Corona Virus - We're Doomed

Thought this issue was well covered in the Phoenix City pod a few days ago. I was really appalled. My biggest concerns re the Nix have always been the threat of FFA axe or a major recession leading to Welnix having to offload the club. 

But this scenario with Fox is an absolute nightmare with implications not just for the future of the Nix but for many other clubs and even the existence of the A League as a whole. It's now a race against time which the league is all but certain to lose.

so when's our next game?

this is a fudgeing embarrassment

Not this year, I hope. 

The organisers of these Aussie sports need to read stuff like this then think about bigger issues. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/20/europe/italy-mi...

If I were the Nix, at the end of the isolation period, I'd stay where I was. Keep isolated, show up for the game and then back into isolation. Stay away from the locals so to speak and minimalise the risk.

The current situation is awful, with Coronavirus there are no winners. Personally I don't get this narrative at all that Fox Sports are being greedy. They will be bleeding money right now. They have next to no content, subscribers will be down, advertising revenue will be down, revenue from selling their content to other overseas networks will be down..

They will be like any other business right now, trying to work out how to say solvent. Hence why the cost cutting has started - like letting go of Daniel Garb. No one wants to make good staff redundant, but this is going to be a sad reality for many many businesses in the next few months.

Read on here somewhere, that someone works for a small warehouse type company, and is rightly worried about catching Covid off work mates - some of whom, stupidly are still not taking the virus seriously. However no one is accusing the owner of that business of being greedy, because they have yet to close their doors. Yet the employees of that business are probably at more risk, than the Nix squad right now. 

What Fox's bean counters have come up with is a plan, to try to keep some cash coming in. The NRL, AFL and A League to play out their seasons as best they can. With the A League I think they have a chance as it is only 6(?) weeks to go. I'm going to go a wild guess and say it's a 50:50. Covid is still a month or two away from 'peaking' in Aussie, so they have a chance. Esp if all the teams/management are in virtual self isolation in NSW and VIC.

That's the question though, are all the teams in virtual self isolation like the Nix, and interstate teams?? If Andrew Durante is still living at home, and his 3 daughters are still going to some school/pre school in Victoria, he has a much higher chance of getting the virus now than Steven Taylor. Undoubtedly the Nix players and management right now, have less chance of getting Covid than most Kiwis. They will have a team doctor and lots of other health professionals around them. 

You can't at the moment compare the A League to the Euro leagues or MLS. In several European countries (Italy, Spain) people are tragically dying in large numbers. It would be unthinkable to be playing sport in that context. Bit similar in the US, but also there you have a pretty large comp (26 teams?) and I seriously doubt you could base say 13 teams in LA, and another 13 teams in New York. The A League is a bit unique in that it is a pretty small comp, and 7 of the 11 teams are basically based around 2 cities (Newcastle and Central Coast reasonably close to Sydney).

But most importantly as yet, you don't have large numbers of people infected or dying. Cold as that sounds. That sadly could soon change.

Lock downs are coming to NZ & Aussie. Soon you won't be able to leave your house. Watching a bit of live sport on TV, may make that situation a bit more bearable. If the A League season can be completed (big if), none of the players get sick, Fox make some money, FFA gets some money, and players and other staff continue to be paid then that's a good result from an otherwise terrible situation.

But sure, as soon as a player has a positive test, can it all. I'm sure NZ/Aussie and even the Visa players will somehow get back to NZ for their 2 weeks self isolation. Whether it's a charter flight to a military airstrip or whatever, there will be a way. And whilst you don't want any A League player to get sick, being fit young men they are in a very low risk group, and highly likely to have a full recovery.

You would hope the Nix boys were given good advice from health professionals, weren't pressured at all into going, and are now in a pretty safe environment. The two I really feel for are Davila and De Vere, both being (or about to be) new fathers. Especially sucks for Davila being so far away from his family. You would hope De Vere can somehow get up to Brisbane in the next few weeks, where I understand his pregnant wife now is.

I'm sure those 2 guys will have their own little bond, and the team as a whole will be galvanised to try win the toilet seat. Be a great story if they did win it. 

So I don't think Fox Sports or FFA are being greedy. Just trying to prevent a financial blow out, like any business will be over the next few months. A financial blowout that will only flow down, to the individual A League clubs and players. Hindsight will judge whether it was the right plan or not. 

But all 11 teams (incl NSW & VIC sides) now need to living in virtual self isolation, otherwise it's virtually certain a player will soon test positive.

A few weeks ago Juventus said they had adopted the best safety conditions for their players. They are one of the richest clubs in the world with a huge medical team. Their players have been in isolation since the end of the Italian league. But today it was announced that Dybala is now the third senior squad player to test positive. Just a matter of time before A-League players test positive then the season is over.

Italy (with roughly 3 times the popn) at the moment has over 53,000 cases. Australia has just over 1,000. 

Juve of course is in Torino, Northern Italy - so I presume virus is even more highly concentrated there.

If the A League can somehow now keep all players/management in virtual self isolation, they have a chance of pulling off their 6 week plan. However if the players in the NSW/VIC teams are continuing with life as normal - the plan is for sure doomed.

You're making the same mistake as many others.  You're looking backwards instead of forwards.  1,000 confirmed cases now is in reality probably 3,000 - 5,000.  Each person can infect on average 2 - 3 people.  Australia is on a very dangerous path because people aren't complying.  2 - 3 weeks and Aussie will have a similar number of cases - maybe not the same number of deaths because they don't have the same elderly population, but they're not taking the advice seriously and they will have the same consequences.

That is true. The situation in NZ and Aussie is only plainly going to get worse. Full lock downs will happen very soon, and if people don't comply then lock them up. Folks denying this are idiots and are a risk to others. 

What happened at Bondi yesterday was grossly stupid, just shows people can't be trusted, and effectively going into martial law is the only way to go.

However the FFA/A League have a chance and a small window, to pull off their plan, but only if all the teams are effectively already now in lock down.

they are still a heck of a lot lower risk than adults and the over 65's who are likely to be caring for kids if the parents are at work.

thoughts with Dura (and Patrick)- Maldini has the virus 

I can;t really blame them.  The Murdoch empire has them all over a barrel.

The good news is that the Murdoch's can't take it with them. God doesn't accept cash, cheques or credit cards.

We are both high risk and staying isolated except for the daily walk which is crucial for our lungs, heart. We stay far away from people on the walk.
Hoping that grocery delivery stays available for us. After things get delivered we leave non perishables in a separate room for three days, and everything else gets a very good washing.

As NZ is relatively late in contracting the virus in comparison to ROW the "advantage" should have been in seeing the timeline of how the virus spreads through the population, hospitilisation rates, death rates etc. 

Most seem to seriously underestimate the exponential growth of infection, the time lag between diagnosis & hospitalisation, length of stay required in hospital when comparing to the number of hospital beds(total & acute), equipment required etc a country has per 1000/population (I believe NZ is 2.6 hospital beds/1000 ...Japan/S Korea is about 7 acute/12 total/1000) & how quickly the health service will be overwhelmed if total lock downs to isolate spread are left to late. 

This realisation is now being seen in the UK** where some hospitals are at 80% capacity & primary healthcare workers do not have the protection/equipment eventhough the the hospitalisation rate/death rate is just beginning to increase rapidly. From calm to panic mode can literally happen overnight.

If NZ wants to go "hard & early" then it cant afford to wait until the numbers have increased to x amount or %. Severe & drastic measures need to be taken to pre-empt the numbers that it would seem will inevitably occur.    

Edit: **Just to add that the UK is now exactly 2 weeks behind Italy (March 7 Italy had 233 deaths which is same as current UK(21 Mar) with the number leading life or death care doubling every 3 days. I'm afraid a flood of cases maybe about to swamp the UK health system as the measures taken may have come too little too late?  

that would be me, boss is not being greedy just not taking it seriously enough.hopefully after the spike has started over the weekend he hopefully will take it more seriously, will be telling everyone at work tomorrow to stay the fudge away from me and my work area. then straight home after work and into a hot shower, wash work cloths before shower of course then relax with my partner before she has to go to work then she will do the same things when she gets home from work.hopefully these measures we are taking will work for us but not sure this system is 100% foolproof

The analogy was more around it's inconsistent to call Fox Sports/FFA greedy, if they ask A League footballers to pay football. Yet not call other employers the same, if they are asking their employees to currently turn up.

Esp if some of those other work environments may not be taking Covid seriously.

There are no winners, in this current awful situation.  

Well maybe Netflix, hand sanitiser manufacturers and a very small number of others!

Professional sport in Oz now has no choice but to suspend the season with today's news:

• No non-essential domestic travel 
• South Australia now enforcing 14 day isolation for those entering SA. 
• Queensland saying "stay in your suburb" if not for trips to work, supermarket, chemist or bank"
• Victoria and NSW pushing for lockdown
• Tonight's national cabinet meeting likely to confirm FULL lockdown - all non essential business and travel, including schools.

Season over for now.

Judging by the two well attended parties at student share houses in our street last night that went on into the wee small hours this is very much the case. This despite highly publicised appeals to abide by social distancing and the fact that a university building not 500m away has been locked down a few days ago to due to infection. 

I really worry that the Australian govt has let things slide that crucial week too long and that the genie is now out of the bottle. Sincerely hope I'm wrong.

I think you'll right but..............

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120478655/coronavirus-nrl-still-plan-to-go-on-despite-new-travel-recommendations

Things have changed since then.

It's over. Will be announced after tonight's cabinet meeting.

Have worked out the best way to award the competition winner if league doesn't go on.

Given that there are differences in who has played who and number of games played, simply taking the current league table points would be unfair. The A-League system with playoffs means that the total amount of points throughout the season isn't as important as winning your last few matches. Given that, they should award the competition based on results from teams last four matches.

The added bonus with this system is that we win the league.

It's because of people like that that Italy is sending the army onto the streets now. Apparently between 40-60% of people in northern Italy have been found breaking the quarantine rules in the last couple of days.

Nix issue now is...where will each of the players feel safest and are they able to travel there.

NSW shutting down all non essential travel and business as of Tuesday - just announced by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklean

I have an elderly Italian friend. Lovely bloke, not saying anything against him or Italian people in general, but here is the kind of thing that governments have to deal with: spoke with him yesterday, he says yes he's really worried about the virus because he's high risk. Good, I say, you understand how important is it for you stay at home until this thing passes. Yeah sure, he says, but you can't live in fear, you've got to live your life!, and goes on to tell me that he and a party of his elderly friends are going out to a restaurant that night!

This sort of crazy decision should not be in his hands.

Hate to say but looks like it may have just been a 4 week holiday in self confinement. Situation is fast moving and should really have  been predicted. Hope our lads get back safely.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews...non essential services to shut down from Tuesday.

Is coffee an essential service? Asking for a friend.

For goodness sake, this aussie sojourn has been ridiculous, these behind doors sports events doomed to failure. 

Western Australia lockdown that's it folks.

State border closes Tuesday afternoon.

Government to acquire hotels for quarantine and looking to use Rottnest Island too.

Oil and gas essential; and "mining industry" too apparently. Coal I understand - but iron ore and other exports? 

The only fair way is to scrap the whole thing.- No winner due to virus outbreak. 

WA Govt judgement call I guess balancing you'd hope - health & economics. A need for hard currency, to help pay for all these stimulus packages that are going to be needed to protect thousands of other jobs etc

Iron core is generally moved by train from mines around very small isolated towns like Tom Price (popn 5K I'm guessing), to port towns like Port Headland (guessing 50K). And the port area is separate to the main part of the town.

These towns/cities would have pretty young popns (you don't retire to Tom Price). Far from perfect but the sort of work places that you could adopt social distancing, tough hygiene etc 

AFL suspended until 31 May

Agree. Staffed by FIFO workforce though.

Not as much as it was, and I guess they will have some rules around that now.

A-League set to continue?

Although with the closing down of state borders and interstate travel, could basically mean an end to that. Unless all teams relocate to NSW to complete the season. Will continue to be a shark-show otherwise. 

I guess the reason for pushing on could be the precarious state of the league & it's future? The NRL is already on record as saying it'll go bust if the season is suspended or canned. I guess if the NRL is placed more financially delicately than I would've thought, then perhaps the A-League could be sitting on the financial precipice? 

Season over for all codes.

AFL announcement confirms 31 May suspension (to be reviewed in April); looking at immediate cost cutting over next 48hrs.

Still hope to complete season this calendar year - into December if necessary.