The Victorian government has given the state’s AFL clubs permission to resume full training sessions from Wednesday but it must be ticked off by the league.
But the AFL’s commitment to a level playing field for all 18 clubs means Victorian-based teams may have to hold back from training as full squads until rivals in other states are granted the same permissions.
The AFL is in the process of finalising its return-to-play plans this week, with an announcement on a 2020 season restart possible as soon as Tuesday.
One key aspect under consideration is training protocols, after the 10 Victorian clubs were among the professional sporting organisations given special exemptions by their state government to operate at full capacity.
The caveat, under a ruling announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday, is that they must do so in exclusive facilities away from the general public.
AFL clubs in NSW and Queensland are likely to be handed similar exemptions, as their NRL counterparts have already been given.
But it is unclear where AFL clubs in Western Australia and South Australia stand on exemptions, with both states currently limiting all outdoor activities to groups of 10 people or less.
Further complicating matters is the fact West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide have players still serving mandatory quarantine periods after returning from other states.
Some of those are in quarantine until May 21, which could push back the AFL’s plan for full training before a possible season restart next month.
If WA and SA clubs are not granted permission by their state governments to train as full groups, they could be forced to temporarily relocate their operations in order to help recommence the AFL season.
On Monday, the Victorian government paved the way for the AFL clubs under its jurisdiction to operate at full capacity from Wednesday.
But the premier’s announcement came with some provisos to ensure community health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If they’re using a training facility, an indoor gym for instance, or an outdoor area, it must be exclusively for them,” Andrews said.
“We can’t have a situation where there’s a carve-out for professional sport because it’s a workplace, because it’s basically a job, we can’t have a carve-out and then have other people who are not connected to that sport intermingling.
“This is about containment, it’s about managing a risk and in the event that there is positive tests we’re in a very strong position to be able to contact-trace and take whatever appropriate public health measures are deemed so.
“This is exclusively for those professional sports and they need to have control of the space they’re in, and they need to listen to the advice of the chief health officer.
“It’s been a very positive partnership, not just with footy (AFL) but with rugby league and other codes, and I’m confident that they understand that there are risks and they need to do everything they can to mitigate those.”
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
SA quarantine not relaxed so it looks like WA and SA sides are off for a gold coast holiday.
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
Ah it was arguably along with the SANFL the 2nd highest profile comp in the country with a very large fan base. Much larger than what it is now.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Spruce Moose believes he is an expert in all things. Indulge his delusions.
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
Now we know why GWS lost the GF, Cameron deliberately throwing the game, and the team which is largely made up of victorians. Purely for the purpose of denying non vics right? Why didn't that Simmo flog do the same? Why did that other vic scum Schuey go and win the game and the norm smith for them? We'd have another flag. My sarcasm is for the purposes of displaying how ridiculous your post and obviously your beliefs are.
Nick
Roar Guru
The WAFL was hardly a booming industry pre-AFL days....
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
It doesn't work that way. For your scenario of WC and Freo being booted from the comp requires a proposal from those very clubs to be (voluntarily) put forward to the league administration. Then, it takes a 3/4 majority vote from all of the clubs in that league for the proposal to actually take place. No opposition club would be stupid enough to bask itself in ridiculously bad pr to propose another club being 'booted' from the competition. Same for adding a WAFL club, it would take a wafl club to apply for a licence and the current AFL clubs to vote on it.
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
How negligible would that WAFL increase be exactly? If WA doesn't have a team in the AFL guess where the support base turns to, the WAFL perhaps? Even if just Freo stayed in, the bulk of public support would go back to the WAFL.
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
How would the AFL collapse exactly? If you're basing it on licence fees, then that would suggest that only WC and Freo pay licence fees and the other 16 don't. Have you got a link to this?
Flagpies
Roar Rookie
If that's how you view then that is naive. There is no known universe where HQ would say 'ok vic teams you can train, everyone else you can't'. You remember wc and freo weren't allowed to train in groups of 10 as directed by HQ even though wa allowed it. The same has applied when Andrews allowed training of vic teams. HQ has insisted no club has allowances over another because of a states say so.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Correct AJ. The players should have been called back a couple of weeks ago just like the Brisbane Lions players that were interstate.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Clearly we don't because the WA whingers on here were up in arms just a couple of days ago because their clubs weren't allowed to get the jump on the rest of the competition.
AJ73
Roar Rookie
The point is easy to see They couldn't train in groups of 10 because of the agreement between all the clubs and coaches about all starting at the same time. Therefore WCE and Freo couldn't train in groups of 10. An agreement between the clubs and coaches, not a direction from Gil and Hocking. Now the issue is that WCE, Freo, PA, and Adelaide didn't call their players back earlier to ensure that the quarantine period finished before the allowing of groups of 10. Not the AFL's fault or anyone else except those teams in WA and SA.
Realist
Guest
" WCE? ......tell 'em they're dreamin'"
Gerard Klomp
Guest
Well you miss the point as well. So if Hocking and gill say that the is nothing to see in WCE Training in 10 Why did the Say no that they can not train in group of Ten.? Victoria Should not be given special treatment . AS said No team should be training until the States Premiers, Health Dept and AFl have found a safe way for the teams to start training. If I have missed the point so has everyone else. Just get AFL Started again.
AJ73
Roar Rookie
Again you miss the point. And show your inherent dislike of the Victorian teams in the AFL. What Cameron said was agreed to by ALL TEAMS! Including WCE and Fremantle so that the restart was like the normal process towards round 2 if the virus had not hit. If there was a Victorian bias, why did the AFL (Gill and Hocking) find “there nothing to see here” when they investigated WCE for training in groups of 10?
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
China trades much more with the rest of Australia than WA, they’d be on our side. Either way they’d still get their iron ore.
Gyfox
Roar Rookie
We don't have refs in the AFL, Nat. They are called umpires!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
There's a line straight out of The Castle for that one. If there's going to be a restructure it will centre around the 2 WA teams, the 2 SA teams, 2 Vic teams and one each from NSW and Qld.
Nat
Roar Guru
You want to jump into a hypothetical discussion arounf the intracacies and royalty splits of WA from Aust? My man, you;ve clearly demonstrated your level of knowledge on the subject so I'll pass.
Realist
Guest
The AFL only "need the west" to make it a truly national competition. But the team's from the west sure as hell don't have to be WCE or Freo. If either of these two get a bit big for their boots, and start thinking they're irreplaceable, they'll find out pretty quickly that they're not and will find themselves booted from the AFL and, well, replaced by either a new, eager Team from WAFL (of which there'll plenty of takers falling over themselves to join the AFL) or a new start. The former Eagles and/or Freo Players will be quick to join this new Franchise and in all probabilty, Fyfe would join the Tigers, the Team he supported as a kid. The reality is that WCE and Freo are powerless! Victoria is the true and only powerbase of AFL football.