The impending Cyclone Alfred has come with an additional consequence for sports lovers, with two opening round Australian Football League (AFL) matches supposed to be played in Queensland postponed.
Brisbane’s match against Geelong was set to be held at the Gabba stadium on Mar. 6, while a match between the Gold Coast and Essendon at People First Stadium was intended to be played on March 7.
March 6 and 7 is when Alfred is expected to make landfall in South East Queensland, the first time in 50 years.
The AFL matches will now be played later in the season, with details yet to be determined. It is understood the matches will not be moved to Sydney or Melbourne.
“It was a tough decision, but in the end, we didn’t have any alternative,” AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon said on March 4.
“What we want to do is have the minimum number of people flying in and out of Queensland at the moment,” Dillon said.
“They want to be at home with their families and looking after their houses.”
Excessive rainfall totals and furious winds are predicted to impact South East Queensland, down to the border of New South Wales (NSW) and beyond.
Minor to major riverine flooding is anticipated from Maryborough down to northern NSW.
It means the league’s opening round this weekend will consist of just two matches—Sydney and Hawthorn who will open the season at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 7, before Greater Western Sydney host Collingwood a day after.
“The priority is that we do everything we can to ensure the health and safety of everyone in and around any potential cyclone zone or community impacted by the forecast heavy rains and storm surges,” Dillon said.
“It is a very uncertain situation that is unfolding, and our thoughts are with everyone in South East Queensland and northern NSW that may be impacted. Ultimately, we hope this weather event doesn’t eventuate, but we know everyone needs to prepare accordingly and we don’t want our games to be a distraction to those preparations.
“We want to make the decision now to give clubs and fans certainty in an uncertain environment and allow anyone from Queensland who would normally be involved in this game through coaching, playing, attending or working at the venue time to be home with their families and available in the community if required.
“I want to thank our clubs for their support and patience, our broadcasters for being aligned with our view that the community and public safety must always come first, the venues and venue partners and our fans for their understanding.”
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan had earlier urged the AFL to make the “logical” decision.
“It’s just a game of football. The safety of family and friends and staff and fans is the priority, that is why common sense has to prevail,” he said.
“It’s a cyclone ... I have seen the carnage they have cause at different periods of Australian history, so I’m not too keen on the idea of things going ahead if it’s going to be like that ... it can’t, can it?”
Geelong coach Chris Scott had also said a decision was needed from the AFL ahead of some Cats players due to fly to Queensland later on March 4.
“It sort of reminds me of the COVID situation,” Scott said.
“It’s a bit unpalatable talking about when you prefer to play a game of footy when people are sandbagging their houses.”
In a statement, the AFL said it had made a careful decision to err on the side of caution.
“Out of an abundance of caution and after ongoing communication with the Queensland government, the Bureau of Meteorology and Stadiums Queensland, the AFL made the decision now to ensure the health and safety of clubs, players, officials and—importantly - the wider southeastern Queensland and northern NSW community remains the priority,” a spokesperson said.
Reshuffle Puzzle
The AFL says a possible scenario for the Lions v Cats game is to play it in round three, when both clubs are currently scheduled to have a bye.There are currently just two matches scheduled for the Sunday of round three, Adelaide v North Melbourne at 3.20pm AEDT and the derby between West Coast v Fremantle at 6.10pm AEDT.
The Suns (round two) and Bombers (round four) have their byes scheduled on different weekends, which complicates matters when trying to find a date to reschedule their match.
The fact Essendon will play Hawthorn on the Friday night of round one also means the Suns v Bombers game couldn’t be pushed back by a few days as Scott’s side would need enough time to fly home to Melbourne and prepare to face the Hawks.
Gold Coast’s mid-season bye is in round 14, while Essendon’s is in round 16.
