It looms as an expensive operation that could cause ample administration headaches. But an 18-team, one-location hub appears the best way to recommence the 2020 AFL season.

League officials have been canvassing several options to enable a resumption of the coronavirus-interrupted season, but the hub idea has rapidly become the clear front-runner.

Specifically, AFL fixture boss Travis Auld on Wednesday revealed the league was considering the hub scenario where all 18 clubs would be confined to one isolated location to get a season away.

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Speaking on Fox Sports News’ AFL Tonight, senior foxfooty.com.au writer Tom Morris said the AFL was still “leaving all options on the table”, but reported two clubs had indicated the 18-team Victorian hub was “the most likely scenario”.

“The (Victorian) locations they’re talking about at AFL HQ, along with all the clubs and other various stakeholders, are Mornington, Yarra Valley, Macedon precinct and the Surf Coast. That would allow clubs to get away, to have a bit of space away from the city and then to come into Melbourne or Geelong and play footy,” Morris told AFL Tonight on Thursday night.

“It’s a huge project. There’d be 700-plus players involved – at least 35 or 40 players from each club would come from interstate and also within Victoria – and a few hundred stuff.

“Whatever they do is going to be an absolute logistical nightmare. It’s going to be costly, potentially in the 10s of millions of dollars.”

However Morris reported some club had “expressed some concerns” around the prospect of all 18 clubs coming to Victoria all at once.

“The reasons are because if one team or one player tests positive for coronavirus, how would that impact the rest?” Morris said.

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“The AFL is considering all of this, but certainly the clubs are unsold at the moment on how the AFL is going to proceed forward – as we all are, given how many scenarios are being considered on such a huge scale.”

St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said one hub with all 18 teams would “probably be the easiest” to negotiate, but added interstate clubs wouldn’t want to stay for longer than six weeks.

“It just gives them a little bit more flexibility with the fixturing. If the borders aren’t open sooner and there’s not that ability to continue to travel interstate, the teams can stay in Melbourne for a little bit longer,” Montagna told AFL Tonight.

“I think the interstate clubs wouldn’t want to stay here for longer than probably four to six weeks. (If they stay longer), it’s probably starting to get a bit unfair.

“But whichever way we look at it, it’s going to suit some teams more than others. It’s going to be an unfair year – I think we’ve all got to get our head around that.

“What is most important – and the AFL are certainly doing that – is putting the health of the players first and then trying to do what works best for the game.

“Hopefully by the time we get to mid-August, the borders are open, clubs are allowed to travel and we can get back to some normality with the fixturing.”