While Brisbane residents are stripping shelves of groceries and depots of sandbags to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the AFL is dragging the chain on a decision over the Lions season-opener – and the club isn’t happy.
The AFL is expected to postpone both Opening Round games in Queensland due to the cyclone following an announcement from the Queensland Government at 11am AEST.
The category 1 weather system is predicted to cross the coast between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast on Thursday night, bringing destructive 100 km/h-plus winds and monsoonal rain to southeast Queensland.
Alfred could intensify into a category-two system, with winds at the centre of the cyclone currently at 95km/h and gusts of up to 130km/h.
The cyclone could also bring up to 600 millimetres of rain per day.
It is unprecedented territory for many in the region, which last experienced a tropical cyclone in 1974.
The Brisbane Lions are calling for the AFL to postpone their Thursday night match against Geelong at the Gabba, but the league is playing a waiting game with a decision to be made on Thursday afternoon at the 11th hour.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred could intensify into a category 2 system before crossing the coast
The Brisbane Lions are scheduled to play Geelong at the Gabba on the same night TC Alfred is predicted to make landfall
Brisbane Lions fans remain in the dark on what is happening with the season-opening fixture
Queensland premier David Crisafulli has urged all sporting organisations, from grassroots to first grade, to prepare for the cyclone.
“We are urging them (sporting groups) to make a call and communicate that (decision),” Crisafulli said.
“Today is Monday and I am mindful there are some significant things happening in the second half of the week so we are working with all of those sporting groups, clubs and the venues to allow them to make those communications.”
But with the AFL delaying its decision, Lions players have to divide their time between protecting their homes and families and training for a big match that – at this stage – is still going ahead.
‘Players and staff are tonight sandbagging their houses to await Cyclone Alfred & are in no place mentally to prepare for a game,’ Fox Footy and Herald Sun analyst Jon Ralph posted on social media platform X.
‘The AFL could postpone it until this Sunday or the Sunday of Round 3.’
Brisbane Council depots are running out of sandbags as locals brace themselves for the worst
Local supermarkets have also been stripped of essential supplies including water and toilet paper
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the league was in discussions with authorities and would be guided by them on a final decision.
“There are [replacement] options with byes and the like but at this stage the game is scheduled for Thursday night,” Dillon said.
“The deadline [for a decision] will be when we know what is actually going to happen [with the weather] because at the moment we are talking about forecasts.
“Those forecasts have changed [in the last 24 hours] so we will continue to work with the Queensland Government and the [weather] bureau on that.”
But it may be already too late for some players to prepare, with Brisbane residents reporting widespread panic shopping and council putting up the closed signs at sandbag depots because of unprecedented demand.
‘An incredible 74,000 sandbags were collected on Monday, which is the highest daily demand in Council history,’ Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner posted to Facebook.
‘This easily exceeds the daily supply of sandbags during the 2022 flood, which saw a peak of 37,000 sandbags distributed in a single day.’
Dillon said at Monday’s season launch media conference in Sydney that contingency plans are in place if the game has to be moved. Both teams have byes in round three.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon is waiting until the 11th hour to make a decision on the fixture
Brisbane Lions players are torn between protecting their homes and families and preparing for the match ahead
‘It (the forecast) has already slightly changed in the last 12 or 24 hours,’ Dillon said.
‘We’re three days out from the game … the game is scheduled for Thursday night.
‘For every game we have contingencies, and there are options with byes and the like.
‘At the moment, the game is scheduled for Thursday night and the Lions are working towards that, as are Geelong and as are the AFL.
‘The deadline (for a decision) will be when we know actually what’s going to happen.’
Gold Coast’s Saturday evening clash with Essendon is also in doubt—not due to an inability to play at that time, but because the Dons need to fly in the day prior. If it’s moved to Sunday, Essendon faces a five-day break plus additional travel.
With Alfred also set to impact the NSW Mid North Coast, GWS chief Dave Matthews admitted the cyclone has also cast a shadow on the Giants’ Sunday fixture against Collingwood at Engie Stadium.
‘We’re keeping an eye on the weather, which is a bit of a concern for us,’ Matthews said.
The NRL is also yet to make a decision on the Friday fixture between the Dolphins and South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium.
But the Dolphins remain confident the match will go ahead as planned, with the Rabbitohs considering bringing their flight north forward from Thursday to Wednesday.
The Queensland surf lifesaving championships, from Friday to Sunday at North Kirra on the Gold Coast, have been cancelled.
The annual Mooloolaba triathlon, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, is another southeast Queensland sporting event where organisers are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast.
