Inside the exclusive MCC members bar that has plunged Victoria into lockdown - where Melbourne's elite rub shoulders and ordinary fans wait a lifetime to join
- Full membership to the Melbourne Cricket Club can take decades to obtain
- A member who was infected with Covid-19 attended a match unaware he was ill
- The virus spread to strangers within the members section of the MCG
- The member had been infected by removalists from Sydney who ignored rules
- MCC had implemented a series of restrictions to try and limit the spread of virus
It is a privilege only a limited number of ordinary AFL fans will ever know.
From the outer of the Melbourne Cricket Ground's Great Southern Stand, ordinary folk boo the members across the ground when they fail to participate in the Mexican wave on Boxing Day.
It is a section of the ground where those that dwell not only have the money to afford membership, they've had the patience, connections and desire to obtain it.
At the heart of the members reserve, the Percy Beames Bar is surrounded by an array of memorabilia from the club’s history, including the clock from the original members pavilion
The famous Long Room within the members section of the MCG
The outbreak at the MCG has plunged Victoria back into lockdown
Last Saturday, 31,000 fans attended the MCG to watch Carlton take on Geelong.
The Blues managed just two goals to three-quarter time, kicking 14 behinds in a dismal display.
The Cats trounced them by 26 points.
Of those at the game, only about 2000 people had made their way into the Melbourne Cricket Club reserved section.
One of the joys of attending a footy match in the 'members' - as non-members refer to that section of the ground - is that you don't really need to have a great interest in the match to enjoy it.
In days gone by, members would only need to turn up at the gate and be welcomed in without even requiring a ticket.
Dressed smartly in their collars and coats, they are able to waltz into a number of bars and dining areas placed behind glass barriers overlooking the hallowed turf of the MCG.
Bars range from the Jim Stynes Grill, Robert Flower Terrace and Blazer Bar to David Neitz Terrace, Stumps Tavern and the famous Long Room.
From there, members have been traditionally able to enjoy an ice cold Carlton Draught served in an icy cold pot - the Melbourne term for a middy.
Sure they have the Haydn Bunton Sports Bar across the ground in the Great Southern Stand, but you have to be an AFL member to get in there, which costs about the same as an MCC membership.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been responsible for a significant proportion of pain on AFL fans over the past two seasons.
July 10: The Cats run onto the MCG. A man infected with Covid-19 was watching on from the members. Six days later the entire state of Victoria wold be placed into its fifth lockdown
Before Covid, MCC members could simply walk up to the gates in the members section and walk into the MCG
Covid has changed the way AFL fans enter the MCG. It may have saved the state from a massive outbreak of the virus
Brad Close of the Cats kicks for goal on July 10. Crowds had been restricted at the MCG due to the pandemic. An MCC member infected by the virus was among the crowd
MCC members are granted access to the Grand Final as long as they turn up early at the gate.
Last year, the game was played in Queensland and lockdown restrictions meant footy fans had to watch the game at home alone.
This year, Covid has continued to plague the season, with games played before empty stadiums and moved interstate or out bush.
When the clash between Collingwood and Essendon went ahead on Anzac Day, diggers were rightfully annoyed when the ANZAC march was cancelled.
The match set the record for the biggest sporting crowd in the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with 78,113 fans attending the famous ground.
The pandemic has put an end to members just turning up to games, with tickets now required to keep track of them.
Inside, the long lauded benefits of MCC membership have also taken a hit.
Members are now ushered into zones and are required to scan in whenever they want to enjoy a frothy.
On Anzac Day, farcical scenes were observed within the MCC members as patrons stood packed into queues snaked outside of bars to obtain plastic cups of beer, which they had to drink outside in the cold.
Covid had all but reduced member privileges to that of common folk.
Several cases have been linked to the MCG after an infected member visited an AFL match
Melbourne is deserted again after it was forced into its fifth lockdown in 18 months
A group of tradesman enjoy a beer after their meal at Young and Jacksons on June 1. An infected MCC member had done likewise just days earlier
A tram route widely used by footy fans was classed as a Covid hotspot after an infected MCC member used one
Last Saturday members were able to again enjoy a glass pot of beer from inside the members.
The Bullring Bar was heaving with customers, who were required to scan in and out as they scooted upstairs to watch the game.
On level 2, one of the members was infected with the highly infectious Delta strain of the Covid-19 virus.
It is a scenario not only the AFL, but the Victorian Government and its population has been dreading.
On May 23, a person who attended the MCG during a Collingwood and Port Adelaide match also tested positive to the virus.
Victoria was placed into its fourth hard lockdown just days later.
A bumper round of AFL footy was anticipated this weekend, with big crowds traditionally attending the Carlton versus Collingwood match - scheduled for Sunday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pushed the button on Thursday afternoon, just hours after telling Victorians they would not be locked down.
The infected man who attended the MCG - dooming Victoria to its fifth lockdown - is not to blame.
He lived at the Ariele apartment complex in Maribyrnong and caught the virus from removalists linked to Sydney’s outbreak.
His teacher friend, aged in his 50s, had come up from Barwon Heads on Victoria's south coast.
A nine-year-old boy was also a household contact of the Barwon Heads resident and later tested positive.
Another man and a child, believed to be aged 11, were also among the cases from the AFL game.
The MCC m,ember had travelled from Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong, which had been infected by dimwitted removalists from Sydney
Lachie Henderson of the Cats is chaired from the field after his 200th match by teammates on July 10 - the day Covid came to the game
The MCG had implemented a strict Covid safe plan, which has helped identify members who may be infected
On Friday, up to four footy fans had been identified as having caught the virus at the game.
They were all strangers to the man from Ariele apartments.
The infected man had done what many a Melbourne footy fan has done for generations.
He jumped on the train and got off at Flinders Street Station where he enjoyed a beer inside the iconic Young And Jackson's pub.
From there a tram to the MCG.
Victoria's Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the spread of the virus appeared to be a case of 'stranger-to-stranger transmission'.
'They were sitting in very different parts of the ground,' he said.
'There’s no obvious relationship between them. The interviews and discussions are ongoing.'
An innocent trip to the footy in a posh part of the ground had turned into a statewide disaster.
As of this week, more than 205,000 people remain on the waiting list to become an MCC member.
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