AFL and NRL games postponed as Queensland COVID lockdown sends codes scrambling

Three AFL games scheduled for this weekend have been postponed, with the NRL calling off its Saturday matches as south-east Queensland’s latest COVID lockdown throws Australia’s major football codes into chaos.

In the AFL, Gold Coast and Melbourne were due to play on Saturday afternoon at Carrara Stadium, while Essendon and Sydney were scheduled to meet at the Gabba on Saturday night.

Those games, along with Sunday’s GWS-Port Adelaide match set for the Gold Coast, have been postponed.

Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from July 31 with a look back at our blog.

The NRL followed suit soon after by calling off its three Saturday matches. Two games on Sunday are also in doubt.

Super Netball had a scheduled weekend off, but will be sweating on developments through the week to see if its season is impacted too.

The announcement of south-east Queensland’s latest lockdown came on Saturday morning after six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state.

All were the Delta variant, prompting the introduction of what Queensland officials called “the strictest lockdown” Queensland had seen during the pandemic.

“There will be no football matches,” Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

“So no community sport, no professional sport, nothing for the next three days. Starting as of 4:00pm today.”

The news caught many off guard, including a VFL match between the Suns and Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast, which was brought to an abrupt end midway through the first quarter when the lockdown was announced.

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