AFL Chief Executive Gillan McLachlan has doubled down on his Grand Final stance as he assured that the MCG will reclaim the prestigious event, when he spoke during a presser earlier today.
“We’re three or four weeks before the finals and I’m very optimistic on delivering on our contract for the MCG for Victorians”, McLachlan said, per The Age.
Yet, he did note that if any pandemic-related issues were to inhibit the AFL from delivering a Grand Final accompanied with fans in the state, that actions would be taken to ensure the game go-ahead in some capacity. Essentially implying that another state may serve as a backup suitor to facilitate for an emergency if the game itself were to be jeopardised.
“Our commitment is to our clubs and all of our supporters that we’ve got flexibility and the ability to get through this”, McLachlan stated.
“If we weren’t able to have crowds or execute on the agreement, I know we’d be able to have a productive conversation with the state government.
Given that last year's Grand Final took place in Brisbane in front of 29,707 fans, the AFL has proof that other states can in fact host the championship game and draw good crowds (in relation to their stadiums seating capacity).
With this in mind, the Dreamtime clash at Optus Stadium earlier in the year attracted a crowd of 55,656 (near the 60,000 capacity), this coupled with Western Australia’s ability to remain largely unaffected by lockdowns makes Perth a viable plan B for the league.
Additionally, Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula confirmed that the proposed ‘no jab, no entry’ idea that was floated recently won’t go ahead. He insisted that it’d be unfair as the jab isn't readily accessible to all Victorians, in addition to the fact that he doesn't believe rapid testing will be permitted by this stage.
“Millions of people are not [yet] eligible”, Pakula told the media.
“I think there’s a place, potentially at some point, for rapid testing, but my understanding is that right now, rapid testing can throw up just as many false positives and negatives as accurate positives and negatives.
“You’d want to have a high degree of confidence about the accuracy of technology before you deployed it in an environment where there are tens of thousands of people.
“I’m not sure we’re at that point yet but it’s not something we’re ruling out. It’s something I think we need to investigate a bit more."
Sports Minister Martin Pakula says he’ll be having discussions later this week regarding the possible return of AFL crowds pic.twitter.com/XYAW3oEMQB
— Kristie Sullivan (@kristiesulliv) August 2, 2021
This begs the question of whether the AFL should announce a plan-B or persist with their promise and hope that the MCG is alluring enough to satisfy fans regardless if they can or can’t be in attendance.
