Frigid forecast reignites calls for new Tassie stadium to be built with a roof
Bombers great Matthew Lloyd has re-ignited calls for the new stadium in Tasmania to be built with a roof.
The Tassie Devils are expected to enter both the men's and women's competitions in 2028, although debate around the construction of a new stadium in Hobart is fierce and ongoing.
The Hawks will take on the Crows in Launceston on Thursday night, where frigid temperatures are expected to make scoring tricky.
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While the temperature at first bounce is expected to be a relatively balmy 9C, a gentle northerly is expected to drop the feels-like temperature for players - as well as fans in the stands - down to 6C.
An artist's impression of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium. Supplied
By the time the game finishes, the ambient will have dropped to about 6C, with a feels-like about 4C.
"There's going to be a lot of talk around the Tasmanian team and how there must be a roof on this stadium when they come in," Lloyd said on Nine's Today on Thursday morning.
"At this stage, it's all up in the air with what's going on ... because of cost blow-outs, things like that."
"There won't be much scoring going on because of the freezing cold nature of it."
Fans will have to rug up for the Hawks' clash with the Crows in Launceston on Thursday. Getty
The Devils will be based two and a half hours further south in Hobart, where the average low in July is just 4.3C. While the temperature regularly goes lower, it rarely drops below freezing.
In 2019, snow began to fall late in the first quarter of a clash between the Giants and Hawks in Canberra. While the mercury was just 4.7C, the feels-like was -4.1C.
The $1.13 billion stadium, to be built at Macquarie Point on the western bank of the Derwent, has been given the green light by the Tasmanian state government. Two major construction companies are expected to bid for the tender.
According to The Age, Watpac - which built the new One New Zealand stadium in Christchurch, is one of the bidders.
Snow fell during a 2019 clash between the Hawks and Giants in Canberra. via Getty Images
Residents in the area have provided vocal opposition to the project, citing a lack of public transport and related infrastructure around the precinct.
The Age reported rival AFL clubs are also nervous rising fuel costs and supply issues could cause cost blowouts and delays, which could be a drain on the competition.
The construction of the stadium - and that it had a roof - was a condition of the Devils being granted the AFL's 19th licence. Several clubs reportedly hold concerns the AFL could be forced to soften that condition through either the scrapping of the roof, or the stadium entirely.
The stadium is slated for completion in 2030, and would begin hosting AFL matches from 2031.
