Hopes AFL clubs would be able to return to normal as they come back for pre-season training this year have not materialised, with the league again imposing group training restrictions on clubs in the wake of COVID-19 outbreaks in NSW and Victoria.
With West Australian clubs affected by quarantining players and Greater Western Sydney’s AFLW team relocating to a pre-season training hub in Albury, the AFL has got on the front foot to manage the lingering risk of the recent outbreaks by restricting clubs to small training groups, of a maximum 10 players, at least until all players on a respective club’s list return negative COVID-19 tests.
Melbourne players at training last year. Credit:Graham Denholm
Club sources confirmed to The Age that they had received an email from the AFL on Sunday that outlined the restrictions, which are in place for both AFL and AFLW programs. Clubs are set to resume pre-season training this week, following the Christmas/new year break.
The restrictions mirror those enforced at stages during the drastically pandemic-affected 2020 season, in which all clubs were forced to relocate interstate for a period. Victorian clubs were on the road for months at the back-end of the season while the state was in its hard lockdown.
