The AFL is considering making major changes to the pre-season competition due to ongoing border restrictions.Instead of playing two pre-season games across three weeks, clubs have been told they could instead play only one practice match before the regular season.It would limit the need for travel and interstate movement in February-March.But McGuire said he would go further and would like to start the season earlier than scheduled on March 18. “I’m not sure when it’s going to start or finish. I’ve been pushing, by the way, for it to start early,” McGuire said on SEN.“I reckon that the one thing we know about COVID, it’s cold. Why wait until it gets cold? Get going. “We’ve got no Grand Prix’s or things. March would be a good time to get started, I would have thought. “But they’re all discussions that I’m sure are happening.”
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The league is still considering several rescheduling options to ensure the AAMI Community series will still go ahead in some form.Reducing the number of games from two to only one formal practice match could help keep each club in their home state.Currently, St Kilda and Melbourne are slated to head west to take on West Coast and Fremantle in the opening round of the pre-season competition. But those games are in danger of being rescheduled to ensure clubs do not have to undergo any form of quarantine in WA before the regular season begins.Clubs last year spent up to four months in hubs in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia to help save the season.
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The league is considering keeping all Victorian clubs in the state in February and March to avoid any interstate travel before Round 1.It would mean interstate clubs such as West Coast and Fremantle could play each other in their only formal practice match game.It would significantly reduce the amount of practice match playing time players have before the real action starts.But there could yet be scope for clubs to organise another less formal scratch match against another club in the lead-up to Round 1 if they wish. Clubs have organised their own practice matches in the past and have often said they would like more flexibility to arrange their own practice match conditions in the build-up to the regular season.



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