“March is a very important month for cricket, including the Sheffield Shield and premier and club cricket finals.
“We will continue to work collaboratively at all levels to ensure cricket gains and provides appropriate access to shared venues across the country.”
The AFL released a statement on Friday, saying it was unwilling to risk the safety of its players by allowing the cricket game to go ahead.
“After extensive consultation with a range of AFL stakeholders, the AFL has determined that the risks involved in turning around the Adelaide Oval in time to meet the safety and playing standards required for AFL matches are not acceptable,” the statement said.
“The tight turnaround required to remove the cricket pitch and restore the surface for football, including the Adelaide home game on the Sunday into the demands of Gather Round, where multiple matches will be played over a short period, meant the AFL felt it couldn’t be satisfied that the quality of the playing surface could be guaranteed to the requisite level.
“This challenge was further heightened by the potential impact of any adverse weather conditions. The AFL has explored all reasonable options to make this work, but after extensive discussions and advice this week, was not satisfied that the planned arrangements met the appropriate risk profile for a safe surface.”
Malinauskas had shut down any talk of government compensation for the AFL and its clubs to allow the switch.
“We are asking people to act rationally and pragmatically in the interest of fans,” Malinauskas said on FIVEAA radio in Adelaide earlier this week.
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“The South Australian government has already shown an awful lot of support to both footy clubs locally, particularly the Adelaide Football Club, which has done very well from the support we have provided them to get through the issues at Thebarton [Oval] – we have backed them all the way.”
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said earlier this week that football would not seek anything more than “risk mitigation” from cricket.
While the stadium’s drop-in pitches had already been removed, they could still have been reinstalled, with ground officials insisting there would be minimal impact on the playing surface.
Former Adelaide Oval curator Les Burdett said that there were no safety concerns for players as far as he was concerned.
The Redbacks, having already locked in their berth in the final, will have their opponent confirmed after the final round of Shield matches, beginning this weekend. They have not won a Shield title since 1996.
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