Demons call for higher crowd limit

NORTH Hobart is calling for crowd limits at TSL games to be lifted from 500 to 25 per cent of venue capacity after a lockout for its game against Lauderdale last Saturday cost it an estimated $15,000 in lost revenue.

The state government’s restriction of 500 people for outdoor events has caused State League clubs to pre-sell tickets to home games for the first time in competition history.

All games for the first three rounds have been sellouts, with tickets disappearing in as little as 30 minutes.

Demons president Craig Martin said with players, support staff and officials included in the 500 limit, it was time to boost the numbers.

“The state government and Public Health have done a fantastic job in the way they have handled this pandemic and the way we have gotten us to the point now where there is no community transmission,” Martin said.

“Given there is no community transmission of the illness here in Tasmania, and there has been only one case in 70 days, and that was a Victorian who was already in isolation, it is time to lift the restrictions on crowds, particularly at venues like North Hobart Oval and other grounds that would easily qualify as stadiums.”

North Hobart Oval holds the record for the biggest crowd at a Tasmanian football match — 24,968 at the 1979 TSL grand final between Clarence and Glenorchy.

“Capacity at North Hobart now is about 13,000 to 14,000, so if it was raised to a quarter of that, it would be fantastic,” Martin said.

“We would have gotten 2000 people here at the game on Saturday, but there were only about 30 Lauderdale supporters able to come because we gave first preference to our members.

“We had lots of other people wanting to come but they couldn’t because of the 500 ceiling.

“Given the interest in local footy and that people want to get out and enjoy their footy, we could have gotten 2000 people here, and that would have been an extra $15,000 for the club.

“At the best of times it is hard to make ends meet at sporting clubs, but in the circumstances we are in at the moment, it is really tough.

“An extra $15,000 would have been an absolute godsend.”

AFL Tasmania CEO Trish Squires said she would leave crowd numbers in the hands of authorities.

“It is a public health decision and we will be guided by them,” she said.

WE HAD LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WANTING TO COME BUT THEY COULDN’T BECAUSE OF THE 500 CEILING DEMONS PRESIDENT CRAIG MARTIN

ANOTHER one bites the dust at Glenorchy with key forward Aiden Grace joining a growing list of injured Magpies after their 78-point loss to Clarence at Richmond Oval on Saturday.

Grace’s left ankle was so painful as he was helped from the field by Glenorchy trainers it was feared he had broken it. But after a trip to the hospital scans cleared Grace of a break.

“It’s not broken or fractured so now it’s a case of determining the extent of the ligament injury,” Glenorchy coach Paul Kennedy said. “We don’t know that yet. “The fact that it’s not broken is promising.

“Really bad ligament damage could be months [sidelined], but if it’s not too bad it could be three or four weeks. We have to wait and see.”

The Magpies’ missing include skipper Brayden Webb (knee), defenders Daniel Joseph (knee), John Geard (knee), Harrison Gunther (knee) and Trad Duggan (work), onballer Ben Kamaric (hamstring), forward Adam Roberts (thigh), as well as Cameron Goodsell (groin), Chris Howard (knee), Will Atkin (shoulder) and Braydon Patterson (hamstring).

“It’s not an injury crisis because some of those are carryovers from last year,” Kennedy said.

“With the season being delayed we thought Brayden Webb and Daniel Joseph may have been back sooner. We’ve mainly had a series of ‘one-weekers’ and it seems to have been to a number of our best players.

“If it was a mix across the full list, I don’t think anyone would really notice but at the moment it is noticeable.”

Glenorchy’s depth was tested against Clarence, when Kennedy played nine Magpies with less than six games’ experience.

“Credit to Clarence, they brought the heat,” he said.

“Their pressure was really good. They were really switched on to the job they wanted to do and that’s where our lack of experience showed in that we weren’t able to respond.”

Glenorchy kicked a solitary goal against the Roos and face the Tigers at the Twin Ovals on Saturday, where the home side managed only two goals against top-of-the-ladder Launceston.

Also this Saturday, the Roos play North Launceston at UTas Stadium and Launceston takes on Lauderdale at Windsor Park.