Anger as AFLW is granted ‘special treatment’ by Western Australian government

The Western Australian government has again come under fire after it granted permission for Carlton and Collingwood’s AFLW teams to fly into the state to play football, despite the border remaining completely shut to most other Australians.

The clubs will fly from Melbourne to Perth on chartered flights for their games against the Eagles and Dockers.

The players will be tested and fly home immediately after their games.

The special treatment comes as families continue to be separated by Western Australia’s draconian restrictions.

“There is a little bit of anger,” 6PR sports reporter Tania Armstrong told Neil Mitchell.

“Not from sports fans, I can tell you, who are dying for some sporting fixtures because we haven’t had any interstate teams come since December.

“But there is anger from people who’ve been locked out of the state, desperate to get back, and I imagine there is a big backlog.

“There are thousands and thousands of people which WA Health are working through and granting exemptions to.”

Press PLAY below to hear the reaction from Perth

The news prompted Grace to call 3AW Mornings.

She is a Victorian who now lives in Western Australia but has consistently struggled to get back into the state after returning to Camperdown following her father’s sudden death last year.

“To hear the AFLW has got an exemption to go and play football, it rubs salt into the wound,” she said.

“I’ve been triple-vaxxed since November and it’s meant nothing.”

Press PLAY below to hear Grace’s emotional call

(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)