Time is ticking on a decision about where this year’s AFL Grand Final will be held.
Melbourne missed out on hosting rights last year as the city dealt with a COVID outbreak, with Richmond’s premiership victory over Geelong taking place at the Gabba.
As multiple states currently battle fresh COVID outbreaks – including Victoria – attention is quickly turning to whether heath authorities will allow a big enough crowd for the showpiece event to take place at the MCG.
SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund revealed that 60,000 looms as the minimum attendance figure that would allow the game to stay in Melbourne.
“I’ve been told by the people who make these decisions that 60,000 is the figure that would be deemed the acceptable figure to keep the Grand Final at the MCG,” he said on SEN Crunch Time.
“How far away are we from that? The clock is ticking on this.”
Gerard Whateley said he didn’t believe that Melbourne would be opened up enough by late September to see the 60 per cent capacity crowd allowed to attend the Grand Final, especially considering the latest outbreak is centring on transmission at both the MCG and AAMI Park.
“If it was 60,000, I don’t think Melbourne meets that by the last Saturday in September judging by the patterns of behaviour and previous trends.
“Unless the Government’s insistence to hold the Grand Final (in Melbourne) held sway over the health department.”