The AFL could compress the rest of its home-and-away season into a 10-week span after shifting all Victorian-based clubs into Queensland hubs.
The drastic move was made amid spikes in coronavirus cases in Melbourne, with the 10 Victorian clubs to based in Queensland at a cost of at least $3 million a week.
Melbourne won’t host any more home-and-away games this season and the grand final is likely to be played outside of the Victorian capital for the first time.
Queensland on Wednesday made its pitch to host the premiership decider, joining bids from governments in Western Australia, South Australia and NSW.
“If the season is largely played in Queensland then I think it’s only fair we also host the grand final,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the location for the showpiece game had yet to be discussed in detail.
But “clearly people will draw bows” from the relocation of all Victorian clubs to Queensland, he noted.
“The grand final is at the MCG until there are circumstances and reasons that it can’t be,” McLachlan told reporters.
“And then we will make a different decision. But we’re not talking about that today.”
McLachan said the shifting the Victorian clubs offered greater certainty in a season which has completed six of 17 rounds before finals.
“This is a clear plan that makes Queensland the base for our competition and provides greater certainty for everyone,” he said.
Fixtures have been previously announced until the end of round eight. Beyond that, the season appears set to be completed in a span of less than 10 weeks.
“If the players can do it and the clubs can make it work, we will compress (the season),” McLachlan said.
“So, up to 10 weeks – and it may be less.”
Victorian teams based in Queensland will travel interstate to play games in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.
In addition, matches could be scheduled for Cairns and in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
McLachlan said reported costs of about $3 million a week for maintaining the Victorian clubs in Queensland were “in the ball park”.
“This is financially challenging for the industry and we’re making obviously tough decisions,” he said.
“But we have got a big balance sheet … so I feel very good about where we’re at.”
Previously announced cuts to AFL staff and at the competition’s 18 clubs would help bear the financial burden.
Six Melbourne-based clubs are already in Queensland hubs – St Kilda, North Melbourne, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Richmond and Carlton.
The clubs were shifted from Melbourne early last week amid the Victorian capital’s escalating numbers of coronavirus cases.
Four other clubs – West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide – have returned to their home states after spending up to five weeks based in Queensland.
Currently, two other Melbourne clubs – Hawthorn and Melbourne – are based in Sydney while Collingwood and Geelong are in Perth hubs.