CATS’ COVID TESTING BLITZ

CLUB COVID CHECKS TODAY NO VFL FOR AFL PLAYERS

ALL Geelong players and some staff will be tested for coronavirus today as the AFL nears a return to training.

The AFL has demanded all players in the league be tested by Friday and also told clubs that no AFL-listed players will play in second-tier competitions this year.

Football department spending will also be slashed by 40 per cent as part of drastic cost-cutting measures to ensure the competition’s survival.

Geelong is yet to announce when training will resume, but all Cats players and football department staff will be tested for the virus today.

Some other staff who will be in contact with players, such as club media personnel, will also be part of the testing blitz.

The AFL orders are part of a return-to-play plan that is still being finalised.

The test results are unlikely to be processed for about 24 hours, making training unlikely to resume until Monday.

Ensuring the club is free of COVID-19 is essential after the State Government announced on Monday that an exemption was in place for AFL clubs to train together.

In Victoria, all players will be allowed to train together with full contact provided they are in a controlled environment that cannot be accessed by the public.

Geelong should be able to train in such conditions at GMHBA Stadium.

As part of the slashing of football departments, staff numbers will be capped at 24 and must include a doctor, player welfare official and psychologist.

The AFL is considering new arrangements such as scratch matches for players who missed out on senior selection and now would not be able to play in state leagues, such as the VFL.

A decision is yet to be made on whether the VFL will continue in 2020 without AFL-listed players.

The AFL is still locked in talks with state governments over training allowances in the build-up to a possible season restart next month.

The four AFL clubs in NSW and Queensland appear likely to receive similar exemptions, in line with those given to their NRL counterparts.

But in South Australia and Western Australia, there are no exemptions yet for professional teams, with West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide players currently only permitted to train in groups of 10, without contact.

The AFL is still hopeful the SA and WA governments will grant those clubs special permission to train or fly in and out of their bases for matches without serving mandatory quarantine periods upon reentry. If not, the clubs could be required to temporarily relocate their operations to help recommence the season.

Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula yesterday gave the green light to interstate clubs using Melbourne as a temporary base.

“We’d be comfortable with Western Australian teams being part of any appropriate quarantine arrangement (in Victoria) if that’s the way they choose to go,” Pakula said.

“I’m still hopeful that Western Australian teams can play in Western Australia and I’m sure that’s what the Eagles and the Dockers would prefer. But it’s a matter for (WA Premier) Mark McGowan and the Western Australian Government, and ultimately for them and the AFL to come to a conclusion about.”