AFL game forced to reschedule due to Electrical Union dispute

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The AFL has been forced to reschedule its round 24 game in Launceston today between North Melbourne and Hawthorn. with an industrial dispute in Tasmania causing chaos across the league.

Transcript

00:00It has been quite the chaotic 24 hours and this all kind of began with industrial action

00:08by Tasmania's electrical workers union which threatened to spike today's critical game

00:14at Launceston's York Park between the Roos and Hawks.

00:19Now over the past week, Launceston and its surrounds have been experiencing power outages

00:25and that's a result of an ongoing pay dispute between workers and Tasnetworks which has

00:30affected not only households and businesses but also venues including York Park.

00:36Now this caused uncertainty around whether the game which was originally slated for 4.40

00:42this afternoon could actually go ahead in case any power outages were to occur.

00:47Now yesterday afternoon the AFL, Tasnetworks and the state government met up to discuss

00:53you know a possible solution and there were considerations that the game be moved to Bell

00:58Reeve Oval here in Hobart or even relocated back to Melbourne but this of course prompted

01:05you know logistical issues because both teams had already arrived in the state and broadcast

01:11trucks had already bumped into the venue.

01:14Now it was late yesterday afternoon when a solution was found and that was that the game

01:19would start a lot earlier at half past twelve this afternoon to kind of mitigate any you

01:25know issues with lighting, namely stadium lighting.

01:30So Isabella what kind of impact would shifting this match have on the season there?

01:35Yeah so you know shifting any kind of game whatever round it is would have you know an

01:41impact but I think because it is the last round of the season before finals, shifting

01:47this game in particular would have been quite significant because on one hand with finals

01:52right around the corner this game is crucial for Hawthorne's top eight hopes and on the

01:58other hand because it is the last round of the season you know any changes to or any

02:04disruptions I should say to games would disrupt the final make up of the AFL ladder which

02:10of course then you know determines the draft order.

02:13So it's been quite a chaotic 24 hours for everyone, footy fans especially but thankfully

02:20a resolution has been found and the first bounce will be at half past twelve this afternoon.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended