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Melbourne AFL hub on cards as issues mount

3 minute read

West Coast coach Adam Simpson says his side will be willing to spend several weeks in Melbourne if the AFL decide to set up a hub there.

JACK ZIEBELL.
JACK ZIEBELL. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The prospect of an AFL Hub being formed in Melbourne is gaining momentum as the league grapples with COVID-19 concerns in several cities and the subsequent shutdown of borders.

North Melbourne players and staff were forced to isolate on Sunday, having been at Melbourne airport at the same time as a confirmed case.

There were also knock-on effects for Hawthorn after their VFL affiliate tackled a team that travelled on the same flight as an infected flight attendant.

AFL fans in Perth were turned away from the West Coast versus Bulldogs game at Optus Stadium on Sunday when the WA Government imposed a series of restrictions for the State after a woman who returned from Sydney tested positive to COVID-19.

The AFL, having only locked in its round-16 fixture on Saturday, will also need to quickly craft plans involving Sydney's two clubs remaining outside their home state longer than first imagined.

NSW recorded 30 new locally-acquired cases of coronavirus on Sunday, when Sydney started its 14-day lockdown.

The league's fixturing headache threatens to be compounded by tighter restrictions in several states spooked by the Delta variant of the virus, with Darwin also entering a snap lockdown on Sunday.

The league's most pressing issue relates to North Melbourne's travelling party, who have all been ordered to get COVID-19 tests and remain in isolation until they receive a negative result.

The squad travelled via charter flight to Hobart for Saturday's win over Gold Coast.

The airport terminal they used in Melbourne has been listed as a tier-two exposure site by the Victorian government because a flight attendant, who has since tested positive to the coronavirus, was in the same building.

"Everything evolved very quickly," North captain Jack Ziebell told the Nine Network.

"With the AFL travel protocols, it is important to note that it is pretty strict when we travel interstate.

"We are required to wear masks at all times throughout the airport as well as on the flight."

Fremantle are scheduled to host Carlton at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, but that match could be moved to Melbourne depending on what happens in the next few days.

West Coast initially struggled with Hub life last year, but coach Adam Simpson says the side is willing and better prepared to deal with it this time around.

The Eagles are scheduled to take on Sydney at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday, and they may be forced to stay in Victoria beyond that.

"If it's a few weeks on the road, we'll do it," Simpson said.

"Honestly I think all those issues and challenges about how to handle it, they're in the past. Just tell us what we're doing, and we'll do it.

"The fact we're playing at Geelong (on Sunday) doesn't affect us either. It is what it is.

"For us to get anywhere this year, we've got to win anywhere, at any time."

The Giants and Swans flew to Melbourne last Tuesday, and they now appear set for an extended stay given the crisis in NSW.

GWS coach Leon Cameron said none of his players have indicated they want to go home yet.

"We don't live in a perfect world. We all know we're in some different and challenging times,' Cameron said.

"Melbourne have been through four or five lockdowns. Every side will go through some ups and downs with the travel restrictions and difficulties they put up.

"Our boys are all pretty good at the moment."

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