Old rivals in FNQ mix

Magpies, Blues prime candidates for hub

COLLINGWOOD and Carlton are among the clubs in the mix to be part of a hub in Cairns, with at least three AFL games to be played in the Far North later this season.

While the AFL is yet to make a firm decision on which two clubs will form the hub, the Magpies and Blues shape as top candidates for what is expected to be a three to fourweek stay in Cairns.

Collingwood and Carlton will have both already completed trips to Perth before the next block of fixtures starts in

Round 13, and will still need to play each other.

Both teams will also still need to play games against Gold Coast, which has a strong supporter base in Cairns.

The region forms part of the Suns’ Academy zone, and Gold Coast has built membership in the region having played eight games in Cairns since 2011.

Hawthorn — which also would have completed a trip to Perth and would still need to face the Suns — is another club that could be strongly considered for the move north.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan confirmed yesterday the league had come to an agreement with the Queensland government to play “some games” in Cairns.

The details were still being worked through.

“It’ll be in the next tranche of games, but we haven’t worked out which teams,” McLachlan said on 3AW radio.

“We’ve played games up there before, and there’s a surprisingly great depth of support for AFL up there.

“It’s a good thing for footy.”

The Queensland government confirmed a deal in which two clubs relocated to Cairns for “three to four weeks” would help fill hotel rooms and boost the hard-hit tourism region’s economy.

“It’s a great football area, we’ve got a good venue up there, and we’ve got an opportunity to promote football in the regions … to take the game to people up there,” McLachlan said.

The league is preparing to stage 33 games in 20 days, starting next Wednesday.

McLachlan said how the condensed fixtured played out would determine whether the AFL considered a second such batch of games after Round 12.

“I don’t think we’ll ‘have’ to do it, it’s something that may happen if clubs and players and broadcasters and supporters think it’s been successful,” he said.

“We’ve got this compression now, and we’re rolling with taking opportunities to play the games, and there’s an appetite to do it.

“We’ll look at how it goes and make the decision after that.

“It’s pretty unprecedented in our game, and certainly in world sport, and will people get sick of it, how is everyone going to hold up?

“It’s part of the fascination of this season, the attrition, and it’s going to be part of the story, and we’ll see how we go.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been open in her hope for the sunshine state to host the AFL Grand Final, but McLachlan maintained that as it was contracted to be held at the MCG, no decision on moving it would be made until it had to be.