The AFL will announce within days that this year’s grand final will be played outside of Victoria for the first time.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has confirmed an announcement on the location of the 2020 decider will be delivered by the end of next week.
With a contract in place to hold the grand final at the MCG until 2057, the AFL has refused to comment on an inevitable finals series away from Victoria.
But with Melburnians still in a stage-four COVID-19 lockdown and just five rounds of the home-and-away season remaining, it is near-impossible to honour that Victorian government contract.
“I think we’ve been pretty consistent that we’re aiming for the end of August,” McLachlan told 3AW on Friday.
“We continue to work with the Victorian government; wherever we land will be in concert with them.
“We’re having very fair conversations with the Victorian government and it’s increasingly looking very challenging in Victoria.
“We’ll have a decision by the end of next week, whether it’s Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, I’m not sure.”
The Gabba in Brisbane is looming as the favourite to host the grand final due to Queensland hosting all Victorian clubs for much of the home-and-away season.
Perth’s Optus Stadium is considered next in line, but tight border restrictions in Western Australia could prove too tricky for the AFL to manage.