Why WA would nail ‘Dreamtime at the P’ if the AFL moves Richmond v Essendon west

If the AFL is forced to bring ‘Dreamtime at the G’ west in round 12, what better opportunity to celebrate WA’s Indigenous greats while showing what Optus Stadium could have achieved with the grand final in 2020.

Victoria’s latest COVID-19 outbreak sees the AFL navigating fixtures to keep moving through the 2021 season. Multiple changes have been made for round 11 already, including Richmond v Adelaide moved to Sydney this weekend.

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One of the AFL’s premier regular season fixtures between the Tigers and Essendon, ‘Dreamtime at the G’, is now in jeopardy of being relocated the following week.

Optus Stadium is the logical choice with neither Fremantle nor West Coast using the venue next Saturday night, maximum crowds allowed in WA and the Bombers already here to take on the Eagles this weekend.

On this week’s episode of The Duff and Quarters Podcast chief footy writer at the West Australian Mark Duffield, The Sunday Times sports editor Glen Quartermain and Channel 7 journalist Mark Readings urged WA footy fans to get behind the potentially historic relocation.

“Let’s show the rest of Australia what a grand final would have looked like here,” Quartermain said.

“Two very big supporter bases in WA, Essendon and Richmond, let’s actually show the AFL, and the WA government what (WA footy followers) could have done with last year’s grand final. Let’s light up that precinct and show them what we’ve got, which is considerable.”

Optus Stadium was snubbed for Brisbane’s Gabba for the 2020 grand final, after Queensland’s significant contribution in allowing last year’s season to proceed.

Optus would be a fitting replacement for the MCG as WA has produced some of the greatest Indigenous names to have ever graced the footy field, including hall of fame inductees Polly Farmer and Barry Cable.

Former St Kilda great and Pingelly product Nicky Winmar’s courageous stance against racism while playing with St Kilda against Collingwood in 1993 was immortalised in 2019 on the venue grounds.

“I think that’s a really exciting development for Western Australia and I hope that Western Australians get right behind that match,” Duffield replied.

“The things we could do with that match with our stadium and with the roof lit up in Indigenous colours and that sort of thing.”

“With all due respect to the footy we had last year, this is the biggest occasion we could get in WA outside of a final,” Readings said.

“Get Stephen Michael, get Nicky Winmar, get Barry Cable, get Peter Matera, the Indigenous heritage we’ve got here is incredible, let’s make something of this that has a WA flavour to it.”

WA has also enjoyed a return to near pre-COVID crowds this season compared to Melbourne numbers which have struggled recentl,y with the AFL unable to pinpoint the direct cause for the trend.

The reigning premier’s match versus the GWS Giants in round nine amassed only 18,798 fans, far short to their 2019 average of 41,682 (3rd in AFL).

While Collingwood v Port Adelaide at the MCG in round 10 only managed 23,415 punters, a club that averaged 50,812 footy-goers in 2019 (1st in AFL).

Optus Stadium has a maximum capacity of 60,000 spectators, with potential for a sellout at the venue with strong supporter bases for both Essendon and Richmond in WA.