In the rough: Eagle eyed footy fans distracted by a golfer who lost his ball in the background of Gil McLachlan's AFL grand final announcement
A rogue golfer looking for a lost ball has photo-bombed Gil McLachlan as the AFL chief executive made the league's grand final announcement.
Mr McLachlan announced that the final would be played in Queensland for the first time ever, and held his press conference on Wednesday at Palm Meadows golf course on the Gold Coast.
In the background, a golfer could be seen looking for his ball after hitting it into a water trap.
The golfer was on screen for a third of Mr McLachlan's nine-minute announcement, leading AFL fans to point out the hilarious scene on Twitter.
A golfer looking for his ball could be seen next to AFL CEO Gil McLachlan's elbow as he announced the grand final would be played in Queensland at Palm Meadows golf course on the Gold Coast on Wednesday
The golfer first appeared three minutes into the announcement, when Mr McLachlan was thanking fans for their support of the game through the COVID-19 pandemic
'I was transfixed by the two golfers behind Gil McLachlan who respectively plonked one in the water and got stuck in a horrendous looking green side bunker. Is there a grand final?' one person joked.
'Old mate in the background looking for his golf ball,' another person said, followed by laughing emojis.
One fan simply wrote: 'Take a drop and move on!'
'Sitting on the tee behind this bloke be like... Um, hurry up!' another fan tweeted, followed by a GIF.
'Nice to see Gil halt his round for the announcement. C'mon Gil let the group behind play through,' another person joked, referencing that Mr McLachlan is reportedly staying at a 'quarantine hub' next to the golf course.
The golfer was on screen for a third of Mr McLachlan's nine-minute announcement, leading AFL fans to point out the hilarious scene on Twitter.
The golfer leaned over to peer into the water, hoping he could spot and fish out his ball, but continued to scour for the ball for almost three minutes - long after most players would have given up and got a new ball from their bag.
At one point of his annoucement, Mr McLachlan leaned to one side, allowing viewers to see that the golfer was playing with a partner, who was waiting patiently next to a golf kart.
Eventually, the golfers got back in their kart and drove along the lake to take one last shot at finding the ball before leaving the screen.
At one point, Mr McLachlan leaned over, revealing that the golfer was playing with a partner, who was waiting next to a golf kart
Mr McLachlan announced the 2020 AFL Grand Final would be played at the Gabba in Brisbane, choosing it over Perth's Optus Stadium and the Adelaide Oval.
He said the grand final would take place on October 24, adding that Queensland's presentation would be 'world class'.
Victorians will still enjoy a public holiday on the day before the AFL Grand Final, even though the decider has been moved to Brisbane due to the threat of COVID-19.
Premier Daniel Andrews said Victorians have 'earned' the day off after months of restrictive lockdown orders to stem the spread of the deadly respiratory infection.
Eventually, the golfers got back in their kart and drove along the lake to take one last punt at finding the ball before leaving the screen