road for more than three weeks from July. Additional games are expected to be played in other states after they have ended their stay in Western Australia.
Important points:
- AFL game director Travis Auld said all clubs will have to spend a long time on the road this season
- Auld said Collingwood and Geelong would be the first two teams to spend time outside of Victoria
- Geelong trainer Chris Scott said the cats would be willing to “pay the price” if they were not at home to keep the season alive
AFL Games chief Travis Auld says all clubs have the prospect of being away from home someday four or five weeks this season, much like the West Coast and Fremantle WA clubs in Queensland.
AFL is having trouble revising its fix on the run as the Queensland government has announced new coronavirus protocols that have forced this week’s games to be relocated immediately.
South Australian Prime Minister Steven Marshall threw another key into the work when he reversed his decision to open the state border with Victoria on July 20. A decision he admitted would have a “dramatic impact on the AFL”.
“All teams coming from Victoria to South Australia have to go through these two weeks of isolation,” he said.
“Any South Australian team that plays a Victorian team or goes to Victoria to play a Victorian team must do this two weeks of isolation when they return to our state.”
The magpies and cats were set up to quarantine each other on round seven in Perth and to switch games against West Coast and Fremantle before returning home.
But Auld indicated that her road trips would likely be extended.
“If the quarantine conditions work for [clubs] then I think a four to five week period seems to be fine, “Auld told 3AW.
“In these circumstances, it may not be four to five weeks in the same place.
“If you look at Geelong and Collingwood, for example, they will go to WA for three weeks and may come back [to Victoria] over one of the other states now.
“You could come back via New South Wales or Queensland. We have the option we need to explore.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott said his club was prepared for a chaotic schedule.
“We just have to roll with the punches,” Scott told AFL 360.
“If this is the price we have to pay to keep the competition alive, we are all ready to pay it.”
Auld also indicated that other Victorian clubs could be sent to Queensland in the near future under conditions similar to those of the two clubs sent to WA.
Clubs could also be sent to South Australia for multiple games if state borders open as scheduled in July, while temporary hubs in NSW and other regions are still possible.
Victorian clubs could potentially cycle through these hubs to keep the season alive.
Auld said clubs and broadcasters want a two-week notice period for fixtures and that viewers returning in some states were also a challenge.
“When that comes into play, this is a factor that we need to take into account to inform fans in good time so they can get a ticket to the games,” said Auld.
“The complexity continues, but certainly flexibility is really important to us at the moment.”
AAP
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