AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says a decision on whether Geelong’s season-opener against the Brisbane Lions goes ahead at the Gabba on Thursday night will be made “when we’re absolutely 100 per cent confident about what’s going to happen”.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is predicted to make landfall on Thursday, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting up to 600 millimetres of rain and 130km/h winds in the state’s southeast.
“When we’re absolutely 100 per cent confident about what’s going to happen, we’ll make a call then,” Dillon said in Sydney this (Monday) morning.
The AFL is liaising with the BOM and the Queensland Government, but with three days until the game, they plan for the Opening Round match-up to go ahead as fixtured.
“Every game we have contingencies and we have options, but at the moment the game is scheduled for Thursday night,” he said in Sydney at the launch of Opening Round.
“The Lions are working towards that, as are Geelong and as are the AFL and Channel Seven.”
Contingencies in case the match doesn’t go ahead, include re-scheduling to either later in the weekend or Round 3 when both clubs have the bye or flipping this year’s fixtures between the Cats and Lions.
Under that scenario, Geelong would host Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium and then travel to the Gabba in Round 15 for a Friday night meeting.
However, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust CEO Gerard Griffin says no approach has been made to the venue around accommodating the clash.
“It’s been more an internal conversation we’ve had amongst ourselves just in case there is the remote chance of us being approached,” he said.
“It would take a bit of pushing and shoving and mobilising a whole range of workforces and planning activities that are already underway for Round 1 against Freo.
“But you’d have to bring forward all that activity and go faster and push and shove a whole range of planning and preparation.
“We could make it happen if we were in the remote chance we were asked to do it.”
Geelong has been contacted for comment.
More to come
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