AFL players must be fully vaccinated before returning to training Andrews

By Jon PierikUpdated October 1, 2021 â€" 4.11pmfirst published at 1.36pm

AFL players have been told by the state government they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 26 before they can return for pre-season training, a move which will also have implications for AFLW, racing and this summer’s Ashes series.

The AFL and AFL Players Association had refused to legislate mandatory vaccinations but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews took the decision out of their hands on Friday, coming as the state government expanded mandatory vaccinations to cover all on-site authorised workers by mid-October.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.Credit:Wayne Taylor

Professional athletes, including England’s Ashes cricketers this summer, fall under the authorised provider and authorised worker list released by the government, which is determined to end Melbourne’s sixth lockdown as soon as possible.

“So I expect there’ll be a conversation, for instance, with the AFL, where the AFL will be informed on behalf of all their clubs, that if you want to go back to pre-season training in a month’s time, you will need to be double-vaxxed as an authorised worker, even when after we get to 80 per cent [of the state population fully vaccinated] and the authorisations are no longer there,” Andrews said.

The mandatory vaccination plan will also have implications for AFLW players and even young talent preparing for the men’s national draft in November. There could also be implications for interstate-based players travelling to Victoria.

Under the plan, all authorised workers must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 15 in order to continue working on site. These workers must have received two doses by November 26 to remain working on site.

The Western Bulldogs warm up prior to a training session in Perth.Credit:Getty Images

Clubs who did not participate in the finals typically start to return to pre-season training in the second week of November. Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains said on Thursday his entire playing list had had their first dose on Monday.

“We didn’t necessarily mandate it but at the same time didn’t have any players who had an issue with it,” he said.

“Depending on where they’ll be in a number of weeks’ time, we’ll organise for them to be able to get their second dose so all of our men’s playing group will be fully vaccinated prior to the start of pre-season.”

Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury has posted a photograph on social media of having his jab, while Geelong star and AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield has said he will be fully vaccinated as well.

Jake Kelly, who officially joined Essendon on Friday, said he was fully vaccinated but respected the wider debate.

“It’s the battle of individual decision-making, which is an important aspect of the country we live in, and the ability for an individual to make their own decisions as well,” he said.

“I understand the other side of it as well, where the government has to look after the health and safety of the entire country and the league, itself, is a business that needs to keep rolling so if vaccinations mean it can keep rolling, then it is quite a complex and complicated issue and there are two [sides of the] argument.”

Andrews said various community leaders, including faith leaders, would be consulted about the mandatory vaccinations.

However, if any professional sportsman or woman were to refuse vaccination on religious grounds, Andrews replied: “No one’s exempt from the Public Health and Well Being Act because no one’s exempt from getting this virus, but you are at a massively reduced risk of getting it or … making someone else sick, if you’ve been vaccinated. Even a single dose provides you with a really significant degree of protection.”

The AFL and AFLPA were contacted for comment but have not yet responded.

In a move which has implications for several sports, Andrews also said he would be surprised if England’s Ashes squad was allowed to enter the country this summer unless all players and staff were fully vaccinated.

“I don’t issue passports or visas, we’ve got enough to do without doing that, but I think it is highly unlikely that the Commonwealth government will be letting anybody into this country that has not been double-vaxxed, certainly in the medium term. That might change over time,” he said.

If players were unvaccinated but still allowed in, Andrews said they would most likely have to quarantine in a facility for a fortnight. England’s cricketers have already expressed concerns about travelling to Australia because of quarantine measures, the threat of border closures, and the bubble restrictions they will likely have.

Cricket Australia said on Friday that all of its male and female nationally contracted players were fully vaccinated, along with support staff, while 98 per cent of contracted domestic and W/BBL players have had their first dose and 82 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Racing Victoria, mindful of the need to do all it can to ensure the upcoming spring carnival runs as smoothly as possible, moved swiftly on the issue of mandatory vaccines last month.

On September 15, it told all the industry’s participants that they would have to have their first dose of the vaccine by October 16, Caulfield Cup day, and their second dose by Zipping Classic Day, November 27.

The “no jab, no entry” policy will apply to the racing operations areas at Victorian racecourses on raceday and public training centres, as well as at Racing Victoria’s Flemington headquarters and offices. All Racing Victoria staff and “licensed and registered participants” will need to be fully vaccinated to gain entry.

With Michael Lynch

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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via Twitter or email.

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