Tasmania still remains open to the idea of hosting more AFL games as the battle to keep the competition afloat during Victoria's latest COVID-19 crisis rages on - something Premier Peter Gutwein on Wednesday said the league was well aware of.
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His comments come after the idea of the state hosting Hawthorn's round 14 clash on June 20 with Essendon was raised on Fox Footy's AFL 360 by broadcaster Gerard Whateley.
Essendon is the only AFL club not to have featured at Launceston's UTAS Stadium in either a premiership or pre-season match since Hawthorn started playing at the venue in 2001.
The MCG match with the Hawks is one of three in Victoria over rounds 13 and 14 [with the other two being Melbourne v Collingwood on the Queen's Birthday long weekend Monday and Geelong v Western Bulldogs on June 18] that would more than likely need to find a new home rather than be played in empty stadiums.
"As I said last week, we are open to the possibility of hosting more AFL games down in Tasmania, or an AFL hub if the situations demands,'' Gutwein said.
"I communicated this to the AFL last week and the ball is in their court, acknowledging the uncertainty that still remains with the Victorian lockdown and its impact on the AFL fixture.
"However, to be very clear - we will not do anything to put Tasmanians at risk and we will act on Public Health advice at all times."
Melboure's COVID-19 lockdown was extended for another seven days on Wednesday.
Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
