North Melbourne will depart for Queensland this afternoon in a precautionary step to keep the AFL season moving. 

The Kangaroos will play Essendon at Metricon Stadium, instead of Marvel Stadium, as originally fixtured. 

North CEO, Ben Amarfio, said the club has to do its bit to ensure the season is able to progress during the ongoing pandemic and been working with its players and staff. 

“As we have experienced for some time now, we need to do what we can to keep the season moving,” Amarfio said.

“Sadly, that means we have been informed that our game is being relocated to Metricon and we will have to wait and see what happens beyond this weekend.  

“We understand that’s it’s a cautious response but we appreciate the AFL is doing its best to manage risk and provide flexibility for future rounds.

“Our players and staff have been extremely understanding and we have been working with them all this morning and will continue to do so.”

Amarfio said the club will now work with those who purchased tickets for this weekend’s game, with any tickets or upgrades purchased by fans and members to be refunded with further information provided by Ticketmaster directly.

“We sincerely apologise to our incredibly loyal Victorian members and supporters who will not be able to watch us play in person this weekend and we thank them for their continued patience and support,” Amarfio said.

“Member Appreciation Round will be moved to Round 22, where we will have an exciting range of giveaways to say thank you for the wonderful loyalty and faith our members have shown us.”