The AFL has pushed the women’s grand final and preliminary finals back a week to accommodate the rescheduled qualifying final between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood, which will now be played this Sunday.
The Lions-Pies final, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed when COVID-19 struck the Magpies, who did not have enough players to field a team.
Clubs had expected the games to be pushed back a week and on Monday the league confirmed the new schedule.
The Pies will face the Lions at the Gabba this Sunday.Credit:AFL Photos
Brisbane will host Collingwood at the Gabba from 1:05pm AEDT on Sunday, March 27.
The preliminary finals will now take place on Saturday, April 2. The grand final will be played in an afternoon slot on Saturday, April 9 at a venue to be confirmed. The highest-ranked team will earn the hosting rights.
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Fremantle defeated North Melbourne on Saturday to guarantee a berth in the preliminary final against Adelaide, while Melbourne are waiting for the result from the Brisbane Lions-Collingwood match.
Magpies head of women’s football Jess Burger told SEN on Friday the club would not forfeit but would need time to assess who was available and their level of fitness once their players left the COVID-19 health and safety protocols. They face a huge task to beat the defending premiers, but Burger said they were up for the challenge.
“As we know, this virus can present itself differently in each individual, so it’s a matter of us monitoring how they come back, and then working with the AFL on the next steps to get a finals series underway,” Burger said.
Lions and Pies to play final on Sunday, AFLW grand final pushed back a week
Source: Philippines Alive
