The first goal of the 2020 AFL premiership season was – as expected – met with sheer silence in an empty MCG.

Shane Edwards kicked truly to get Richmond on the board in the first five minutes of the season opener and it proved to be an eerie insight into what’s to come.

It’s uncertain how long the season will be played behind closed doors but league boss Gillion McLachlan said earlier in the week it could last the entire year.

The reigning premiers kicked seven majors to quarter time, all greeted by muffled cheers from teammates from the umpires’ microphones, and social media fans certainly didn’t like it.

One fan commented there was ‘social distancing’ happening on the scoreboard, as the Tigers took a 31-point lead into the first break.

The ball was cleaned at quarter time as umpires tried to prevent any transmission of germs, despite players drinking from the same water bottles.

A very different start to the season indeed!

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