2020 Fixture

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Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Sutton was asked whether it was likely AFL teams would be able to train next week as the league looks to salvage some of the 2020 season.

"There's the potential for that, absolutely," Professor Sutton said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-04/coronavirus-victorian-cases-climb-cedar-meats-abattoir-brooklyn/12209776

Federal sports minister Richard Colbeck says the AFL season will be able to resume without quarantine hubs if COVID-19 cases continue to decline.

“If we continue the trajectory we’re on and maintain the discipline that we have as a community I think that is quite conceivable (games will be played without hubs).

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-latest-news-quarantine-hubs-wa-clubs-disadvantage-victorian-bias-claims-40-million-savings/news-story/5297f34633bf1c6a15fd3514451c334c

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Tom Browne on Ch 7 news tonight reckons training in groups of 10 (no contact/tackling) will resume next week (May 11) followed two weeks later by full training (starting May 25). That would allow a restart of the season in mid-June as coaches like Buckley have said today they need 3 weeks full training to get the players ready for games and avoid players breaking down.

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GERARD HEALY’S PROPOSED AFL 2020 TIMELINE

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-return-date-length-of-season-timeline-afl-fixture-grand-final-date-preseason-length-breaks-between-games/news-story/24938388441e69f7fddbac56ab63f776

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"Western Australia has emerged as a late stumbling block to restart the AFL season."

@sam_mcclure reports that WA's strict border closure could see West Coast and Fremantle relocated to Melbourne until restrictions are lifted. #9FootyClassified | Watch @Channel9

https://twitter.com/FootyonNine/status/1257290695863406592


Of course any positive covid-19 cases will throw a spanner in the works on any plans as could be case in the NRL with four South Sydney players sent home having "flu-like symptoms".

https://7news.com.au/sport/rugby-league/under-fire-nrl-superstar-latrell-mitchell-sent-home-for-coronavirus-test-c-1015983

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Old fixture binned, traditional time slots a priority in full rewrite

By Damian Barrett
afl.com.au
5 May 2020 4pm

THE 2020 season fixture is in the process of being torn up, with a fresh schedule to be announced later this month.

It is expected that matches, when they resume from the COVID-19 shutdown, will be mostly played in the "traditional" slots of Thursday through to Sunday, with only a few games to be played on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays.

If the games are to resume in that Thursday to Sunday configuration, the push to increase team sizes for the remainder of 2020 from 22 to 24, which would have allowed for six players on the interchange, will significantly diminish.

It is believed the broadcasters – Channel Seven and Foxtel – would prefer a traditional sequence of matches over an ad hoc one.

When the AFL suspended the 2020 season after round one, it said it intended to keep rounds 2-4 as fixtured, but the extended shutdown has forced it to reconsider that plan.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/432506/old-fixture-binned-traditional-time-slots-a-priority-in-full-rewrite

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AFL clubs are aiming towards a return to training on May 18. 

The AFL has made it clear clubs will be handed a three-week pre-season, which would put it on track for a June 18 return at the earliest.

But clubs hoping they could start screening players ahead of a return to 10-man training groups next Monday were left disappointed on Tuesday night.

The league told club football bosses in a hook-up last night that it was still too early for Level B training — which includes six to 10 players training in no-contact situations.

It means the earliest date for group training would be May 18.

The league has made it clear all options are still on the table, and it could still choose to condense games when teams fly into various states to play interstate opposition.

The AFL is still expected to announce a concrete date for the season resumption on May 11.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/afl-set-to-kickstart-with-regular-round/news-story/1880e4f8f1c2294d480abd79e19ffbe2
https://www.afl.com.au/news/432529/the-date-clubs-are-aiming-to-return-to-training

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The WA hub problem isn’t the AFL’s fault. WA’s biggest economy is mining, fifo workers underground etc are vulnerable to covid. They have to quarantine and the state is essentially arguing they can’t exempt Afl and not fifo mining workers. Hopefully it can be resolved.

https://twitter.com/TomBrowne

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The WA Premier all but ruled out relaxing border restrictions for AFL players ahead of a national cabinet meeting on Friday, where states including Victoria and NSW are expected to ease theirs to allow the league to resume its reduced season in those states only.

Mr McGowan again implored the AFL to consider a quarantine hub in the west, where fixtures would be played at Optus Stadium and teams housed at nearby Crown Resort.

The standoff will most likely result in West Coast and Fremantle players being exempted to fly to Melbourne and Sydney for AFL fixtures to resume the season in mid to late June, play a batch of away games, and then bank on a bunch of home fixtures to finish the season and balance the ledger once WA eases its border control restrictions.

Eagles and Dockers players, coaches and officials will likely be forced to remain interstate for the first batch of fixtures given they would be required to quarantine for two weeks if they flew back home to WA after each match.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/writing-on-the-wall-for-west-coast-fremantle-resuming-afl-season-interstate-20200506-p54qei.html

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AFL clubs nominate June 18 and 25 as possible dates for season to resume.

A blockbuster between Richmond and Collingwood would be a dream restart.

Paywall: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-clubs-nominate-june-18-and-25-as-possible-dates-for-season-to-resume/news-story/e84a0b76017996431ca849e24e369b4b

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Caro reckons the remaining fixture will be 16 rounds with the usual one game for each club per week. The exception might be the last round(s) which gets 'squeezed'.

No break between end of H/A and finals either so it all fits in between mid-June & late October.

TV broadcasters happy with that. Games played Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday with the occassional Monday game.

Talk of Collingwood vs Melbourne starting early on June 8 so they can hold the usual Neale Daniher Big Freeze slide (for MND funding). Eddie said they have discussed it but they'll try to do something for Neale on another date if they can't do June 8.

Eddie said if the WA clubs have to come across in a hub then to be fair he'll happily have Collingwood & Richmond play the WA sides at Docklands instead of the MCG. Alternatively the WA clubs could set their hub base up on the warmer Gold Coast and other teams would travel up and play them at Metricon Stadium.

Ross Lyon said if he was (still) coach of either WA club he wouldn't want to avoid the MCG. The Eagles are in their premiership window and the 'G is where the Grand Final is played so it would provide a perfect opportunity to get plenty of practice playing at the 'G before GF day. For Freo, it would be a great chance for their younger squad to gain valuable experience for future seasons playing regularly this year on the MCG especially during a cold Melbourne winter. 

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WA government has "no confidence" in AFL, borders to remain shut to them

By Nic Negrepontis
SEN
7 May 2020

The West Australian government will not allow AFL teams to fly in for games when the footy season resumes and this likely means both West Coast and Fremantle will have to relocate.

West Australian Health Minister Roger Cook said on Thursday “there is no confidence the AFL can maintain infection control and prevent infection spread among players and staff under the proposed model”.

This decision by the state government will seemingly force the Eagles and Dockers to play the majority of the season interstate.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/05/07/w-a-government-has-no-confidence-in-afl-borders-to-remain-shut-to-them/

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16 Crows players have been caught on a golf course breaching their social-distancing training protocols.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-investigates-crows-training-breach-in-barossa-20200507-p54qui.html

Idiots! Right at the time the AFL is trying to convince governments to allow the season to restart .

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AFL and broadcast sources say Wednesday night games are in the mix for Seven in the shortened 17-round season, which had been fixtured with Collingwood v Richmond as the first game of round two and sources suggested that, if not that match-up, then it would still resume with a "bang.''

Seven will have its traditional Friday and Saturday nights, plus the Sunday afternoon games at 3.20pm (Australian eastern time) or thereabouts that lead into the network's news bulletin. Thursdays nights will be important for the AFL and have been shared between Seven and Foxtel, though it is unclear how those games - and potentially Wednesday nights - would be divvied up if the league fixtures Wednesday night games as a means for compressing the season.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/remotely-with-remote-brian-how-seven-plans-to-cover-covid-footy-20200507-p54qxs.html

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The AFL will reportedly unveil its revised fixture next week, which will see no home games for Western Australian and South Australian sides.

The Herald Sun is reporting the fixture will only detail the first few rounds from footy’s restart, giving it flexibility should border restrictions in SA and WA be eased.

West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide will all be forced to travel interstate to restart the season, with the Crows and Power set to recieve a quarantine exemption from the state government, allowing them to avoid 14-day quarantine after returning home from interstate matches.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire suggested WA clubs would get to choose where they want to play their ‘home’ games, a small consolation to the sides affected.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-latest-news-coronavirus-updates-fixture-return-date-training-date-afl-western-australia-hub/news-story/20c751b1525892e732bccb2b1de20a53

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AFL clubs around the country could return to training in groups next week after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flagged some restrictions will be lifted from Monday.

The AFL has yet to settle on a timeline to restart its season but June 18 looms as the earliest possible date for round two to begin.

https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/daniel-andrews-hints-at-when-afl-players-could-return-to-training-c-1025550

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Brayshaw on MMM today said he's been told the season will restart on June 18 (Thursday night). Barrett said the season now will be more like a regular one except for the WA clubs. The big blockbusters though will be pushed back later on in the season.

BT said Ch 7 is working on fake crowd noise. He's heard various things Seven have attempted (such a rises and falls of noise with the play). BT thinks there only needs to be a "hum" in the background to overcome the total silence.

Hutchy across on SEN said he expects the season to go from the weekend of June 20 to Oct 21 (sic) (he must have meant Oct 31 which is a Saturday).

Tom Browne on Ch 7 news tonight said every AFL player will be tested for covid-19 before they return to their club.