The spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria is reportedly set to impact the AFL, with the round five draw likely to be changed because of travel restrictions.
According to The Age, concerns from the Queensland government mean Richmond won't be able to travel to the Gold Coast to play West Coast on Thursday night.
The likely scenario is that Richmond will stay in Melbourne to play the Demons, while Sydney will travel to Metricon Stadium to play the Eagles.
The Swans and the Demons had been due to meet on Sunday at the SCG.
Victoria has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in the last fortnight, with 75 cases reported today, on the back of 49 identified yesterday and 41 positive results on Saturday.
The Age reports that Richmond members received a message from the club on Monday morning.
"Please note that there has been a hold on the 9am ticket on sale for our round five game at Metricon Stadium against the West Coast Eagles," the text said.
"We apologise for the inconvenience and will be in contact with all eligible members with further information as soon as it becomes available."
It's not the first time the coronavirus pandemic has directly impacted the AFL draw. Earlier this month the scheduled match between Essendon and Melbourne had to be postponed after Bombers' defender Conor McKenna tested positive for COVID-19.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has repeatedly warned that the draw is not set in stone.
"We said at the outset we needed to be flexible and agile throughout this season. And this is a reminder that we will need to be flexible and agile," McLachlan said at the time of McKenna's positive test.
The rescheduled round five is likely to impact other clubs, with the match between Carlton and St Kilda expected to be moved from Saturday to Thursday night.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/round-five-afl-draw-changed-as-covid19-cases-cause-concern-richmond-tigers/fa801d85-c6ed-4cc9-a8d4-1434350d8b27
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