Fairfax media reported on May 11th that no deal had been struck even though it had previously been reported otherwise. The report indicated that the AFL was holding out because the FFA could not give a definitive date for its final, and further wanted guaranteed acess not just to Etihad, but Adelaide Oval and the new Perth stadium when complete.
The Fairfax report also states that the AFL had been willing to move the Bulldogs game if suitably compensated.
The AFL’s view is that it proposed transferring Sunday’s round-seven clash to Geelong’s Simonds Stadium or the Whitten Oval but neither the FFA nor the Victorian government were prepared to cover the cost. Simon Lethlean wrote to FFA bosses in March outlining the financial commitment of relocating the match, which in the case of the Bulldogs’ home base — Whitten Oval — was estimated at $1 million. That included $300,000 to cover temporary seating. The relocation to Simonds Stadium was costed at $500,000, which would have included a charter flight for the Dockers to Avalon Airport.
