AFL players' desperate calls amid COVID-19 chaos

2 years ago 369

Multiple players are calling for the AFL to interruption for a bye this play amid the COVID-19 chaos.

The Herald Sun is reporting that players are pushing for the pre-finals bye to beryllium brought forward.

The Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide are yet acceptable to alert retired of South Australia tonight, bound for Melbourne, pursuing respective changes to plans.

It means Port Adelaide's clash with Collingwood connected Friday is present acceptable to beryllium played astatine Docklands Stadium, portion the Crows' lucifer against the Hawks connected Saturday volition instrumentality spot astatine the aforesaid venue.

AFL manager of clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld explained the relocation of the Crows and Power to Melbourne.

"Today presented a antithetic situation and afloat recognition to some the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide shot clubs for responding rapidly and professionally to beryllium acceptable to alert this afternoon," Auld said successful an AFL statement.

"We had not been capable to unafraid an exemption for the SA-based teams to bid implicit the adjacent week and this day we were informed that the SA authorities could not supply support for immoderate games successful Adelaide to spell up connected the weekend.

"As a result, it was wide that the 2 SA-based teams would not beryllium capable to proceed successful the contention without relocating from South Australia to Victoria.

"Our decision-making changes arsenic circumstances alteration and we recognize however hard it is for everyone, nevertheless erstwhile it was determined that we couldn't play a crippled successful SA astatine all, it forced our hand."

The NSW-based Swans and Giants person faced the toughest of COVID-19's challenges this season.

They were some forced to fly Sydney astir a period agone and won't beryllium location for the remainder of the season.

They were initially based successful Victorian hubs and are present successful Queensland.

The Swans' Callum Mills, Harry Cunningham and Colin O'Riordan, and the Giants' Toby Greene and Matt de Boer, were each ruled retired of Sunday's Sydney derby aft they attended a tier-one vulnerability site. They had each been to the Wallabies' Test against France successful Melbourne.

The Sydney derby had already been pushed backmost from Saturday to Sunday arsenic the 2 clubs made a huffy dash from Victoria to Queensland.