Facility to host grand finals

AFL Townsville will return to its roots this season with each grade’s grand final hosted at Mcmillan Park.

The venue, located in the Murray Sporting Complex in Annandale, is home to three of the region’s best single purpose Aussie rules grounds in Neil French Oval, Muldoon Oval and RMS Oval.

The AFL Townsville grand final had been hosted at the facility prior to the construction of its current home, Riverway Stadium. But with the stadium out of commission ahead of Australia’s two T20s in October, the game will return to its spiritual home.

Riverway Stadium will still host AFL Townsville clashes this season, with curator Jason Forster opening the home of the Thuringowa Bulldogs for a month in between Australia’s ODI clash with Zimbabwe and the T20s against New Zealand (women) and West Indies (men).

While it will put a strain on his preparations of an international pitch, Forster said it was important to still give back to sport at the grassroots.

“We are negotiating to keep that open so they can keep playing games on the surface. They will still have some competition on the outside ovals this season,” Foster said.

“We will close it a month leading into the (T20s), but we are hoping to get them out on the Riverway surface for about three or four weeks.

“It is a very tight schedule. When they play games for health and safety they have to wear boots, so that will impact the surface. But we will have a month to have that block to get the pitches up to scratch.

“It is difficult but we have to be fair to the AFL and local sportspeople. Ultimately it will benefit the Bulldogs.”

AFL Queensland got on the front foot quickly when the cricket schedule was announced, working with Aussie rules clubs in Townsville to come up with a solution.

AFL Queensland state manager senior football operations Barry Gibson said every club had been understanding of the challenges faced and were willing to relocate the finals series to Annandale.

A final decision on which of the fields to be used on grand final day will be made leading up to the game.

AFL Townsville will play a 10-round competition this season, which will tip off on Saturday, July 11 following Queensland’s move to Stage 3 on the State Government’s COVID-19 road map.

“(Mcmillan Park) is where the finals were always played prior to (Riverway Stadium’s construction in) 2008,” Gibson said. “It is a step back in time.”