AFL GAME CUTS LOOM

THE AFL is considering major changes to the pre-season competition as it sweats on state borders reopening in time for Round 1.

The league has told clubs it may reduce the number of community series games from two to one to help limit interstate travel.

Geelong has pre-season games scheduled against Essendon (February 18) and St Kilda (March 4) before its Round 1 away clash against Adelaide.

League bosses are optimistic the regular season will proceed as normal amid hopes Western Australia will ease its strict border regulations after the March 13 state election.

It would be a boost for the AFL if the WA authorities gave the green light for interstate teams to fly in and out of the state on match days before the March 18 season-opener.

Gold Coast is still expecting to travel to Perth to play West Coast at Optus Stadium on March 21, while Fremantle plays Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, March 20.

But the AFL is planning a raft of contingencies in the event further COVID-19 outbreaks across the country force teams to serve 14 days in quarantine and play multiple games on interstate road trips.

Clubs have been told they may only play one official preseason game to limit interstate trips.

Melbourne and St Kilda are fixtured to play practice matches in WA, while Essendon, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney are also scheduled to play interstate before Round 1.

If the number of formal preseason games is reduced, clubs would have the freedom to arrange unofficial scratch matches.

Clubs have regularly called for more flexibility in the preseason.

A return to hubs in the regular season looms as a last resort after players and staff last year spent up to four months in hubs.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, a member of last year’s AFL “war cabinet”, said on Wednesday he wanted the season to start early.

But there remain hurdles in the short term as WA’s border is currently closed to “medium-risk” states NSW and Queensland.

“I’m not sure when it’s going to start or finish. I’ve been pushing, by the way, for it to start early,” McGuire said on SEN.

“I reckon that the one thing we know about COVID, it’s cold. Why wait until it gets cold? Get going.

“We’ve got no grand prix or things. March would be a good time to get started, I would have thought.

“But they’re all discussions that I’m sure are happening.”