Tasmania cancels AFL game after one new case

Tasmanian authorities have decided to pull out of hosting its scheduled AFL game between Collingwood and Hawthorn.

The game was set to be played this weekened at the University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston, but has been canned over fresh Covid fears.

Premier Peter Gutwein announced the decision on Thursday, impacting the round 21 clash, after the state recorded its first Covid-19 case in 12 months.

The match was to take place on Sunday at 2.10pm local time.

Mr Gutwein said he had reached out to the AFL but had not yet spoken with the league’s CEO Gillon MacLauchlan about the decision.

The new case was a 31-year-old NSW man who flew from Melbourne to Launceston without a required permit who was stopped at the airport and immediately directed to quarantine.

While there, he was tested and returned a positive result.

Everyone onboard Virgin flight 1364 that departed Victoria on August 2 at 10.40am is now required to isolate for 14 days.

The game was set to be the Magpies’ first for premiership points in Tasmania in their 129-year history.

It was also set to be Tasmania’s 11th regular season fixture of the year, making 2021 the season with the most games on the Apple Isle in AFL/VFL history.

The AFL now has three days to find an alternate venue for the clash between Hawthorn and Collingwood.

The forced relocation comes one round after the Queensland Government announced the AFL would not be permitted to host games in the Sunshine State amid an outbreak of Covid-19.

The decision prompted three fixtures to be moved to Victoria, where they played out in front of empty stands.

The MCG or Marvel Stadium loom as the likeliest destination for Hawthorn and Collingwood’s clash this weekend.

While finals is off the table for the two teams, both are beginning to find their feet as the regular season draws to a close, so the match-up looms as an intriguing one.

More to come.

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