The Sydney Swans and GWS Giants are fighting the clock to close the Queensland border, which threatens to derail the 2020 AFL season.
The Queensland government announced on Wednesday that the Sydney subway area had been declared a coronavirus hotspot. The crossing of the Tweed River from NSW to Queensland is now closed to travelers from Sydney
Queensland Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Wednesday that the border will be closed to Sydney travelers on Saturday morning from 1 a.m. (AEST).
“We have done this to ensure that we are notifying Queenslanders who may want to return home,” she said.
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“We are in extraordinary times at the moment and have to do everything we can.”
The announcement leaves the Swans and Giants with the prospect of moving out of Sydney for the rest of the season.
The AFL predicted the likely moves of the Swans and Giants earlier this month when the league announced their games by the end of round 12 – excluding the games planned in NSW.
However, it is still a blow to the two clubs in Sydney as players and staff have been away for more than two months.
Sydney and GWS will have to move between states in the next 48 hours before the Swans play St. Kilda in Gabba on Saturday and the Giants play Suns in Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The two clubs were reportedly preparing to fly to and from Queensland on the day of their next two games (all in Queensland), but now had to build a new headquarters in Queensland.
The Swans and Giants then scheduled a reunion on round 11, where clubs begin their two-week quarantine period in Western Australia before playing a series of games in Perth, starting with the local rivalry in Sydney on August 13 at Optus Stadium.
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