With the AFL revealing on Tuesday that the 2021 AFL Grand Final will be hosted at Optus Stadium in Perth, former Collingwood President has had his request to attend the event denied.
As Victoria and New South Wales face further lockdown extensions, there are restrictions as to how many people and which people will be granted access into Western Australia, with McGuire among those that failed to receive an invitation.
The 56-year-old has expressed his disappointment via a text message he sent to his friend and outspoken media identity, Steven Price.
The message read ‘I expected to be in Perth. They won’t let me in.’
McGuire also spoke on Triple M’s Breakfast Basil, Xav and Jenna stating that he's "disappointed, because we’d planned to do a lot of great things around the grand final."
“I’m very conscious of the fact that so many people can’t get into Western Australian who are West Australians or who have stories that are far more important than getting to a grand final." McGuire added.
“It will be the first grand final I’ve missed since 1976.”
McGuire's application to attend the Final also included his two sons who are involved in sports broadcasting with the Nine network and Fox Footy respectively.
Despite the Victorian's pleas for admission to the state, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan claimed that McGuire had been denied access on the grounds of being deemed inessential.
“He was not happy,” McGowan said on Perth's Mix 94.5 on Wednesday.
“He’s not essential for the game, he has to stay in Melbourne.”
