Five days a week, delayed blockbusters: How rebooted AFL season could lookCaroline Wilson has outlined how the AFL will look when games get underway again in the coming months.
Wilson told the ABC the AFL could announce how the 2020 season will look as soon as Friday and that she expected it to recommence by mid-June.
Unlike the NRL, Wilson said the AFL will announce a return-to-training date, a full fixture and a potential Grand Final date in the one hit.
“There’s 16 rounds to play and the absolute ambition is to finish the season by the end of October. The Victorian Sports Minister hinted last week that the Victoria Derby might be moved to a Sunday,” Wilson told Offsiders.
“There’ll be four day breaks – that’ll be the shortest break players will be asked to have.
“They still haven’t made a decision about interchange benches, but I expect them to widen because of this.
“There is a suggestion that bigger games, such as ‘Derbies’ and ‘Showdowns’, might be pushed back towards the end of the year in the hope there might be some crowds, or to make things more interesting.
“But there are two fixtures at the moment and we’re going to know a lot more (soon).
“I know Roy (Masters) thinks that people need a carrot and a (start) date. That date, Gillon McLachlan assured the players, the CEOs and the presidents in the last few days, will come very, very soon.
“There’s going to be a lot of games. I think footy will be played, definitely four days a week and probably five days a week for the next few months.”
Wilson added that a hub situation would likely take place in WA due to the strict quarantine measures that were still in place.
Wilson said she expected the season to restart as early as June 11.
“If you say that the AFL will make an announcement at the end of this week about a return to training date – as early as next Monday, so eight days away when they can train in groups of 10, if the Victorian Government comes to the party – you could probably ambitiously add five weeks to that,” she said.
“If we’re thinking a Thursday night start, June 11, and as we sit here today June 18 at the latest. That’s what the AFL networks are telling me as well.”
The Queensland government recently gave the all-clear for the three NRL clubs in its state to resume training, helping the NRL’s bid to restart the competition by May 28.
Wilson said that move would also benefit the AFL and likely avoid the league from implementing a hub scenario that could see teams spend up to 20 weeks in isolation.
“The fact that we know that they can go to Queensland in a fly-in, fly-out basis and play games of football – they believe that will also take place in other states by the time footy does get off the ground – it’s going to save the AFL a huge amount of money,” she said.
“Charter flights are nothing compared to the apparent $40 million cost to put players into so-called ‘hubs’ for all that time, so that was a big one.
“I’m amazed it’s moved this quickly, the broadcasters are amazed it’s moved this quickly. It was only three weeks ago that we’re talking about late July – Olympics timetable – dates and the players have had their minds set at rest as well.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-fixture-2020-afl-coronavirus-news-updates-how-season-could-look-caroline-wilson/news-story/928447e8835395ec42ddde145bf165d7https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/05/03/how-will-footy-look-when-the-season-resumes/
