THE AUSTRALIAN Football League (AFL) has admitted their difficulty in securing a venue for a second game in the International Rules series is no nearer a resolution. Unless they come up with such a venue by tomorrow week, the GAA have made it clear they will not travel and the series will therefore not go ahead in 2008.
A spokesperson for the AFL said yesterday the main difficulty in securing a second venue was because of the clash with the Rugby League World Cup, which is also due to take place in Australia next October.
There is also a potential clash with some of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the AFL and Australia's hosting of an international cricket tournament.
"At this stage the main problem is securing the venues, because of the Rugby League World Cup," said Jill Lindsay of the AFL. "They have been working to get around that but so far there hasn't been any resolution. I don't know when any decision can be made, but at this time nothing more has moved on that."
The MCG in Melbourne was provisionally agreed for the one of the series games, and the AFL were hoping that would be enough to satisfy the GAA. However, on Tuesday, the GAA stated their insistence there must be a two-game series or else none at all.
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