THIS weekend’s opening AFL fixture could be in doubt with a tropical cyclone threatening to postpone the game.
Conor McKenna, of Eglish and Tyrone, and his Brisbane Lions teammates were set to face the Geelong Cats, who boast Oisin Mullin from Mayo in their ranks, in the first AFL game of the season, which kickstarts the Lions’ defence of their AFL Premiership title.
The game is also a replay of last year’s preliminary final, which saw the eventual champions edge out the Cats by 10 points, which was Zach Tuohy’s last game in the navy and blue of Geelong.
However, after reports of Tropical Cyclone Alfred set to hit south-east Queensland’s coastline, including Brisbane, league officials are set to decide as to whether the game will be pushed back to the week three bye slot.
As Tropical #CycloneAlfred approaches the #Qld coast, it’s important to understand the potential impacts of a tropical cyclone so you can be prepared.
For the latest tropical cyclone warnings and the Tropical cyclone 7 day forecast, visit https://t.co/4KFWWiahr3 pic.twitter.com/z3Bdr3TGYI
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 3, 2025
The cyclone has been raised up to a category two event, which could see winds of up to 125kmph and cause damage to houses, signs, trees and caravans with a risk of power failure also present.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has assured fans that the league is in constant communication with the government and the Bureau of Meteorology but the game currently remains fixed for Thursday afternoon.
Other games around the New South Wales area could be affected, including the Suns’ match against McKenna’s former team Essendon on Saturday.