Crows stars Erin Phillips, Courtney Cramey and Ebony Marinoff want an AFLW grand final, even if it’s played this weekend
Adelaide Crows star Erin Phillips woke up with a sore throat overnight, but after being assessed by the club doctor was told her symptoms did not warrant being tested for coronavirus.
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The near future of the AFLW’s 2020 season remains in limbo with the AFL delaying making any decisions until today at the earliest on whether the competition will continue – and in what format – amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The AFL Players Association surveyed all AFLW footballers on Monday night and in an email yesterday revealed its preferred position was for the season to be altered to a three-week finals series played between the top four sides from each conference starting this weekend.
If the AFLPA recommendation is taken up, it will prematurely end the Crows season as they sit sixth in Conference A with a 2-4 win/loss record.
The original AFLW fixture has another two rounds of home-and-away games before finals played over three weeks between the top three teams from each conference, with the grand final scheduled for April 18.
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Crows players spent yesterday sitting tight as they awaited news as to whether their AFLW season would end, but when no news came, they all headed to West Lakes for their usual 5pm training session and the team is continuing to plan to take on Gold Coast in Queensland on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking on The Advertiser’s women’s football podcast CJ and the Noff Courtney Cramey – who is also Adelaide’s delegate on the AFL Players Association – said fast-tracking the finals series in the interest of the health and safety was “probably the best bet”.
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“Whether we do play off a grand final of the top teams as of this weekend, that would be Fremantle and North Melbourne?” she said.
“Look if I was in the other conference sitting in a second or third position, I’d be really unhappy about that decision and there are a fair few out there who would be.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s important for AFL Women’s in the 2020 season to have a winner and have a result and whether that means fast-tracking that to this weekend or in weekends to come, sooner rather than later, for the health and safety of most people, I think that’s probably the best bet.”
Crows midfielder Ebony Marinoff – who was among the Crows best in their five-point loss to Greater Western Sydney on Sunday – said the competition simply had to face the reality of the global pandemic.
“We have to accept and deal with (that) and there are bigger things with people’s health at risk,” she said.
“Do they put the season on hold? For how many weeks?
“We’re nearing the end of the season and I’ve heard the AFL are pretty keen to get a result, if that means top conference teams play off (this weekend) to get a result, is it going to be a fair one? Probably not.
“But that’s just what we’re potentially going to have to deal with and accept just purely on what reality is at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Erin Phillips had the club holding its breath when she woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat, but the club doctor cleared the co-captain of COVID-19 by early afternoon.
A spokesman for the Crows said: “The doctor assessed Phillips and confirmed there were no indications of concern and that she didn’t meet the criteria to be tested for coronavirus”.
Phillips told MIX 102.3 yesterday that her preference for the 2020 season was for the grand final to be played this coming weekend, whether between the top two teams of each pool – North Melbourne and Fremantle – playing each other, or as a mini-blitz competition, where the top two teams in each pool (would include GWS and Carlton as it stands) play shortened games as semi-finals and then a grand final.
She said the danger was the entire competition could be cancelled in a week or two if a player tested positive and having a 2020 premier was paramount.