TAKE A HIKE
Vic clubs face a month in hubs to escape virus
VICTORIA will be footy-free for at least five weeks — and potentially for the rest of the year — under a desperate plan to keep the season alive.
All 10 Victorian clubs will evacuate the state immediately after the completion of this weekend’s round of matches. Players have been told they will not have to spend more than 32 days on the road, but AFL boss Gillon McLachlan conceded the league might be forced to reassess its options if Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis does not improve.
“It might become more than 32 days, we’ll have to wait and see,” McLachlan said.
“That will depend entirely on what is going on in Victoria at the time.
“Five weeks from now we will know a lot more.”
Round 6 will be played exclusively across venues in NSW and Queensland before a hub is opened in Western Australia in time for Round 7.
Collingwood and Geelong will spend a week in Sydney before heading to WA.
While the chances of crowds returning to matches in Melbourne are rapidly diminishing, up to 21,000 fans will be permitted at the Gabba for this weekend’s blockbuster Brisbane-Port Adelaide clash.
And a capacity crowd of 60,000 will pack Perth Stadium for the Eagles-Dockers derby in Round 7.
Six Melbourne clubs will be in Queensland hubs — Richmond, Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs on the Gold Coast, and St Kilda in Noosa. Hawthorn and Melbourne will be in NSW.
Footy will also return to the Adelaide Oval in Round 7 when the Crows host St Kilda. The league slotted the match for a Monday night to give the Saints 14 days in quarantine — outside Victoria — before they were allowed to fly into South Australia.
Players will be permitted to take families into the hubs based on individual circumstances, but clubs are expecting several to opt out until football returns to Victoria. Despite the ongoing compromises, McLachlan insisted the season was legitimate.
“The sheer daily drama we are experiencing is like no other, and for me and our fans it is as exciting as it gets,” he said. “The matches are competitive. The competition is even. Different teams are emerging. Ratings are strong across the board.”