Manuka Oval is in line to host its first Giants-Swans AFL derby, should the worsening COVID-19 situation in Sydney fail to resolve itself in time for the round 18 fixture.
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GWS chief executive Dave Matthews has outlined his strong preference to play the match at the club's second home in Canberra if the Harbour City fails to take control of its latest viral outbreak.
The Giants and Swans fled to Melbourne earlier this week at short notice in anticipation of potential border closures which would shut Sydney off from the rest of the country, throwing the AFL into disarray.
Matthews' club was due to host Hawthorn at Giants Stadium on Sunday, but the clash has been relocated to the MCG which will welcome back a maximum of 25,000 fans per match this weekend.
Next week the Giants are scheduled to play ladder leaders Melbourne at the same venue, before hosting the Gold Coast Suns back in Sydney - a fixture which is also likely to be adjusted based on the latest health advice.
A week later is the Sydney derby, and Matthews told SEN radio on Wednesday morning that Manuka Oval would be an ideal back-up host, although the ACT Government is yet to be contacted in regards to the venue's availability.
"If I had an alternative place to take it other than Sydney then it would be Canberra, and Canberra's track record with Covid is fantastic," Matthews said.
"The Swans have got a good supporter base down there, that game would sell out at 15,000. To get a game there would be the best possible fallback to not playing it at Giants Stadium.
"Other than that I think we're just in the lap of the Gods in terms of how it unfolds."
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Manuka Oval has become a beacon of safety for Australian sport throughout the pandemic, having propped up Cricket Australia's Big Bash League over the summer hosting almost a quarter of the tournament's fixtures.
Should the Swans-Giants clash be shifted to the venue, it would mark just the second time the derby has been played outside of Sydney. Last year's round 12 fixture was shifted to Perth due to the COVID-19 pandemic - a match the Swans won by 41 points.
Either side of that, the Giants have won four of the last five contests between the two sides.
"That's our biggest day of the year really, to host our cross-town rivals, we've been selling that game out," Matthews said.
"It's certainly one to watch, I guess we're in the hands of the government authorities basically and we just need to work with the AFL and whatever parameters get thrown up.
"You'd really hope Sydney would remain functional in a lot of ways. The way I think [NSW Premier] Gladys [Berejiklian] has dealt with it has been quite remarkable.
"Hopefully if Sydney stays open and we're able to get crowds, things settle down here to the extent that restrictions get lifted."
The Giants are set to play their third and final contracted AFL fixture in Canberra against Port Adelaide in round 20. Their two other games in the capital this year produced losses against Melbourne and the Bulldogs.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
