MCG turf taken to Gabba for AFL Grand Final

A piece of the turf from the famous MCG stadium will make its way to Queensland to be used in the AFL Grand Final after the decision to move the showcase event away from Melbourne.

The AFL made the historic decision to play the Grand Final outside of the MCG due to the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc in Melbourne in the August and September period.

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AFL boss Gillon McLachlan made the decision to host the final at the Gabba after Queensland was able to quarantine the players and keep the season alive.

But to keep some sort of tradition, it has been confirmed a piece of the MCG turf is on its way to Queensland and will be used on the ground in the final.

The piece of turf will be transported in a truck in a refrigerated container and worked into the Gabba surface.

A 3m by 1m piece of the MCG goalsquare was picked as the part to make the journey to the new Grand Final destination.

The MCG has been empty since Round 1 of the AFL season when most of the competition relocated to Queensland to keep the season going.

The stadium will be slowly worked on in preparation for the cricket season.

Richmond’s tough road to AFL finals

They're no strangers to preliminary finals but Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admits the journey to this year's grand-final qualifier is as tough as it could have been for his club.

The Tigers have past the 100-day mark in their Queensland hub ahead of Friday's preliminary final against Port Adelaide.

While the Adelaide Oval clash will be the Tigers' fourth straight appearance in a preliminary final, the path to get to this point has been far from normal.

Forced out of Victoria due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Richmond will be facing a Power team that has played one game in the past three weeks - the qualifying final win over Geelong in week one of the finals.

That was Port's first finals win in six years and while the Tigers have all the experience, Hardwick knows the minor premiers will have an edge from spending a long period in the comfort of their own homes.

with AAP

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