Victory hope to avoid quarantine nightmare amid NSW virus outbreak
Melbourne Victory coaching staff and players are hoping the Victorian government will tweak its rules and help them avoid a nightmare Christmas in lockdown as the end of their quarantine period in NSW nears.
Coach Grant Brebner and his support staff and players have been in quarantine in Sydney since returning from their Asian Champions League campaign in Doha early in December.
Melbourne Victory have been quarantining in NSW since their return from the Asian Champions League in Doha.Credit:Getty Images
The whole group was due to end their quarantine on Tuesday and return to Melbourne to enjoy time with their families – whom they have not seen since leaving for Qatar in November.
But all their plans are up in the air given the COVID-19 outbreak in NSW and the swift steps that the Andrews government has taken to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread to Victoria over Christmas, sparking fears that they may have to isolate again upon returning to Victoria from NSW.
If they cannot get an exemption they may be forced to return to Melbourne on Tuesday – and then begin a further period of isolation and quarantine.
But Jeroen Weimar, commander of Victoria's COVID testing program, told 3AW radio on Monday that international arrivals who had undergone hotel quarantine in Sydney would not need to quarantine again in Melbourne.
The ABC reported that Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the government was "working with the NSW hotel quarantine people to make sure that those people do not exit the hotel system into Greater Sydney, that they are as quickly as possible directly returned to the airport."
Sources familiar with the situation said Victory were still hopeful of beginning their A-League season on January 2 against Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park.
The group has spent most of the past six weeks in a form of closed captivity.
When they were playing their Asian Champions League games in Doha they were in a "bubble", getting COVID-19 tests every few days.
They have been in a similar bubble in Sydney quarantine since they returned, only allowed out of their rooms for training and then in supervised circumstances under tight bio-security protocols.
Players and coaches have also been tested regularly while in Sydney.
Club officials were hoping that the tight bio-security environment all have been involved in since mid-November would be enough to gain them an exemption.
The club may have to consider even returning from NSW by bus rather than flying if it means they can isolate themselves from the Sydney public by not going to the airport.
Victory's women were due to kick off the W-League with a fixture against Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday December 27, but that is now set to be rescheduled.
Melbourne City, the W-League champions, were due to stage a grand final rematch with Sydney while City's men were set to seek revenge for defeat in last seasons's A-League title decider in their grand final rematch with champions Sydney in a blockbuster double-header on December 30.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said those games were not likely to go ahead.
But Western United, who host Adelaide in Geelong on December 28, will – at this stage – play as scheduled.
A-League officials believe that they can find ways to work around the COVID-19 crisis, having done so once before when they established a hub in NSW and completed the 2019-20 season in July and August.
Five of the 12 teams hail from NSW and a sixth, Wellington, will be based there this season.
The fixture list is certain to be revamped to allow the league to continue, if in piecemeal fashion.
Michael Lynch is The Age's chief soccer reporter and also reports on motor sport and horseracing