As the AFL world holds its breath in anticipation at whether or not to postpone Thursday night’s season-opener between Brisbane and Geelong at the Gabba, Cats coach Chris Scott “respects the challenge” facing the Queensland Government and the AFL.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to make landfall late Thursday night or early Friday morning, potentially bringing up to 130mm of rain and winds up to 130km/h to Brisbane.
Facing the media early this (Wednesday) afternoon, Scott says Geelong is comfortable to be guided by the advice of authorities, which is expected later in the day.
“We’re ready to play – and if the AFL decided it was safe in consultation with the government, we’re on a plane and we’ll play,” he said.
“And if they tell us not to, I don’t think we’ll be arguing that we know more around the issues than they do.
“And I empathise with the people who have responsibilities beyond the actual game of football.
“I’m not exactly sure how you put 30,000 people into a stadium while simultaneously telling people they should stay home and eat tin food.”
Scott has likened the situation to what AFL clubs faced across the Covid-impacted 2020 and 2021 seasons.
“…our responsibility is to be agreeable and help where we possibly can and have a little bit of empathy for those who are about to encounter a difficult few days,” he said.
“In that context, the game of footy becomes secondary and there’s obviously some flexibility around the fixture, so that’ll all get sorted.
“It’s easier to focus on the frustration and maybe the short-term disadvantage one might feel they have in these situations.
“But there’s a lot to be done.”
Several rescheduling scenarios have been floated, including a fixture flip where the Lions would play Geelong at GMHB Stadium this week and the Cats would travel to Brisbane in Round 15.
That seems to be the least likely, with the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust confirming to K rock Football that it had not been approached to host the match.
A move to later this weekend also seems unlikely, leaving Round 3 – where both clubs have a scheduled bye – looming as the likely spot for a rescheduled meeting.
More to come
X: @krockfootball
