When was the last time a game in Victoria (apart from COVID) moved venues?

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Round 23, we play Collingwood at Docklands on a Friday night, with both us and them in the top four. It is likely both us and them could be one and two on the ladder when round 23 comes around. Collingwood have a massive fanbase, and their normal home ground is at the MCG. We have a big fanbase for non-Victorian team standards in Victoria, due to the Roys connection, plus a lot of lions fans based in Queensland would travel down for this should they be able to get the Friday off work, just because we are up against the old enemy (Lions fans in Queensland are more likely to travel to Victoria for an away game against Collingwood then make a trip down the M1 for an away game against the suns - I travel to a lot of lions away games, even when we were s**t we'd still bring numbers down against them).

I know the last time games moved venues outside of COVID was when the Swans had three home games shifted from Stadium Australia to the SCG in 2016. I don't recall a game ever being moved from Docklands to the MCG, but the AFL now own Docklands, which they didn't in the past.

The current record for a Victorian team v non-Victorian team is 76995 between Richmond and us at the MCG in round 23 2019.

Collingwood have a bigger fanbase overall compared to Richmond, more Collingwood fans actually hate us due to their bitterness over 02/03 than Richmond fans, our fans hate them more than Richmond due to their sore loser antics over 02/03.

If common sense prevails and this game gets moved to the MCG, as long as both teams remain in the top four which is very likely, this game would easily smash the Vic v non-Vic record, rather than 45000 attending a sold out game at Docklands.

Even as a Lions supporter who loves beating Collingwood more than anything and knowing full well we'd much more likely beat them at Docklands than at the MCG, this game needs to, for the greater good of the game, be moved to the MCG.

 

[Stumpy Pete]

I’d love to agree with you but my bitterness over 02/03 won’t allow it. So I’ll say get stuffed instead.

Regards

S. Pete

Ps. You do make a great point.

 

[Clark G]

In 2000 a game between Essendon and North Melbourne originally scheduled for Docklands was shifted to the MCG. But at the same time, a game between Essendon and St Kilda originally scheduled for the MCG was shifted to Docklands.