Round five fixture redrawn because of COVID spike
The round five fixture has been partly redrawn, with Richmond to play Melbourne and West Coast to play Sydney because of Queensland government concerns over Victoria's rising coronavirus infection rates.
St Kilda's match against Carlton has been brought forward to Thursday night and moved to Marvel Stadium, with the AFL and its fixture again in a state of upheaval. That match was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Queensland issued an unexpected ultimatum on Monday, requiring all Queensland-based sporting teams, regardless of code, to quarantine for 14 days if they play a match in Melbourne, or play a Melbourne-based team in another state.
Queensland teams will also have to self-isolate for 14 days if they play a match in another state against a team that has been in Melbourne in the preceding 14 days.
Richmond were set to travel to the Gold Coast to play the Eagles at Metricon Stadium this Thursday.Credit:AAP
Richmond and West Coast had been due to meet on Thursday night at Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium but a senior source at one of the involved clubs confirmed that the Tigers would take on Melbourne in Victoria on Sunday, while the Swans will play the Eagles on the Gold Coast this Saturday.
The Swans had been due to play the Demons this Sunday at the SCG.
REVISED ROUND FIVE FIXTURE
Thursday, July 2
Carlton v St Kilda, Marvel Stadium, 7:40pm
Friday, July 3
Collingwood v Essendon, MCG, 7:50pm
Saturday, July 4
West Coast v Sydney, Metricon Stadium, 1:45pm
Geelong v Gold Coast, GMHBA Stadium, 4:35pm
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 7:40pm
Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide, Gabba, 7:40pm
Sunday, July 5
Adelaide v Fremantle, Metricon Stadium, 1:05pm
Melbourne v Richmond, MCG, 3:35pm
GWS v Hawthorn, Giants Stadium, 6:10pm
Senior Gold Coast officials expect the Suns' match against Geelong to go ahead in Geelong on Saturday afternoon, but with the Gold Coast likely to play their next two games in NSW before returning to Queensland.
In a statement issued on Monday, Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young said she wrote to all sporting codes including the AFL, NRL and Rugby Australia informing them of the new requirements for Queensland-based teams.
Young said she had had "productive conversations with the AFL" over the weekend and she appreciated their understanding.
"These new measures do not prevent Victorian AFL teams travelling to Queensland for existing matches," she said.
"The new arrangements do however, place extra restrictions on Queensland-based teams who play teams who have been in hotspots."
Young said the decision was about "protecting Queenslanders" after "hundreds of COVID-19 cases" had emerged in Victoria in the past two weeks.
On Monday a further 75 cases in Victoria were confirmed, only one of which was identified in hotel quarantine.
"These restrictions are temporary while the situation in Victoria unfolds. Should the situation improve then Queensland would of course revise the requirements," Young said.
A senior AFL club figure also expressed increasing concerns that Victoria's coronavirus spike could lead to more hubs.
After the The Age revealed on Monday morning that the fixture would have to be overhauled, the AFL released a statement confirming the changes.
"The AFL was advised that the Queensland Government was altering exemptions it had previously provided because of concerns over Melbourne’s Covid-19 hotspots," the statement said..
"The alteration requires that any Queensland or Queensland-based team who plays in Melbourne or against a Melbourne team in Queensland is required to quarantine after the match for 14 days if they are remaining in or returning directly to Queensland."
Some Richmond members were informed on Monday morning that ticket sales for the West Coast match had been frozen.
Richmond members received the following message from the club on Monday morning:
"Please note that there has been a hold on the 9am ticket on sale for our round five game at Metricon Stadium against the West Coast Eagles.
"We apologise for the inconvenience and will be in contact with all eligible members with further information as soon as it becomes available."
As recently as Friday, Richmond members had been told to look forward to this Thursday's match.
"With the easing of crowd restrictions in Queensland, we are delighted to allow our Tiger Army the opportunity to attend our round five clash v West Coast at Metricon Stadium on Thursday, July 2," the club told members.
"As a thank you for your ongoing support during this unprecedented season, members who [hold] a valid home and/or away game access membership will be able to register for one ticket at no cost via Ticketek. You will be able to purchase guest passes for non-members when you are registering for your ticket."