There is no win for the vic govt. they either open up at the speed that the public want and risk getting another outbreak then copping the blame or they do what they are doing slow and steady and get the blame again…
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Especially since the game is in regional Victoria as opposed to metro Melbourne, that should be more reason to allow spectators in.
At the very least, they should allow 50% capacity (18 000).
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It’s almost like people in Victoria on this forum haven’t actually lived in Victoria the last 18 months 
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We travelled to Adelaide last week, and travelling to Brisbane Rd15. Don’t want to travel 3 weeks in a row. Also hopefully we can get a crowd last minute
Other way around, but 100% agree.
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The government’s stance may affect the NBL grand final series and the A-League finals in the next two weeks as Melbourne-based teams will be involved. Hopefully the situation will improve in the next 2-3 days so they can be held in Melbourne with small crowds.
It’s Melbourne City, they’ll be fine with the general capacity limit for outdoor gatherings.
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He already came back, with Melbourne, look how that went.
I actually don’t think it’s a simple as that. I think it has more to do with policing those in metro melbourne staying in Melbourne. If they were worried about an outbreak we wouldn’t have seen shopping centres open. It’s a lot easier to track and trace people who have been to a football match than those that have been to a shopping centre. And there have been no outbreaks linked to sporting matches around the world. So I just don’t think it’s as simple as them being worried about an outbreak.
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It will Happen at Some Point, Only If Two Melbourne Based Sides agree on a Joint Venture Team while maintaining Seperate Lower Grade Sides.
Massive claim to make.
Even if it were true (which it’s not) do you think that the banning and heavy reduction in crowds and outright cancellation of events throughout the world might have something to do with it?
Well of course it has. I was going off what I heard on an AFL podcast last week so if you have proof to the opposite it would be great to read. But even here in australia we have had outbreaks in Adelaide, Sydney and now in Melbourne (I’m ignoring the one or two cases in other cities). And not one community transmission has occurred in a sporting event. There were even three infectious cases at the MCG and Marvel.
As I said if we can allow people into shopping centres, which are deemed the same risk, I don’t see why we can’t have people (at reduced capacity) attend sporting venues. Tickets must be linked to a phone number so the contract tracing is a lot better than places like high point.
Probably not known for its research and fact checking I guess. Adria Tour tennis tournament in Europe springs to mind, here’s some research from the UK https://voxeu.org/article/spread-covid-19-and-attending-football-matches-england and there’s similar from North America. Thing is, those places had so many cases, contact tracing the we know it here would be a pointless exercise.
In Australia, none off the tip of my head, we’ve had the two you referenced one from the melbourne test and one from the women’s T20 world cup final back in March 2020 and as I recall there was no community transmission at those events.
So to say:
Is not something backed by facts or even a reasonable and UK motion given what we know about the virus and saw happening overseas.
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Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino said at today’s COVID press conference that 7000 fans would be allowed to go to Friday’s Geelong-Western Bulldogs match at GMHBA Stadium (the venue has a capacity of 36,000), however only club members from Geelong, Queenscliff, Colac Otway and Surf Coast regions could attend, to enable contact tracing.
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Thanks I appreciate the links. Obviously I was going off what I heard on a podcast. Still I don’t see why 25% or 50% would be an issue here in Australia where contract tracing is so good at these venues.
It seems the government has agreed after all anyway so this is all moot point
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I think Stuart Dew is gone from Gold Coast. He’s had his shot but they haven’t inclined like they should have.
He isn’t the issue though. He needs to have more senior experience around him. He is an outstanding coach.
He isn’t gone. He is the coach that will take us to our first finals campaign
It just doesn’t look like they are going anywhere.