His words should resonate with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, an avid Hawthorn fan. In fact, they should resonate with the ACT government and the Sport Australia officials who shut the AIS Arena.

"Just do something," Kennedy Snr bellowed. "Don't think, don't hope. Do. At least you can come off and say, 'I did this ... at least I did something'."

Quoting the late Kennedy Snr doesn't do him justice (you'll need to watch the video below). Hearing Kennedy Snr's speech, or watching a video of some of the AFL's greatest coaches giving grand final speeches, makes you want to run through walls.

Maybe it should be played on a video screen at the AIS vaccination hub, because we're still waiting for someone to do something almost two years after what many fear was the arena's last event.

The government isn't doing anything at the moment. It's hoping. Hoping whichever party wins the federal election will make reopening the arena a priority.

They can't seriously think one of Scott Morrison's first actions will be to bounce down to the AIS for a big announcement if he is re-elected. They can't seriously expect Anthony Albanese's first investment project to be some new seats at a venue in Bruce if Labor ends almost a decade in opposition.

Barr is hoping a change of government at the federal level will lead to more open dialogue and a collaborative approach. Even so, a realistic reopening timeline could be 12 months away.

Barr is hoping the ACT won't be stung with the repair bill given it doesn't even own the asset. Hoping they can finally get their hands on the secretive report which led to the arena's indefinite closure.

The city, the Canberra Capitals, netball fans and entertainers deserve more than hope. You have to sympathise with the ACT government on some level. Their hands were tied when the AIS was closed without notice and there has been limited interaction about its condition. They don't operate the arena, they don't own it and they don't intend to buy it.

But it has been two years. COVID-19-interrupted years, yes. But two years.

There is a long-term plan for a new convention centre, extending the existing convention centre or partnering with the University of Canberra to build a 10,000-seat arena at the Bruce campus. They're years away.

In the meantime, we wait. A short-term something could have been a $2.5 million pop-up tent at EPIC. Sure, it resembles a circus tent and is putting a short-term band aid on a much bigger problem, but it was still a solution.

The government said it was investigating the tent as an option, but decided it wasn't feasible. It would rather spend the money on fixing the AIS Arena, even though it doesn't know how much that will cost, exactly what the problems are, or when it would be possible to open the doors again.

It has become too easy to make sporting venue issues someone else's problem in Canberra.

Barr detailed his vision for a new rectangular stadium in the city a decade ago, but we're still no closer to making a decision as Canberra Stadium deteriorates

The Canberra Stadium issue, too, is being held up at a federal level. The ACT government doesn't want to make its move before the Commonwealth announces plans for the AIS precinct.

The city has been waiting almost 10 years for that announcement and while the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies still have somewhere to play in the meantime, the Capitals, Giants Netball, the Diamonds and the Wiggles (yes, even the Wiggles!) have to "survive on the crumbs of infrastructure".

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There has been a lot of political posturing since news first emerged a Sport Australia venue audit deemed the arena unsafe for events and closed the doors with no plans to fix the problems.

The federal government doesn't want to pay for safety improvements given it doesn't use the arena to develop Olympians or elite athletes. The federal government felt the costs were too high to have justify having some staff operate the arena and take bookings

So it closed the doors, citing fire safety regulations (which are being disputed because the arena was covered under a grandfather policy), fire hazards in the lighting (also disputed) and unsafe bleacher seating (again, disputed).

The problem, Barr and ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry say, is the ACT has asked for the audit report several times to gauge the extent of the repairs needed and the level of investment required, but their federal counterparts have failed to engage.

That's two years of stalling. Two years of the unknown. Two years of hoping for something to change.

It must make it incredibly frustrating for the Capitals and netball officials to hear a temporary solution was taken off the list of options almost as quickly as it was put on there.

It's not just for the Capitals and netball. Concerts that need more than 2000 seats bypass Canberra because there's no appropriate venue. Boxing, the Boomers, the Opals, the Diamonds.

The Wiggles and concerts have found other venues (the Canberra Theatre, the Convention Centre) while others simply bypass the capital because there isn't anywhere appropriate to take their show.

The COVID-19 pandemic has covered over the cracks because there were less concert tours, less shows and lockdowns made it impossible for people to get to sports or events.

Yes, the government has been busy sorting out the vaccine program and the return to schools. But two years is more than enough time to get something done.

Canberra doesn't need a giant indoor venue. At least not yet, anyway. The cost of being a host city have risen astronomically in the past five years as cities compete for indoor and outdoor entertainment.

But the capital should at least be in the market. The capital should at least have venues that make sporting organisations, event promoters and spectators want to come to Canberra.

It's not good enough to keep hoping. It's time to do something.

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