FOOTY CHAOS:
> QLD ban on Vic contact > Cats v Suns to go ahead > More club hubs likely
THE milestones for Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett will go ahead on Saturday against Gold Coast as the AFL season scrambles to stay afloat.
The AFL yesterday confirmed the game at GMHBA Stadium would proceed, but the high-flying Suns may not return to Queensland after it.
This weekend’s fixture has been dramatically reshaped after the Queensland Government banned all contact with Melbourne clubs unless they have served a 14-day quarantine stint.
South Australian authorities are also “actively considering” a Victorian lockout.
The league has been forced to explore a series of complex fixturing manoeuvres to ensure the season’s remaining 118 games can go ahead.
New South Wales has emerged as a key stepping stone to help clubs dodge tightening interstate border restrictions, while Victorian clubs also appear headed to Gold Coast hubs.
The Suns will play the Cats and then could be forced to either stay in Victoria to play Hawthorn, or return home via Sydney and play games against the Swans and Giants. It means the Suns could serve the majority of their home state’s two-week quarantine requirements in New South Wales before continuing at home.
“They might not go back to Queensland, they might go other routes,” AFL chief Gillon McLachlan said.
“We will have advice on that in the coming days about how they traverse back to Queensland, whether they did go back into quarantine or they went a different way.”
Collingwood and Geelong are still expecting to relocate to Perth for three matches in the West, but could now be forced to return to Melbourne via NSW or the Gold Coast.
It could extend their threeweek road trip by at least another week.
Geelong is due to play Collingwood at Perth Stadium on Friday, July 17.
The AFL will work through the implications for the following rounds before announcing any changes required for Rounds 6 and 7.
“At the moment we have got a fixture that is put out for this weekend and we will continue to look at things day-byday,” McLachlan said.
“We have got 118 games to get away.
“We can compress, we can move, we can, if we need to, have a bye to reset. As we look ahead, I don’t think we need to do that but we have got options.”
In fixture changes on Monday, Richmond’s scheduled Thursday night game against West Coast on the Gold Coast was postponed.
Instead, Carlton will play St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night in Melbourne — a game initially scheduled for Saturday. Richmond will play Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, with the Eagles to meet Sydney at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.