The Western Australian border remains locked down by Premier Mark McGowan, and it could spell big trouble for the upcoming AFL season.
Originally set to open on February 5 and pose no threat to the AFL, McGowan has pushed back WA’s opening date indefinitely in hope of better vaccination rates.
With the AFL season starting on March 16 and a clash scheduled for Optus Stadium in Round 1, there’s every chance changes may have to be made to the fixture.
The West Coast Eagles and Fremantle could be forced to leave the state to keep the competition running, as has been the case in the past.
Chairman of the AFL Richard Goyder recently expressed concern about the league quarantining players outside of WA due to continued excessive costs.
Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney also shares similar concerns, but for the reason players won’t go through the process again.
“We’ve seen what has happened in the past with Western Australian teams, in particular the West Coast Eagles who were a flag fancy in 2020 and did not travel well, (they) just hated being in the hub,” Cooney told SEN SA Breakfast.
“Fremantle to a lesser extent … (although) they had a different list at that stage.
“It would be extremely tough, to go through that (again).
“I’ve spoken to a few players who were in Melbourne and had to go in the hub, I’ve spoken to a couple of coaches who said if it came down to that situation they wouldn’t do it again.
“They’ve just flat out said, ‘Nup, we just can’t go through that again’.
“But at the end of the day, what choice do the Western Australian teams have?”
Cooney predicts up to a dozen players could be missing if the two teams journey east for weeks on end, while also believing the Eagles' hopes of 2022 success would be dashed in a hub.
“If it does come to the Western Australian teams, West Coast and Fremantle, having to travel and be in a hub, I just don’t know how many players will put their hands up and say, ‘Yes, I’m willing to do that again’,” he continued.
“We could see half a dozen, a dozen players sit out and say, ‘I’m not putting myself through this, I’m not putting my family through this again’.
“Given they’ve already gone through it and know how tough it is, you can almost put a line through West Coast making the finals or winning the flag if they have to go into a hub again, such was their performance last year.”
Fremantle and West Coast in the AFLW have been based in Victoria and will continue to be for the duration of the season.
West Coast plays Gold Coast in Perth in Round 1, while Fremantle takes on the Crows in Adelaide.