AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has flagged that a decision on the venue for the 2021 Grand Final will be made in the coming days.
With the current hold the COVID-19 pandemic has on Victoria, the MCG is likely to go without the season decider for the second-straight season.
Perth's Optus Stadium firms as the leading candidate to host the Grand Final on September 25, while Adelaide Oval and The Gabba are also in the running.
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The opening two rounds of finals this season will be away from Victoria according to AFL.com.au, with matches to be played in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
Fans at the Grand Final is a non-negotiable for McLachlan, with the 'pinnacle' showpiece likely to be away from Melbourne under the CEO's criteria.
"I'm unapologetic about it," McLachlan said on 3AW.Â
"This is the pinnacle - 800 players and staff and 15 million supporters have been leaning in all year and it needs to come to a head and give it justice to the biggest sporting event in the country.
"And that needs to be with supporters because they make the game.
"We are faced with the circumstances and the cards we've got, and the priority is the health and wellbeing of our community. Our game can't come ahead of that."
McLachlan revealed that a decision on the venue will be made within the week, with discussions between the league and the Victorian Government ongoing.
"I think the conversations will come to a head in the next days, there's no doubt about that. We've probably got up to a week," McLachlan said.
"They (the Victorian Government) are supportive of us progressing discussions with other states because they know we have to have back-up plans and we have pretty grown-up, transparent conversations every day.
"I think when we get to the point where we have to call it one way or the other, we will."
The current finals fixture is likely to see the pre-finals bye moved to the week prior to the Grand Final, allowing clubs to serve two weeks worth of quarantine in Perth should Western Australia win the bid for the final game of the season.
At the conclusion of Round 23 this weekend, the AFL are tipped to release the finals fixture for week one of the post-season schedule on Sunday.