Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein says AFL clubs will not receive any special treatment as the state prepares to host its first home and away matches of the year.
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The AFL announced its round 9-12 fixtures on Tuesday, with Hobart's Bellerive Oval allotted Kangaroos clashes with Melbourne and Brisbane on August 9 and 15.
The announcement came as a surprise to some given the state's borders remain closed to interstate visitors until at least July 31 and Bellerive had previously been deemed unable to host football in 2020.
Hawthorn is also eager to play "as many matches as possible" in Launceston and expects to be scheduled games after round 12, which wraps up in mid-August.
Gutwein acknowledged the AFL's fixture release in a statement on Wednesday and reiterated that government would take public health advice on crowd numbers.
"As I have said, the possibility of matches being played in Tasmania is entirely dependent on whether we can safely open our borders, which I have made clear to the AFL," he said.
"The facts are, AFL players will not receive a quarantine exemption under current Tasmanian border restrictions nor will they receive any special treatment.
"We will continue to have discussions with the AFL on the potential for matches this year in both Launceston and Hobart."
Bellerive was set to be a cricket-only venue this year as the coronavirus pandemic left Cricket Tasmania unable to remove the ground's sightscreens and erect goalposts in their place.
Speaking to media on Wednesday, Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dominic Baker said the breakthrough came when the Victorian company contracted to remove the sightscreens relinquished the role.
Tasmanian workers will begin the job on Thursday, with goalposts likely to be in place by early next week.
The installation comes as good news for North Melbourne but is likely to mean little for TSL club Clarence, who have been forced to make their home at Richmond Oval this season.
Baker said the costs associated with making the venue COVID-compliant would keep it from hosting local football this year.
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He said organisers were hoping to cater for crowds of up to 4000 people for however many North Melbourne games the ground is rostered.
"All the advice has been 25 per cent of seated capacity and we think that's a really sensible way forward," Baker said.
"We want to be able to do this safely, we want to do be able to do it at least four times for the Kangaroos because that's their contract, that means though that we have to make sure we get everything 100 per cent right.
"We think 25 per cent of seated capacity is the way to go forward - it is the government's decision at the end of the day, but I think for public safety in particular we'd be 100 per cent backing that."
Baker said the 2020-21 domestic cricket schedule was still some way off being released.